The next month seemed to be a time of travelling for business and pleasure. Bill spent a week in the Gold Coast for work arriving home on Friday night to be followed by an early start on Monday for a week in Sydney. He got to spend the weekend at home alone as I had gone off to Halls Gap for the Jazz Festival with Mum. This year Astrid joined us as well and we all enjoyed 4 fabulous days of great music, great weather and great fun.
As always the little town comes alive with Jazz musicians coming from near and far to play in the many venues over the weekend. With so many venues to choose from and many different styles of Jazz there is something for everyone and we saw a great cross section over the weekend.
The next weekend Bill and I stayed home and caught up on some much needed housework before picking up the camper and heading out the following weekend. With Bianca in Canada, Astrid and Hans had changed their yearly Eildon trip to February and we were going to join them again for two weekends. We drove up on Saturday morning stopping at Alexandra for supplies and coffee at the Dairy Cafe. Arriving at Fraser camp ground soon after we were all set up and in relax mode in time for lunch. We did miss Bianca but had a great time with Travers for the weekend. Thanks for the IT help.
The campsite was not as busy as it is over the Christmas holidays but still had plenty of people enjoying the lake and campgrounds. We had a wonderful two days and all too soon it was time to say farewell and head home. We were leaving the camper there under Hans watchful eye (we were neighbors) and would return the following Friday night for another weekend of R and R.
After a week of storms and rain we returned to find Astrid and Hans all dried out and we caught up over a glass of Red before falling into bed that night. A slow start to the next morning was great and we enjoyed a walk out to the point before coming back for lunch. We drove into Alexander for a bit of shopping and while there checked out the local tourist information centre. We picked up some great maps and followed these to some local bushland reserves that will warrant further investigation. Enough with the sightseeing for one day we drove back to camp for a quiet drink before dinner which Hans and Bill cooked on the barbie. After another night spent with great company and a good red the four of us headed off to bed much earlier than the night before.
Hans took over Bianca's breakfast duties the following morning cooking bacon and eggs on the camp stove and we all had a yummy breakfast. Astrid and I left Bill and Hans doing some modifications on the camper (adding pole tubes) and we had a walk down to the lake before coming back for a quiet lunch. All too soon it was time for us to pack up again and head home for another week at work. Bill and Hans were off to the Gold Coast and I was looking forward to sorting the washing again - NOT.
Bill returned home on Friday late morning and after a few hours work at home drove down to pick the camper up for our long weekend adventure. We were going back to Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary at Linton. He picked me up after work and we had a very slow trip out of town as with the fine weather it seemed that every man and his dog was leaving Melbourne at the same time. We arrived at Linton around 10pm, managed to do a basic set up in the dark and settled down to dinner soon after. We only had one neighbour and they were at the other end of the park so we didn't disturb anyone.
The following morning Bill got up early and went in search of the birds finding a little dam on the property that kept him busy for an hour or so. After breakfast he finished setting up the bits he couldn't see in the dark and soon after we went out in search of supplies for the weekend. We drove to Skipton but couldn't see what was open so continued on to Beaufort about 40 mins away. This little town was alive and after picking up enough food for the weekend we found a cute little cafe and had a coffee before driving back to our little piece of paradise at Linton where we spent a relaxing afternoon with a book and plenty of cold drinks. It was very warm here and we were into day 6 of a +30 deg heatwave that looked like it was going to break all previous records held in Victoria.
Bill returned to his dam as the sun went down and was rewarded with lots of birds coming to play in the cooler water. We had dinner and spent a lovely evening enjoying the quiet and after our late night yesterday we were both bushed and found our bed sooner rather than later.
The next morning dawned hotter than the previous days and after breakfast we took a walk down the road to another area of the sanctuary. It was already too hot and most of our little feathered friends were hiding somewhere in a shady spot. Coming back for lunch we decided that an afternoon of sightseeing might be the answer and soon after we headed out towards Skipton in air conditioned comfort. Our first stop was just a little way up the road where we found a lookout, Flagstaff Hill, and we climbed the tower for a wonderful 360 deg view of the entire Golden Plains Shire and beyond.
Next we stopped at Skipton, first for coffee at the Skipton Art Gallery which was a quirky little cafe and art space, and secondly to admire the two lovely old churches there. From there and only to keep cool, it was 37 deg, we drove on to Lake Bolac where we found a helpful man in the Tourist Centre. I think he was bored and happy to have found someone to talk too. Still he gave us a map and explicit directions which we followed and did not get lost. The lake is a magnet for fisherman and boating activities just like Eildon and there were many people making the most of the fine weather here.
Turning around to drive home we saw the black sky ahead and it wasn't long before it started to rain. The temp dropped 15 deg in 10 mins and when we arrived home we needed warm clothes and an umbrella to get over to the toilet block. Would this be the end of our heatwave, we certainly hoped so.
The beautiful rainbow set the scene for another lovely evening and we enjoyed dinner and a nice red before turning in under a nice warm blanket.
Monday morning saw us up early and we had a walk to the dam before the heat of the day started. Yes, it was still forecast to be over 30. The rain had only been a brief respite after all. We jumped in the car and drove the few moments around to Devils Kitchen, the amazing rocky area where we had seen the Peregrine Falcons last year. Not so lucky this time, all was quiet and hot so we drove out following the road to Newtown.
Following the GPS to find our way back to Linton we were taken down a road that ended in a No Through Road - aren't they just so clever sometimes! But this time it was a win as we found a piece of history just in front of us. All through the area we had been criss crossing The Ballarat - Skipton Rail Trail and at this dead end we were walking along the very trail with a sign pointing to Nimmons Bridge. This is a wonderful old trestle bridge that has been preserved and opened as part of the rail trail and we walked down to the creek before coming back up the other side and walking back over the bridge. It is such an intricate structure and seems like such a huge bridge to cross a reasonably small creek.
Leaving the bridge we followed our noses and not the GPS and arrived back at camp where we had lunch and once again packed up the camper and headed for home. Arriving just after 6.00pm it was still 36 deg in the city. If it stayed hot tomorrow then a 50 year record would be broken. And that is what happened. Tuesday was 37 and now Melbourne has a new record. The first ever March with 9 consecutive days over 30 degrees.
And so our 3 wonderful weekends out and about had been fun but now it was time to spend a couple of weekends at home before heading out again at Easter. There's a little bit of housework needing to be done.
until next time.......
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