Eumungerie, NSW

Waking up in Boorwoa was pretty chilly but once on the road the sun rose it's head and Monday turned into a lovely    t-shirt day. For some reason our water pump wouldn't work in our camper "Myrtle" so we had arranged to call into the Jayco dealer in Dubbo to have it checked out. To our embarrassment it worked perfectly for the caravan guy - must have an air lock!! So anyway we were once again on our way to our free camp for the night. We were unable to find the camp we were looking for so decided to head further north along the Newell Highway. We came across the Eumungerie Recreation Reserve in the tiny village of Eumungerie. With its fees only $5 per night and an extra $5 to have power we quickly decided this was where we would lay our heads for the night. There were only four other vans there so we all had plenty of space. We then spent a lovely evening around the campfire with a few of the other campers exchanging life and travel stories. Yes, we certainly are living the dream. Today we head further north to the mining town of Lightning Ridge. 

Boorowa, NSW

Leaving Batemans Bay and my son and two adorable grandsons O'Shea and Finn was a bit sad this morning.

Not long into our drive we had to tackle the Clyde Mountain, which is a pretty long steep hill to climb while towing Myrtle. I was a bit nervous but we did it easily, the oil temp did rise slightly but all was ok. The rest of the day's drive was through lush green rolling hills. We fully intended to stay the night in a different town but as we drove into the little village of Boorowa it looked so good we decided this was the place for us to spend our night. From what I have read after aboriginal tribes had gone the town was built on with convicts (mainly Irish) who had received their ticket of leave. Apparently at times it was a pretty hard and violent place to live. It is now a charming pastoral town with a deep Irish heritage. We have decided on a caravan park to stay at tonight as it is only $25 for the night. After having a couple of drinks we headed to the local Chinese Restaurant and had a very nice meal. So tomorrow we will be up early to head further north on our journey to the tip of Australia. 

Aussie Adventure Part 3

After a few weeks of getting organised we are finally off on another Aussie Adventure for the third time. This time we are heading north to the tip of Australia - Cape York. We have made a loose itinerary but if this trip is anything like our last two our plans could change and any time. Our first night was spent at a free camp in the north east area of Victoria, Bellbird Creek. We camped behind the Bellbird Hotel in a lush green paddock surrounded buy evergreen trees and other trees covered in glorious Autumn colours. All the owners ask is that you spend some money in the pub, which is not a problem for us!! Waking up to kookaburras, various birds and cows mooing was an enjoyable start to our adventure.

We are now having a couple of nights in Batemans Bay with my son Shane, daughter in law Stacey and my two adorable grandsons O'Shea and Finn. Tomorrow we will be heading inland for our 2,643 km journey up to Cairns. 

My Echuca Escape

Echuca is a border town on the banks of the Murray and Campaspe Rivers. Echuca is on the Victorian side of the Murray and it's border sister town in New South Wales is Moama. Situated 215km north of Melbourne and 796km South of Sydney Echuca has a population of around 13000. This trip to Echuca was a sheer indulgence few days. We stayed at Madison Spa Resort which is a very nice accommodation. Our room had a large spa bath, which I took plenty of advantage of and a glorious view of the Australian bush from the huge picture window. Seeing we were staying at a spa resort with a day spa I also felt it my duty to check out the day spa. So I just had to have an hour massage. Might I say it was heaven.  I have been to Echuca many times and each time I find something new. Prior to going I had read about the The Great Aussie Beer Shed and Farm Machinery Museum and thought it might be worth a visit. To both our surprise it was a lot more interesting attraction than we thought. The amount of stuff that was in this shed was totally amazing. There were thousands upon thousand of beer cans, bottles etc. But it wasn't all beer stuff. There was a huge diverse range of soft drink articles, sporting paraphernalia, war artifacts and general Aussie stuff. 

I would really recommend anyone visiting the area definitely checking 

"The Great Aussie Beer Shed and Farm Machinery" out. 

Our room at the Madison Spa Resort

The view from our large picture window

The beautiful Murray River

The Great Aussie Beer Shed and Farm Machinery Museum

A tiny portion of the cans

Dead Mans PennyThe Dead Man’s Penny is a commemorative medallion which was presented to the next-of-kin of the men and women who died during World War One. The bronze medallion features an image of Lady Britannia surrounded by two dolphins (representing Britain’s sea power) and a lion (representing Britain) standing over a defeated eagle (symbolising Germany). Around the outer edge of the medallion are the words ‘He died for freedom and honour’. Next to Lady Britannia is the deceased solider’s name, with no rank provided to show equality in their sacrifice. The Dead Man’s Penny was accompanied by a letter from King George V, stating ‘I join with my grateful people in sending you this memorial of a brave life given for others in the Great War’.

Old Tatura Police Cell - Circa 1880

Feathers from my Mum

Does anyone feel they get a sign from a loved one who has passed? My Mum left me on a chilly November back in 2007 at 11.11pm. Whenever I see a feather in an unusual place I always know my Mum is with me. And I do see them in some unusual places!! Once I stepped out of the car at a petrol station and this little feather seemed to be following me. As I walked away from this little feather to the other side of the car, I said to myself "OK if this little feather blows under the car to me and touches me I will believe Mum is here with me". Guess what happened next? The little feather blew under the car and touched my little toe. Go figure!!

Feathers I have collected from around Australia that have confronted me in unusual places

Another feather incident that was totally "in my face" was while I was staying at my son Shane's house in Batemans Bay. I was walking through a shopping centre with Shane (partner not son) and my grandson O'Shea. O'Shea spotted a little feather and walked over and plonked his foot on top of it. I didn't take a huge amount of notice until moments later as we walked along a little feather drifted down from the ceiling in front of my face. Now that one made me take a little bit more notice! With that we left the shopping centre and headed out to the riverfront to get some freshly cooked chips. When we returned to the shopping centre some 20 minutes later a very intriguing sight confronted us! As we walked down the corridor we were amazed to see thousands of little feathers on the floor. WTF!! OK I am taking notice now!! I know there are people who will say "That's rubbish, it's just a coincidence". Maybe, but I still believe it's Mum say "I love you and I'm here with you".

Our Week in Yarrawonga

Well we have arrived in Yarrawonga safely with our camper and after a very warm and tiring set up and a yummy dinner we are now settled down at our camp. For my international friends Yarrawonga is situated on the Murray River, which is the border between Victoria and New South Wales. As you can see by my photos below our camp is in a perfect position overlooking the river. I am really looking forward to my week here.