A fond farewell to 2011

It only seems like yesterday that we were watching the fireworks bringing in 2011 and here it is almost over again. We have had lots of fun times during the year and apart from Bill's health scare in June we can look back and think 2011 was a good year. Of course you all know by now that we have become part time grey nomads with the purchase of our Camper trailer in October and what better way to finish the year but with one final adventure.

We both had leave on Friday 30th and another 4 day weekend gave us the opportunity to head off again and get another 3 nights practice under our belts. The 25 Frogs Christmas Party was being held at Trevor's place in Macedon so we booked into the local caravan park and stayed until Monday. A nice quiet little park, with basic but serviceable amenities, it was a nice spot to call home for a few days. And only five mins from our venue that night so no problems with getting lost on the way home.

We had a great night with 12 of us descending on Trevor & Chris for a night of fabulous food and fun. Not to mention the drinks of course. With Debbie & Tony making a return visit from Bahrain, they take the prize again for the longest journey. Jean also travelled all over the country side to visit with a NSW - Qld - NSW - Vic - NSW round trip to meet all her family obligations. It was good to see her again after almost 2 years and we were all pleased that she had been able to squeeze us in. Jeff & Helen also came down from NSW and Steve from country Vic so our little jaunt paled into insignificance against these travellers. Trevor excelled himself making home made pizzas and we were lining up to get them almost before they came out of the pizza oven. The bar-b-que that followed was just as good and we all ate too much again. Chili was a feature of the night with the menu reflecting this favourite food. Chili Pizza, Chili rice, Chili Beer & Chili Ginger Beer (both home brewed). These proved to be a hit with some of the guys and I believe were responsible for a few fuzzy heads the next morning. Now chili & I don't get on any more and I've no idea how Trevor knew this but he had made separate 'no chili' versions just for me. How good was that! Once again the boys had a fun time recalling some of the mischief they had gotten up to as young Radio Apprentices and we ladies are learning so much more about our boys than we ever knew. All good of course - NOT! With New Years Eve the following night most of us were on our way before midnight though the home made brews did entice a couple of diehards to stay on. A great night was had by all again and we are looking forward to even more fun get togethers in 2012.

We returned to our home on wheels and were asleep before our heads hit the pillows and stayed that way until the Kookaburras woke us in the morning. We had a lazy morning with a late breakfast and then decided that we would take a look around our local area and so drove down to Gisborne where we had coffee before venturing further afield. Next stop was a quick look around Woodend before we headed off to our star attraction of the day - Hanging Rock. Yes the same Hanging Rock of 'Picnic' fame. I had been there 32 years ago with Auntie Muriel and we had climbed to the top to see the view. Not an easy climb I remember as we scrambled over rocks and crevices but we did persevere and enjoyed the view once we got there. Now the rock has a 'Summit walk' which is a path winding it's way up to the top. It is steep in parts but not too difficult for anyone to do now. There are plenty of opportunities along the way to look at the views and for us there were plenty of birds to entertain us. The little fantails were just lovely and they were quite happy to pose for Bill and his camera went into overdrive as he clicked away. Once at the top I kept my distance from the edge but Bill did venture a little further getting some nice pictures of the surrounding countryside.

Coming down we decided that we would change our route and take the stairs from the halfway mark and it was here that we found the actual 'hanging rock' that the park is named after (not pictured). Said to be the best example of a volcanic plug or mamelon in the world, Hanging Rock consists mainly of soda trachyte rock (solvsbergite), found only outside this district in Norway and Sweden. Since its formation, the mamelon has been exposed to considerable weathering and erosion, resulting in a conglomeration of unusual rock formations that can now be seen here. Once a reputed refuge for bush rangers it is now more famous for it's Picnic Day Race meetings one of which is held on New Years Day each year. We were one day too early but did see all the marquees set up and ready for the big event. Have put that one on the list for a future date. Once down we had some lunch in the Cafe and the smoked salmon was just delicious. I would go back just for that again it was so good. There were lots of people taking advantage of the lovely day and picnicing in the reserve and many still climbing the rock as we left for our next stop.

A short drive through some lovely countryside and soon we were driving up through Mount Macedon. We drove up to the top to see the Memorial Cross. The 21m high Memorial Cross is a short walk from the car park surrounded by a beautiful formal garden and a Snow Gum forest. It is an imposing structure commemorating those who served in the world wars and was the brain-child of Mr William Cameron, a businessman living in Mount Macedon. His purpose in building the Cross was two-fold - to be a permanent memorial to the Australian soldiers who died in World War 1 and as well during the construction, to provide work for the unemployed of the district during the great depression of the early 1930’s. He not only provided the inspiration and the determination to follow up his plans for the Cross but provided funds for its future maintenance.

Our next stop was Days Reserve where we followed the Sanatorium Eco Forest walk to the beautiful Sanatorium Lake. This is a man made lake that was built around 1899 to supply water to a sanatorium located nearby. Now it is home to many native animals and a favourite water hole for local kangaroos and koalas. It is also known as the nicest reflection pool in the area.

That night was our quietest New Years for a long time with cold meat and salad back at the van, we watched a movie and as soon as the clock struck midnight it was off to bed for some well deserved zzzz's. It had been a big day.

More exploring was on the agenda for the next day and we headed off to Lerderderg State Park. Our first stop was Lerderderg Gorge where we found lots of people trying to beat the heat in the popular swimming hole. A drive from there to the other end of the State Park though the 4WD tracks was a bit of fun and our next stop was at O'Briens crossing, another popular camping and swimming hole. We continued through the forest until we came to the main road and our next stop was the Blackwood Mineral Springs Reserve. This lovely picnic spot with a river running through it is also home to three mineral springs and the water from these was surprising. How strange to drink sparkling mineral water coming straight from the ground. We spent a couple hours here watching little yellow robins and kookaburras before heading back to Macedon for another quiet night in. Quiche & salad followed by a movie was a great finish to the day and our heads hit the pillow much earlier than the night before.

The following morning we were up bright and early, having breakfast and getting ready to pack up. With a forecast temp of 40 deg we decided that an early start was the best way to go to beat both the heat and the other travellers returning home from the Christmas/New Year break. As a result we had an easy drive home, stored the trailer and I was sorting the washing by mid afternoon. We had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were looking forward to the next weekend when we were off to Lake Eildon. In the meantime it was back to work for both of us but only 4 days and counting.

Bill & I hope you all enjoyed your festive season as much as we did and we wish you all a very Happy New Year. Hope it brings all you wish for and health and happiness abounds. So I'll wish you good night now and see you again soon.

until next year...........