Northbound - 26-28/04/2024

Since we left you in the Victorian High Country, our travel plans have somewhat changed.  On ANZAC Day, I received the sad news that my Aunty Ailsa in Brisbane had passed away.

Pre-empting the funeral plans, we decided to head northward as quickly as possible.  So now we are camped overnight on the banks of the Hawkesbury River after a big push yesterday from Millingandi Station just north of Pambula on the south coast of NSW.

Now we are as close as another big push away from Brisbane, we await the date of the funeral so we'll just play it by ear over the next little while.

Overnight campsite on the side of the road - 'Double Bridges'

 

A cool foggy start to a long day's drive

Watched a bit of bush tellie

Mt Kosciuszko Lookout - looking through the smoke haze

Roadside shot - foggy drive up the Princes Highway yesterday

Mt Hotham - 23-24/04/2024

We left Seymour a couple of days ago and travelled as far as Benalla.  We stayed overnight in the centre of town in a free camp for self contained vehicles.

From Benalla, we headed up the Hume Highway to Wangaratta.  From there we jumped over to the Great Alpine Road (B500).  We had a campground called Devil's Hollow in mind as our next destination.  We were looking for a place to stay in the scrub for a couple of days.

As we drove further and further up the B500, we were nearing the summit of Mt Hotham.  I started to get a little edgy as we hadn't seen a caravan for some time that day and still we were climbing higher and higher.

On top of the world!

The view from the top

When we finally got to the turn off to our proposed campsite, there's a sign that says not suitable for caravans and large vehicles.  Bugger!!  It was a steep dirt road downhill.  So we moved on with trepidation and eventually found ourselves at the the summit where Hotham Heights, the township sits.  A fairly decent chilly howling wind blew.  We stopped on the side of a carpark and enjoyed lunch before moving on.

The highest point we've ever taken the van - Elevation 1760m

Lots of activity going on up here in preparation for the upcoming ski season

We began our descent and ended up pulling up stumps at Victoria Falls Campground which is a free camp of elevation 975m.  It's pretty chilly as you'd expect this time of year but nothing better than being in the bush in winter - sitting by a campfire.  This is the site of Victoria's first hydro electric power plant in 1908.

Campsite at Victoria Falls Campground in the Victorian high country

 

It's a bit chilli-bin here all day!

These are a few long lens shots from around our campsite at dawn this morning...

GPS : 19°18'22.54" S 146°47'43.7" E

PS: We awoke to a frosty morn today (25/04/2024) - overnight minimum of -4 degrees.

Seymour - 21/04/2024

Well, back on the mainland, albeit nearly 2 hours late.  We arrived at the Geelong Showgrounds for an overnight rest before heading off in the morning.

After grabbing some grocery supplies, we drove as far as Seymour for the first day of the return leg of our trip.  We are going to explore and camp a few spots in Victoria before making our way north to home.

We pulled up in a free camp outside Seymour on the banks of the Goulburn River called Seymour Reserve.  What a nice little spot.  Had a campfire.  Got cool overnight down to 5 deg minimum.

 

View from our campsite

Old Goulburn River bridge nearby

Awoke to a view over the misty river.

Before leaving town, we visited the Vietnam Veteran Wall Memorial.  Quite an impressive tribute to our troops that served in Vietnam.  The wall is made up of acrylic panels listing the names of all our troops who served set in front of some images of the time.

 

Quite moving and impressive memorial - worth a visit.

Aurora Australis - 20/04/2024

At the 11th hour, just a few hours before we were to board the Spirit of Tasmania, I took my last opportunity to witness the Aurora.

I ventured out at 4:30 am to Braddon's Lookout and mother nature put on a spectacular show for me.

What a spectacle!  I'm so chuffed that I finally got to see and capture the Aurora.

 

 

Devonport - 16-20/04/2024

As our adventures on the Apple Isle draw to a close, we left Strahan and headed up the A10 - destination Devonport.  We embark on the Spirit of Tasmania at 1030 on Saturday, 20th April.

First night of the final trip was a stopover at a free camp in the small town of Tullah.  The 'campground' is on the banks of Lake Rosebery.  We shared the space with one other traveller.

Next morning was a perfect opportunity to nip out at dawn to shoot a few images on the lake.  

Lake Rosebery previous afternoon

Lake Rosebery Previous afternoon

After brekky, we headed off further north and decided to pull up at a roadside rest area at Hellyer Gorge.  There is a short walk to be had here, so we took a stroll through the scrub by the Hellyer River.  It was chilly all afternoon so we made a fire and veged out for the rest of the day.  This was only the second fire we've had the whole time we've been here - There has either been a fire ban or it was raining.

Before nightfall, we moved the van away from the road a little and stayed hooked up for a quick getaway in the morning.  No road noise for the night though.  It is a reasonably main road but next to no traffic all night.  Plus, it was a better view of the sky for Starlink.  We shared the campground with one other couple in a 'wizbanger'.

Early getaway next morning saw us arriving in Devonport perfectly around check in time at Discovery Park Devonport.

Spent the next two days catching on blog posts (including this one).  As I write this, we are preparing to get away early tomorrow morning to catch a ride on the boat back to Geelong.

If it all works out, I'll do an early trip around 3:00 am to Braddons Lookout hoping to successfully catch a glimpse of Aurora Australis - last chance!  Hoping for clear skies and an actual Aurora.

Next post, we'll be back on the mainland and you'll find out the Mission Aurora is successful or a dismal failure.

Strahan - 14-15/04/2024

Next stop - Strahan (population 658) - formerly the port servicing the local mining communities in the 19th century, nowadays, tourism is Strahan's main focus.

Wilderness Railway Station

Customs House and Post Office

Strahan was always a must see in our travel plan. We stayed at Strahan Beach Caravan Park.  Pretty much rained the whole time for the duration of our visit.  However, we had some small windows of respite, enough to get around and check out as much as we could fit into the 2 days there.

 

Walking access to Hogarth Falls is from the local park within the town.  It's an easy walk along formed tracks and boardwalks through rainforest.

Hogarth Falls

On the second day, we took the 'Spirit of the Wild' (the grey boat) on the Gordon River Cruise.  There are two operators that run this cruise experience - the Red Boat and the Grey Boat.  We can't fault our experience.  Six hours takes you out on the Macquarie Harbour through Hells Gates in the open ocean - crack a u-bolt back through the harbour and down the mouth of the Gordon River.  Once you enter the river, the boat switches to electric motors and the silence and sense of calm can't be overstated.

Mouth of the Gordon River

This old Huon Pine died and fell about 25 years ago.  It has been dated as 2300 years of age.

 

At the turn around point, we went ashore for a short immersive experience in the wilderness.  Back on board, a wonderful buffet lunch was served as we cruised back to the mouth of the river.  The heavy overcast skies and misty rain added to the ambience of the place.  Hopefully, the photos do it justice.

 

Our turn around point up the river

On our return, we past the red boat cruising up the river

Hells Gates

Hells Gates Lighthouse

On our return up the harbour, we landed at Sarah Island where we had a very animated guided tour through the ruins of the former convict settlement.

 

Solitary confinement cells

All aboard!

Rain followed us home

That night we went to the play - "The Ship that Never Was".  Last year, the play celebrated its 30th birthday.  The play has a cast of three, one of which was our tour guide on Sarah Island.  It's all about audience participation.
Enjoyed that - it was a blast!