The Ned Kelly trail

With Australia Day falling on Saturday this year we got a long weekend with the following Monday off.  With a little forward planning both Bill and I had organised the Thursday and Friday off and so were able to head off for a lovely five day break.

We were going back to Euroa to spend some more time exploring the many little towns that make this area special.  We arrived mid afternoon and got ourselves settled in the same campsite beside Seven Creeks.  We did have more neighbours this time and over the next couple of days a few more vans came in.  Seems like we had started something.  I continue to be pleasantly surprised as we travel around the caravan parks.  Even in the parks that seem full we have never had to wait for showers.  I guess people use the showers in their own vans now.

Once settled in we had a short walk before spending a couple hours beside the creek with a good book and the birds for company.  With the shops closed in Euroa, a bit of a shock after always being able to find an IGA open until at least 8.00pm in most towns we visit, we had dinner at The Seven Creeks Hotel just across the road.  It was a lovely old building full of history and the steak was very good.  Lots of Ned Kelly stories and pictures of family here too.  After dinner we relaxed in the warm evening with a glass of red and watched a movie before deciding that bed was the place to be.

The next morning we went into the shops to stock up for the weekend coming home to unpack and have lunch before we headed out to have a look at Ngambie Lakes.  We stopped at Jacobson's Outlook, a lovely park, and enjoyed watching the activity on the lake.  We loved the Pelican sculpture here as well.  We found the tourist information centre and picked up some good maps of the area before driving home for another afternoon beside the creek.

After breakfast the next morning we walked into Euroa first to see what was happening on Australia Day and found a band setting up in the RSL park for the Citizen award ceremony.  We didn't stop to watch.  We did however find the Ned Kelly sculpture (above) on the wall of the now Bendigo Bank.  This was once the 2nd Euroa National Bank which the Kelly gang held up in 1878.  Returning home we jumped in the car, picked up the maps and started exploring.  Our first destination was Ruffy where we stopped for lunch at The Produce Store.  We shared a ploughman's lunch, made with fresh local produce and home made pickles, followed by a cheeseboard for one and it was delicious.

Leaving Ruffy we drove out to to have a look at 'the boathole', a small picnic area beside another creek.  It was lovely and peaceful here and Bill found one or two birds but nothing that would keep him there for hours.  We drove on from here following the map towards Tarcombe and before long we were beside the huge granite tors that make this area so spectacular.  These huge lumps of granite are dotted all over the hillsides and must make farming in the immediate area very challenging.  They look amazing and remind you in some way of Stonehenge.

Dragging ourselves away from these amazing stones we drove on through the hills and valleys coming back down near Avenel.  We found the Avenel Stone Bridge built in 1869 and made famous when a very young Ned Kelly saved another little boy when he fell off the bridge.  Kelly was awarded a 'green sash' for bravery.   The bridge is no longer in use for cars but can still be crossed on foot as part of Stewart Park.

The next day we decided to get back to nature and spent the day exploring the forest tracks of Boho and Boho South.  We had our picnic lunch beside a little creek on the Honeysuckle Track.  It was another magic little spot needing Bill to test out his 4WD skills to get us out.  After returning to the sealed road we stopped for coffee at Strathbogie, still the 'best coffee in town' before continuing on to find Wallaby Gully Flora Reserve.  It was here that while Bill was watching a couple of little fantails flitting around nervously he discovered their nest.  3 very hungry baby birds kept Mum and Dad very busy feeding them.  Bill hid himself in some trees and was able to get some great pictures of them all.
After a good hour or more we called it a day and headed back down the hill to Euroa where we had dinner and a drink beside our little creek before my bed called me in for a reasonably early night.

The following morning we drove back to see the little fantail family again before visiting Tahbilk winery and wetlands near Ngambie.  We spent the afternoon here exploring the wetlands both on foot and a boat tour.  The vineyard owned and operated by the Purbrick family is one of Australia's oldest and most beautiful wineries.  The wetlands and waterways are linked by the Goulburn River and  they are worth the visit even if you don't like wine.  As if!

The winery founded in 1860 still has Shiraz vines dating back to this time.  The underground cellar was completed in 1865 and still exists today as a tourist attraction.  Walking down into this space with it's huge oak barrels is amazing.  The 'new' cellar finished in 1876 is where all the wine is stored now and is not accessible to the public but you can see through the gates.

We finished our visit with a wine tasting and after buying two bottles of award winning Shiraz we headed home for a quiet night in.  The next day was time to pack up and head home once more.

We had thoroughly enjoyed our few days exploring the many little townships of this area.  All are different, some just a dot on the map and others full of history.  Of course Ned Kelly stories feature somewhere in most of the townships so I guess the name "The Ned Kelly Trail' is the right one.

For now it's back to work for a few days and then we are both off again.  Bill to the Gold Coast for work and me to Halls Gap for the Jazz Festival.

until next time..........