This morning we got confirmation that Jenni and Glenn are on their way to meet us. We followed the Murray Valley Hwy through Kerang township and on through the Kerang Lakes District which comprises a series of 22 lakes and swamps including Lake Charm, Lake Boga and Kangaroo Lake. The wetlands support large numbers of birds and again is recognised as an important Ramsar convention site. Some facts you may not know.....Kangaroo Lake is the birthplace of John Gorton and Burke and Wills passed through the area, crossing the Murray at Swan Hill, on their ill-fated journey in 1860. We didn't stop as it was hot, windy and the glare of the sun off the water would make birding difficult.
Arriving in Swan Hill we crossed the Little Murray, also known as Marraboor River onto Pental Island. Some people take cruises to islands, we drive to them it seems. We knew of this Holiday Park as we stayed here with the Cobram Junior Soccer Club for the 1997 Vic Country Championships. The camp is on a country property with a 3km Murray River frontage beside the historic shearing shed and log yards.
See those green lawns in the background? That is where we are set up. The place is dotted with intriguing bits and pieces.
We have a shady site on lush lawns. The washing was done and took no time to dry in the blustery wind. After lunch we took a trip into town to get our bearings, a few supplies and check out the opportunity to play Murray Downs Golf Course tomorrow.
When it cooled down a bit later we went for a walk to Cogon Springs which is marked on the map of the camp as a 2.5 km walk downstream along the riverbank. The manager did warn us that we would not be able to swim there or in the river. The river is too fast and there are too many unknown snags here at Willandra Bend.
The walk was pleasant other than the section where our feet got covered in spiky grass seeds. We had been warned to wear protective shoes as snakes have been seen recently but the seeds still managed to get into the shoes and through the socks. After all that walking this is what we found at 'Cogon' Springs. Someone has a quirky sense of humour.
We didn't get a swim but we did see quite a few raptors and parrots, a few waders too. And so many rabbits! I haven't seen them in those numbers for a long time. No snakes thankfully.
1st November
While we were waiting for the Mundays to arrive we went for a round of golf at Murray Downs. This course is rated number 1 golf course on the Murray River. If we are considering difficulty I have to agree. Soooo many bunkers and water hazards! Course in great condition but if I was to be asked which course I felt was most special of those we have played, I would list both Tocumwal and Yarrawonga above this. Tocumwal's bunkers were carved out with precision and both had better signage, especially for the women's tees. Goes to show how much I know about golf I guess. There was a really gusty north wind blowing as the morning progressed, which didn't help matters much, and I was just glad it was over by the time we finished the 18.
We saw lots of birds and a number of bearded dragons sunning themselves on the fairways. What appeared to be an Eastern Brown Snake, rated by most standards as the snake with the second most toxic venom in the world, slithered across my path on the back 9. I'm no herpetologist, but looking at pictures and distribution maps it seems most likely. No pics, neither of us wanted to stay close enough for even that long. Funny anecdote I found while researching them, in 2012 the Swan Hill police station was overrun with these critters, one of Australia's most dangerous reptiles. They got into the new building and bred in the space between the 1st and 2nd floors, later escaping through light fittings etc.
We called into St Vinnies on the way home to buy some new (old) cutlery to replace our cheap and nasty knives and forks which keep bending as they are applied to anything with a bit of texture. They were useless with the bbq last night. I had a deep tissue Chinese massage on my neck and shoulders which was fabulous.
There is a wedding reception taking place at our Holiday Park on Saturday. The owner warned us it might be late and loud before we checked in. Today when we returned we could see preparations are underway, the ice van has arrived and the marquee is being put up. Not an easy job in this wind.
When we learnt the Jenni and Glenn were only about half an hour away Eric put dinner on and they arrived to the enticing smell of a roast chicken. Another pair of dearly loved friends from our days in Butterworth, we started chatting like no time had been missed since the last time we met, which was April 2018 when this travel plan was originally hatched. In our first evening together we covered golf, religion, politics and family. What on earth will we talk about tomorrow?
Not long after we went to bed the wind increased and the lightning and thunder began. I got up to put the chairs undercover, check the awning, secure the windows and vents while Eric snored on. Those muscat sleeping pills he and Glenn shared were working well.
Saturday 2nd Nov
I'm pleased to report everything was as it should be this morning for both vans. Except I have a very tender achilles tendon for no particular reason. We dawdled over breakfast and then shared a cuppa before anyone made a decision about how long we were staying or what shopping was needed. Eventually the rain eased off around 1pm and the Mundays went off to town to buy ingredients for tonight's rendang curry dinner.
The weather remained mostly fine for the wedding which provided some variation to the usual campground setting. In the evening the band started up and they were terrific, playing lots of familiar songs with great voice harmonies. As the night wore on the voices of the crowd joining in became more raucous and from all accounts it seems the night was enjoyed by many.
Sunday 3rd Nov
Eric's brother Laurie and wife Sue drove over to spend the day with us from Maryborough. So good to catch up on all the news of the family and Eric enjoyed all the usual Smith banter and AFL footy ribbing. Laurie and Eric are close in age and shared a lot of common interests as kids and also as adults. A special bond. We went to town and found a small market so stocked up on boiled fruit cake and sampled some preserves. Then we visited the local Art Gallery and walked about half of the River Walk before lunch in a bakery.
Unlike the rest of our present company, Sue and Laurie have to work tomorrow so they headed home hoping to catch a bakery in Bridgewater for their famously good pies on the way. In the evening we were gifted with a most beautiful sunset.
Sitting over a few pre-dinner nibbles we were approached by another camping family and offered to sample from opened jars of preserves left over from this morning's market. This is a local family who are enjoying a Melbourne Cup long weekend at this, their favourite campground. In no time we had been convinced to buy some homemade picked onions and zucchini relish and then they also gifted us some sauce similar to Worcestershire. If any of you were worrying that we were doing it tough, missing out on life's little luxuries out in our van, you needn't worry. We even had dessert last night, and this will impress Roger; lemon and lime tart from the Aldi freezer range! His favourite.
Mon 4th Nov
The boys headed off to Murray Downs Golf Course while I snuggled down under the doona. A very chilly start today though the bright sunshine promises better weather ahead. Jen and I were left to get up at our leisure and then have everything packed and ready for a quick departure. We were granted a late check out but golf took up all of that time and we didn't want to wear out our welcome.
Arriving in Swan Hill we crossed the Little Murray, also known as Marraboor River onto Pental Island. Some people take cruises to islands, we drive to them it seems. We knew of this Holiday Park as we stayed here with the Cobram Junior Soccer Club for the 1997 Vic Country Championships. The camp is on a country property with a 3km Murray River frontage beside the historic shearing shed and log yards.
When it cooled down a bit later we went for a walk to Cogon Springs which is marked on the map of the camp as a 2.5 km walk downstream along the riverbank. The manager did warn us that we would not be able to swim there or in the river. The river is too fast and there are too many unknown snags here at Willandra Bend.
1st November
While we were waiting for the Mundays to arrive we went for a round of golf at Murray Downs. This course is rated number 1 golf course on the Murray River. If we are considering difficulty I have to agree. Soooo many bunkers and water hazards! Course in great condition but if I was to be asked which course I felt was most special of those we have played, I would list both Tocumwal and Yarrawonga above this. Tocumwal's bunkers were carved out with precision and both had better signage, especially for the women's tees. Goes to show how much I know about golf I guess. There was a really gusty north wind blowing as the morning progressed, which didn't help matters much, and I was just glad it was over by the time we finished the 18.
We saw lots of birds and a number of bearded dragons sunning themselves on the fairways. What appeared to be an Eastern Brown Snake, rated by most standards as the snake with the second most toxic venom in the world, slithered across my path on the back 9. I'm no herpetologist, but looking at pictures and distribution maps it seems most likely. No pics, neither of us wanted to stay close enough for even that long. Funny anecdote I found while researching them, in 2012 the Swan Hill police station was overrun with these critters, one of Australia's most dangerous reptiles. They got into the new building and bred in the space between the 1st and 2nd floors, later escaping through light fittings etc.
We called into St Vinnies on the way home to buy some new (old) cutlery to replace our cheap and nasty knives and forks which keep bending as they are applied to anything with a bit of texture. They were useless with the bbq last night. I had a deep tissue Chinese massage on my neck and shoulders which was fabulous.
There is a wedding reception taking place at our Holiday Park on Saturday. The owner warned us it might be late and loud before we checked in. Today when we returned we could see preparations are underway, the ice van has arrived and the marquee is being put up. Not an easy job in this wind.
When we learnt the Jenni and Glenn were only about half an hour away Eric put dinner on and they arrived to the enticing smell of a roast chicken. Another pair of dearly loved friends from our days in Butterworth, we started chatting like no time had been missed since the last time we met, which was April 2018 when this travel plan was originally hatched. In our first evening together we covered golf, religion, politics and family. What on earth will we talk about tomorrow?
Not long after we went to bed the wind increased and the lightning and thunder began. I got up to put the chairs undercover, check the awning, secure the windows and vents while Eric snored on. Those muscat sleeping pills he and Glenn shared were working well.
Saturday 2nd Nov
I'm pleased to report everything was as it should be this morning for both vans. Except I have a very tender achilles tendon for no particular reason. We dawdled over breakfast and then shared a cuppa before anyone made a decision about how long we were staying or what shopping was needed. Eventually the rain eased off around 1pm and the Mundays went off to town to buy ingredients for tonight's rendang curry dinner.
The weather remained mostly fine for the wedding which provided some variation to the usual campground setting. In the evening the band started up and they were terrific, playing lots of familiar songs with great voice harmonies. As the night wore on the voices of the crowd joining in became more raucous and from all accounts it seems the night was enjoyed by many.
Sunday 3rd Nov
Eric's brother Laurie and wife Sue drove over to spend the day with us from Maryborough. So good to catch up on all the news of the family and Eric enjoyed all the usual Smith banter and AFL footy ribbing. Laurie and Eric are close in age and shared a lot of common interests as kids and also as adults. A special bond. We went to town and found a small market so stocked up on boiled fruit cake and sampled some preserves. Then we visited the local Art Gallery and walked about half of the River Walk before lunch in a bakery.
Mon 4th Nov
The boys headed off to Murray Downs Golf Course while I snuggled down under the doona. A very chilly start today though the bright sunshine promises better weather ahead. Jen and I were left to get up at our leisure and then have everything packed and ready for a quick departure. We were granted a late check out but golf took up all of that time and we didn't want to wear out our welcome.
Comments
Post a Comment