Heyfield 2 nights, then Newry 3 nights

Tuesday, 25 August – was either Gormandale or Heyfield depending on what ambience suited us 🙂

Gormandale was OK, right in town but all the campsite area was wet & soggy (boggy) so the vote went to Heyfield and we found a very nice possie at the Middle Oval Heyfield RV Stop here:

Here is video:

and the pics for our arrival:

Entry to Middle Oval Heyfield free camp

Our home @ Middle Oval Heyfield

Our home @ Sunrise @ Middle Oval Heyfield

Wednesday 26 August, Kym went for ride to explore the area and the Rail Trails, Gerri walked around the Wetlands Reserve. Aaaaaaand heeeres the inevitable pics:

Wetlands Reserve trails of 2 + 3km loops

Wetlands Reserve sculptures, there is a colourful totem style one on the island in the background

On Rail Trail route. Lambs are here, where is Mary? 🙂

Rail Trail rail bridge that is no more, fence is to stop going onto the road it used to cross.

The Rail Trail proper. well packed gravel, great for riding.

A “genuine” Dutch Wind Mill close to the Rail Trail. It was actually spinning too!

Thursday 27 August – off again to check out a free camp at Cheynes Bridge Camping Area. This was also very nice (and soggy). Right on the Macalister River with plenty of space, loos and lots of walking/riding trails.

Misty mountains and wet roads on way to Cheynes Bridge

Decided it was a little toooooo damp and so progressed to Newry Rest Reserve to settle in here:

 and the pics:

Newry Rest Area sign from the road

Grand entrance to the Newry Rest Area

The Rules for the Newry Rest Area

Our campsite at Newry Rest Area nice and firm on the Basketball Court of all places. There was no one playing at the time ….. so 1st in etc.

Firmly installed on the Basketball Court. Was nice and level 🙂

Our rainwater catcher, the bucket not Gerri 😉

Friday 28 August – Kym ventured out on one of his normal rides around the region and found:

Water over road into Newry

Macalister River Bridge

Macalister River from bridge downstream

Macalister River from bridge upstream

Do not pull off onto side of road lest you disappear in the mud 😦

Saturday 29 August – we decided to do a circuit tour and reconnoiter the Blue Pool camp spot for a possible stay.
Here is the Newry -Briagolong – Stratford (on Avon River) – Maffra – Newry  tour loop route:

No pics of the tour, just these at our Newry camp spot on the day:

Saturday morning sunrise

Saturday morning sunrise scoring a goal

Misty morning

Our van nicely secreted behind the Newry Footy Club.

Tomorrow, Sunday 30 August, off to check out a possible camp at Metung. Going via Bruthen, just because 🙂 as per:

See you at Metung

Wilsons Promontory

Wilsons Promontory (The Prom)

Well, Sunday 23 August,  we departed 90 Mile Beach and found our way to Port Albert , was a tad ‘uninviting’ being in a car park in the middle of town and on a busy boat ramp. So we had a nice lunch of fish & chips overlooking the harbour (see pics).

Our view for the fish & chips lunch over one of the Port Albert jetties

Port Albert foreshore with town water tank in mid back ground

A fortuitous shot of Port Albert harbour with 3 seagulls taking centre stage

Pressed on to the  Toora freecamp.
This camp was potentially great, by the river, away from traffic, loos, plenty of water and that was the rub, so much water on the ground making it very damp & soggy and not good for putting 4 tonne van & car on – memories of Four Mile Creek out of Brewarrina.
Sooooooo it was onto Yanakie Caravan Park (yes, ANOTHER Van Park) but it was closer to the Prom as seen in this pic.

The Prom from our Yanakie Van Park

Monday 24 August – Here is a map showing where the Van Park is and the route to Tidal River, the centre of Info, admin & accommodation in the Prom.
The Mount Bishop Walk and the Lilly Pilly Gully Nature Walk track are both a couple of Ks back from Tidal River.

A Rosella developing an affinity with the milk bottle outside the Prom Info Centre

Now developing a closer affinity with the milk bottle outside the Prom Info Centre.

Now the Rosella is helping Kym with local knowledge in the map.

Interesting hollow log on the Lilly Pilly Gully Nature Walk

more hollow log on the Lilly Pilly Gully Nature Walk

On the Lilly Pilly Gully Nature Walk

On the Lilly Pilly Gully Nature Walk. Note the fern growing out of the tree trunk.

On the Lilly Pilly Gully Nature Walk

On the Lilly Pilly Gully Nature Walk

View to the west on Mt Bishop to Norman Island

View to the south on Mt Bishop to Mount Oberon

more View to the south on Mt Bishop to Mount Oberon with clouds blocking any view for walkers there.

View to the west on Mt Bishop to Norman Island & Great Glennie Island. ***Panorama pic, click to see on full screen.

Another view to the west on Mt Bishop to Norman Island

View through the trees to Normal Island

Tuesday, 25 August is off to either Gormandale or Heyfield.

🙂 Let’s see what ambience suits us 🙂

Cruise & 90 Mile Beach

Wednesday 19 Aug, we left Marlay Point at a record 7.45am to catch a river cruise on the Thompson River and here is the story in pics:

The Rubeena, an electric powered boat, built 1912. This is about as close as we will ever get to Cruise Liner 😉

The tickets

The captain

The crew

The boat

Thompson River

Bark Canoe tree

Reflections

The Swing Bridge

The Swing Bridge swivel gear

More Crew! 😉

Had lunch on Thompson River near The Swing Bridge

The Swing Bridge turning gears

The Swing Bridge from top

Arrived at 90 Mile Beach in Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, VIC which is here:

and settled in:

Our possie in C2

C2

The rules

Our beach

Our beach comber

and here is a 90 Mile Beach  in Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, VIC sunrise:

Thursday 20 Aug – Kym went for an exploratory ride around –

This is part of the Gippsland Lakes system and our camp is on a strip of land between this and the sea.

This is a sewerage outfall into the ocean, nice, thought these were no more. But apparently not when they are not in public view. Next pic is interesting!

How to “greenwash” a sewer discharge site …… put a nice green frog as the eye catching feature. Thought it was a frog habitat sign at first.

A nice little shack in the Golden Beach “back streets” complete with outside dunny 🙂

Friday 21 Aug – a few pics for today:

A 90 Mle Beach sunride, someone has to be up at 6am to appreciate these gems.

About 5km up the road towards Seaspray is the Trinculo wreck, what is left of it. The merged pic on the bottom is the wreck in 2001 and then in 2014.

This is what is left now.

A closeup of the wreck, better be quick if you want to see it. Disappearing rapidly.

Saturday 22 Aug – a few pics for our last day here:

This is what you do while waiting for the sun to rise – sit & take pics of your feet 🙂

The awaited sunrise. Took about 20 pics to get this one.

The track from our camp to the beach.

Could not resist a pic of this unique Colourbond fence in the back blocks of Golden Beach.

Today, Sunday 23 August, off to Port Albert or Toora, both free camps. Will check out Port Albert first.

This may be our launching point to see Wilsons Promontary. Cannot afford to stay in the Park at $55/night for an unpowered site ……. wafore …….. a few sq.mts of ground & a long drop dunny ….. don’t think so!

See you there.

 

 

Marlay Point

Sunday 16 Aug- went to see the Silt Jetties in Lake King, part of the Gippsland Lake area, and this is the pic from where we had morning tea showing the river beside the Jetties, some 7km long, and a washed out cliff at the start of the Jetties.

Silt Jetties start with river

Arrived at Marlay Point Reserve Rest Area which is here:

and found this:

Marlay Point beach

Marlay Point camp area

Marlay Point camp area & loos

Marlay Point beach-side camping area

Also here is a video for your enjoyment & edification:

Monday 17 Aug was pretty cold & wet and we hid inside the van most of the day with the precious diesel heater taking the chill off things quite nicely.
Tuesday 18 Aug was better with some sun and just a few bouts of rain. Here is more of the Marlay Point Reserve:

Marlay Point waterside camping

Game Reserve next to Marlay Point Reserve. Shooting only in Season, whenever that is?

Marlay Point Reserve boat launching and Picnic Area

Bird nests disquised as letter boxes at Marlay Point Reserve. Pic thanks to Anne & Tony Dortmans from their visit here.

Tomorrow we are off on a river cruise on the Thompson River and then on to find a spot by the sea on 90 Mile Beach.

 

 

 

 

Murrungowar, Marlo and Log Crossing Camp

Tuesday 11 Aug we left Genoa after connecting on our last night with our friends Tony & Anne who live just down the road from us in Tathra. They went a bought a new van and probably won’t want to be seen with us now in our 19 yr old Scenic Galaxy.

Headed for a one nighter at Murrungowar:

Murrungowar Rest/Picnic Area sign

Van at Murrungowar Rest/Picnic Area, OK for a 1 nighter. Loos and good surrounds 🙂

 

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Next day, Wednesday 12 Aug, we were going to stay at a freecamp near Marlo however Gerri was feeling a bit ‘butchers’ and needed a nice shower etc so, wait for it ……………. we splashed out actual $$$$ at the Marlo Ocean Views Caravan Park. We did get to walk on a Snowy River beach track something like this that was opposite the van park :

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Thursday, 13 Aug, morning Gerri was decidedly better, departed Marlo and, after a restocking at Lakes Entrance, made our way to Log Crossing Picnic Area in Coloqhuon State Forest, about 10ks south out of Lakes Entrance.
We spent 3 nights here and here is the photo journey:
First a little video scripted, directed, produced & played by Kym –

The camp area –

Our home amongst the gum trees

Nice tranquil creek from a foot bridge leading to the Tram Trail etc.

Bike & walk map & info

more Bike & walk map & info

Our first day, Friday 14 Aug, at Log Crossing Gerri lazed around & went for a Tram Trail walk whilst Kym got serious with the Single Tracks in the forest. Here is the proof:

Oh, where to go, so many choices, lets try Forestech and then onto the MTB Park 🙂

A nice steep drop off, no problems.

A log jump, breezed through

Even a rake for a bit of house keeping – you ride it, you maintain it!

1st blood drawn on a nice tight & awkward corner 😦 . Can be seen in background leading onto plank bridge.

back home to lick the wounds

Second day, Saturday 15 Aug, was more reserved with an easy ride to the Granite Quarry and return to complete a 25 odd km loop via the Gippsland Rail Trail proper and a few well maintained forest roads:

This is the Tram Trail that followed the creek up to the quarry. There were many of these bridges as the track avoided any rises by multiple creek crossings to keep the down gradient constant and avoid using power on the way down when fully loaded.

Trail bikes really dig the tracks up, luckily this is just a cross over track and are mostly apart from the walk & MTBike trails.

The Granite Quarry, note how small it is after nearly 40 years of extraction compared to some of today’s coal mines.

Map & info

Quarry history

A piece of polished granite – weathers well.

Tram wheels and rails

 

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Today, Sunday 16 Aug,  onto Marlay Point,  we hope.

See you there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Genoa for four nights

Arrived at Genoa Fri arvo and settled in for at least a few days.

Here is the 3 day story in pics:

Welcome To Genoa

The Genoa Wayside Stop on north side of bridge where free camp with loos & water is situated

Our home at Genoa

Our “property” at Genoa

A tale of 2 bridges – the old and the new, see next pic for story

The Bridges Tale

Genoa Falls Car (and bike) parking area. Is about 100mts of the Princes Hwy and only signed with a small Nat Park post & a walkers icon. Hard to find but worth it.

Genoa Falls

Genoa Falls

Genoa Falls

Gerri fell in love with this “restorers dream” in Genoa

Misty hills from camp in early morn ….. serene.

Our new Kym built ‘pig’ oven, first lighting – IT WORKS! 🙂 Even did an attempt at a camp oven dinner …… still some learning to do!

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Not sure where to from here …………………….. see next edition.