Category: 2013

Shepparton Vic, to Griffith NSW.

Last night after finishing work we hooked up the van and headed North to Shepparton. Our plan was to get clear of the city early.

We caught up with our friends who are traveling along with us and left Saturday morning with Griffith NSW as our destination for today.

A crisp and fresh morning greeted us when we woke which turned into the perfect driving weather.

We are traveling along the Kidman way for a good part of the trip.

With a stop along the way at Jerildierie NSW, for lunch, we spent about an hour or so here at a very busy park that seemed to be the place for travelers to stop at. There is a lot of history here with the highlight being Ned Kelly. We’ll spend a night here on our return so will take more time to see just what he did here.

A very different windmill greeted us in the park. It’s called “Steel Wings”. It’s fan sits in the middle of the tower.

We then headed off to complete todays drive and finished up at Griffith, NSW.

Big Red or Bust

There’s nothing more exciting than a trip and we are currently on an outback trip to Birdsville. We are heading North from home, through New South Wales, Queensland and then west to Birdsville.

Mulled on the Mountain 2013

Finally the Queens Birthday weekend had arrived and we were off to Warburtons Bridge for a long weekend of camping with friends.  We’ve done it a couple of times over the years, camping over the long weekend in June.  It’s usually cold and we enjoy a mulled wine over a roaring campfire.  photo 2

Some were able to come for a day, others an overnight stay and the rest joined us for the whole weekend.

We had such a good time and many a laugh was had late into the night. We had some amazing campfires that kept every one warm and we now look for a huge tree root, from hereon to be named the “after dinner log”, to keep the fire going well into the wee hours of the morning.

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It was the first time we’ve had a good usage out of our caravan heater and I can honestly say it made a huge difference to the enjoyment of the weekend.  It wasn’t a cheap item to have put in the caravan but its worth every cent.  I’d highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you have kids.  Happy kids, Happy parents.

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We spent a lot of time just relaxing at the camp site but also took a trip into Castlemaine followed by some geocaching on the trip back via some bush tracks.

We did discover that the female partners do a lot of talking on the UHF radios when the men are doing a walk ahead to scout the track.  Apparently they have already decided if we will be going ahead or not. 🙂

Our two daughters, Grace and Matilda, are enjoying hunting for caches more than ever now so we may just try and do it more often.

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Tilly had a great time carrying the caching bag and finding the caches.  Big thanks to all those who stood back helping her find discover them first.  It gave her such a thrill to think she was the one finding them all.

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The girls enjoyed spending time with Tilly dog too.  If you look closely you can see Tilly dog had her tail and her paws coloured for the occasion.  photo 3

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We spend some time learning about the history of the area as we searched for caches. It’s quite amazing some of the stories and I think next time we come back we may explore some more.  There is even a Dingo Conservation center in the area.

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A trip to one of the caches on the roof of Mark and Dianne’s camper was a highlight for the girls.  A bit like an old fashioned hay ride.

photo 3 copy The kids playing on the banks of the Loddon River in a makeshift cubby.
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It was great catching up with everyone and don’t forget to keep the 2014 Queens Birthday long weekend free in your calendar.

Grampians Grape Festival 2013

Imagine waking up to this every morning.  It was the sight that greeted us over the last weekend which we spent at Halls Gap in the Grampians with two other families.

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The weather was amazing which made the trip even better as we visited this beautiful piece of the world for the annual Grampians Grape Escape.  This is the second year we have attended and it’s always held on the first weekend of May each year.  A first class event that I recommend to anyone.

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The local oval is the venue and is host to numerous local wineries and some local eateries (go with the pizza) all eager to showcase their trade with the festival goers.

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They have many activities including food demonstrations (this year Poh from MasterChef), grape stomping, kids activities, local bands (check out Buddha in a Chocolate Box  ) and much more to keep everyone entertained.

It goes over two days and this year we extended our stay to Monday so we could take full advantage of the weekend.  At only $40 per person for the whole weekend entry is very reasonable.

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Back at our campsite just a few hundred meters from the oval we had many other local visitors pop in.  Ducks, Kookaburras and Kangaroos were everywhere.  They are still wild but come close enough for the kids to have a good look at these amazing Aussie animals.

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Sunday nights dinner was a real chore.  We spent the better part of three hours watching the lamb turn on the spit.  Its hard being a gourmet chef when you’re camping.  It was one of the best lamb roasts I have ever had.  Slow cooked to perfection.

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We had an amazing time and have booked in again for next year.  One of our group has set the challenge for us to walk to the top of one of the nearby peaks to watch a sunrise so who knows what next year will have in store.

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As Mr Kangaroo says, “See you next time around.”