2013 - A final surprise.....

After two days of exploring Little Desert we had other plans today.  We were off to visit Marg, Pete and Peter Miller who were staying at their Sisters farm not too far away in Clear Lake.  We drove over mid morning and soon after were saying hello to everyone and meeting Liz who we found in the fabulous veggie garden out the back.  

We spent a couple hours sitting around the big table on the patio with coffee, cake and lots of chatting before Marg and Liz prepared a wonderful lunch of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and a freshly picked salad from the garden.  We met Paul when he came in for lunch and we enjoyed another hour or so relaxing in the garden before saying our goodbyes once more. Marg and Pete were off to Perth to visit family and friends,  Peter Miller would return to Darwin in another week and we would return home in two more days.  Safe travels to you all.

On the way home we stopped at Tolondo Golf Club looking for Gang Gang parrots that Liz and Paul said they had seen. Perhaps it was the heat in the middle of the day but we were not so lucky and after a walk around 3 holes we headed back to the air conditioned comfort of the car and drove home.  We will find them one day I'm sure.

Once home we chilled out for a couple of hours before wandering over to Big M's waterhole where the little birdies kept us entertained before dinner.

After dinner we met Ranger Pete by the lawn for a nocturnal tour of the breeding and conservation programs here at Little Desert.  Brush Tailed Bettongs, Rufus Bettongs and Sugar Gliders are all bred in captivity for exchange with other facilities throughout the state.  The Bettongs were all very active and the southern Brown Bandicoot had a few of us tricked until we saw that they run on all four feet not hop along like a little kangaroo on their hind legs.   We saw Bush Stone Curlews and Mallee Fowls here as well and a few possums sneaking in and taking advantage of the free food.  These animals and birds are all either extinct or endangered in Victoria having been threatened by feral cats and foxes.  It was a great way to see these little creatures we would not otherwise be able to.

The following morning we had decided to check out one of the longer walks on the property and left mid morning.  Not too far along the track we heard a car coming up behind us and assumed Pete was out working.  He stopped and told us to jump in as he had just been down to the Mallee Fowls and found them working their mound.  As he had to visit the other Mallee Fowl sanctuary he thought we might like to go with him to see if the birds there were active as well.

Wow what an offer, we needed no further convincing, so jumped in the car and were driven about 30 mins away and what an amazing opportunity we had.  As he expected the male was hard at work and being a warm day he had the mound open.  We were able to sit almost beside him and watch as he spent an hour or so scraping leaves back onto the huge mound covering up the vents he had previously made.  

How they know how to do this is just another one of Mother Nature's mysteries as once the little bird is hatched it digs it's way out of the mound and is totally on its own, never ever having any interaction with the parent birds.  

Once we returned to camp we decided it was too hot for the walk and after lunch drove into Nhill to have a look at the town. We found some lovely old buildings, a cute bronze statue of a draught horse and a lovely War Memorial.  The cakes from the Community shop were pretty good too.

Back at home Bill spent a couple hours at Whimpey's waterhole while I spent some time under the awning with a book.  Tonight was New Years Eve and we were going to have a drink with Pete to farewell 2013.  But first we headed back to see the Bettongs one last time with another couple who had just arrived that day.

A little while later, the dishes were done, the wine poured and we joined Pete in his shelter shed where we spent the next couple of hours having a great old chat and learning lots about his Ranger duties and his life as a bush poet.  Such an interesting man.  Before we knew it 2013 had slipped away and we were 10 mins into 2014 so we had another drink before saying goodnight and heading next door to bed.

The next morning it was time to say goodbye to Little Desert Nature Lodge.  We had had a wonderful 6 days totally relaxing and enjoying our time in the Little Desert National Park and will be sure to visit again another day.  We packed up and were on the road again at 10.30 for the long drive home.  

We stopped at Dimboola for a look at the Pink Lake, ate our picnic lunch at Ararat and had a quick stop at Dadswell Bridge for a look at the 'Big Koala' - yes, tacky but true!  

A few hours later we had parked the camper and returned home to unpack and get ourselves ready to return to work the next day.  Not a happy thought after our week away but never fear, we'll be out and about again during 2014 so stay tuned for more from Rhossie and Bill on the road.  Who knows it might be your corner of the world we pop up in next year!

So for now we will wish you all the very best for a happy, healthy and successful New Year.  

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