BENDIGO

 BENDIGO - FROM SOUTH TO NORTH

It is a wonderful time of year to be out on the road, enjoying the open road and the sunshine. But also, the roads are busy, with everyone racing to get to their destination. We have opted to stay home for a bit longer so now I can give you an idea of travelling through me home town.

I am a born and bred Bendigonian. I have seen many changes and a city that has grown and evolved.

Bendigo Visitor Information Centre - Explore Bendigo

Bendigo is a tourist destination, especially for those who love to wander our streets and enjoy gazing at our old buildings.

Travelling from the southern side you will traverse through the big Ravenswood roundabout. This is where you can bypass Bendigo if you are heading to the Marong or Mildura region. The road will then rise up what is commonly known as the Big Hill. The hill itself has the geographical name of Mt Herbert.  You will have passed St Annes vineyard on the left. 

Wine and Port Barrels - Family Winery | St Anne's Winery

When you start passing the homes you may see the A Line village. A very small cabin and caravan park, and the only one on the south side of Bendigo. I cannot review this accommodation business as I am unfamiliar with anyone who has stayed there.

Kangaroo Flat is a growing suburb. Shopping is available at Lansell Square but access with a caravan in tow can be difficult at busy times.

After you have travelled through the strip shopping section of Kangaroo Flat you will find the lake and toilet block, opposite APCO. This is a good area to pull into if you are in need of a break. And quite often there is a coffee van or the elderly local selling his fruit and vegies.

Golden Square is the next suburb. Also, on the left, another small  park with a toilet block. Only trouble is parking is a bit limited so you would need to park around the corner.  You may notice the steel statues which commemorate the ladies who are purported to have found gold in the creek in Golden Square, which then triggered the Bendigo gold rush.  Woolworths is also just on the next corner.

Central Deborah Gold Mine: Underground Tours & Gold Rush Heritage in Bendigo - Central Deborah Gold Mine

Heading through the centre of Bendigo, you can marvel at the age of some of the buildings. Our very large Gothic cathedral will be on the left. At present they are doing some building works along High st so there is some hoarding in place.

Further along we have the entrance to Rosiland Park, and then the RSL building. And on the right, we have the well-known Alexandra fountain.

The tourist information centre is in the old post office, and on the opposite side of the road is the Shamrock Hotel. If you are staying in Bendigo perhaps you could find time for a cuppa, or you may even be lucky enough to be there when the upstairs balcony is open.

Bendigo RSL 

Further on you will pass St Killians church, on the left. And as the traffic starts to lessen, you will arrive at Lake Weeroona. Yes there are toilets there, and often coffee and food vans. But parking for caravans is limited. You can go a bit further on and perhaps find a park just over the train line.

The arch of Triumph 

As the you are still travelling north most of our old buildings have disappeared, but the northern suburbs are growing. There is a caravan park, in White Hills, just off the main road, to the right, near the racecourse. White Hills also has the very relaxing Botanical Gardens. It is always a refreshing time to wander around and admire the plants.  Toilets are also in the gardens but if you are towing a caravan finding a park maybe a struggle. 

A mural on the wall of the BP service station in Epsom

Also as you head through Epsom you will find another caravan park on the left.

Huntly is our northern most suburb. As you enter there is another small park, on the left, with a toilet block accessible. A couple of hundred metres on is Georges bakery, again on the left. This is one of our stops if we are heading north. Well who doesn't  need a nice traveller. Huntly hotel, on the right, is also a great place for meal.

So there you are, just a bit of information on the road through Bendigo from south to north. 

Enjoy your travels everyone and please drive safely.

Poppet heads still dot  the landscape

The chapel at Bendigo cemetery

OUR WESTERN VICTORIA SILO TOUR

Whilst traversing the state of Victoria it is not surprising when you see a cylindrical structure appear on the horizon. And quite often it can be adorned with bright colors. And that is the excitement of finding an entrant in the Silo Trail. 

Armed with a map, we headed to Western Victoria to discover some silos in a region that we had not travelled to before.

One thing that I always hope for when we hitch the caravan up, is nice weather. Well the day we headed off, it blew a gale. There goes fuel economy right out the window. When the weather forecast is cold and windy but warming up with possible showers, then my mind becomes a jumble of what clothes do I pack. I do believe that I do pack too many clothes but if I get too cold then the bones ache and no one enjoys the trip away.

MOYSTON- Our first stop was at the rec reserve in Moyston. Its a nice quiet area with views to the Grampians and about 15 mins from Ararat. It was $10 per night for power and water. The public toilets were clean and close to where we set up.  The Pomonal store, about 15 mins away, is a great place for a coffee, and they do have a few general grocery supplies. Barneys Bistro in Pomonal serves a delicious meal and it is worth having a peruse at the few old bits and pieces decorating the interior. Moyston is a great base if you want to explore the Grampians region. 

Dimboola Hotel

Dimboola silo, which are a few kilometres out of town out at Arkona

DIMBOOLA- After one night at Moyston, we then headed along the Western Highway  to Dimboola. We had planned to stay at the free camp at the Showgrounds but on arrival we decided that the Caravan Park next door was more suited to our needs. Yes it was more expensive but it was a much shorter walk to the amenities. The powered sites were quite large and nicely mown and the amenities were spotless. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

Our mistake with Dimboola was that we should have stayed for longer than two nights. We used it as a base to head to the Kaniva and Goroke silos. The town is decorated with quite a variety of art displays, which we enjoyed immensely. But I would have loved to have had time to wander the street and enjoy a coffee and cake at the bakery. We could have planned our trip by allowing extra days and stayed at Kaniva instead of spending an entire day travelling from Dimboola to see the silos at Kaniva and Goroke. That is food for thought if you are planning a silo trip.

KANIVA - what a pretty little town. Just so welcoming.  And after you have visited the silo you could follow the Sheep Art Trail. There are many and varied painted fibre glass sheep on display around the town. Very quirky and fun. My opinion is that Kaniva is definitely worth staying for a night or two.

GOROKE- a very small town in the middle of a large farming region. The silo is well sign posted and there is a small area to just sit and enjoy the artistry.  We basically did a big blocky as we made our way from Kaniva to Goroke then back to Nhill.

The Little Desert is an area that was decimated by fire early in 2025 and to see the blackened landscape is heartbreaking. The one thing that we noticed was that there was no sound - no birds singing. Nothing!! Some plants were starting to shoot back but there was mainly bare ground. If you are driving through this area just take some time to stand and take in the massive amount of destruction that our summer bushfires cause.

NHILL - is also a town worth investigating. I'm so impressed by the tidy streets and inviting town centre. Plan for more than just a drive through. 

After our two nights at Dimboola we just hitched up the caravan with no real plans, other than finding more silo art.

RAINBOW - another small town but a very interesting silo and when completed will be markedly different to other silo art. Initially we could not find the silo as there was no signage. But it is a work in progress and will definitely be worth revisiting. The surprise of Rainbow is the old homestead Yurunga. Such a wonderful display of our past. I take my hat off to those who have taken on the task of restoration. 

ALBACUTYA - this silo is well sign posted but requires a turn off from the main road. There is also a three part mural at this corner. The silo is on private property so respect the landowner. There is a large, fenced viewing area.  

YAAPEET- sadly a small town, that many years ago was probably thriving. But some nice paintings in the main street so get out and stretch your legs while you take some photos.

HOPETOUN- a lunch stop for us. The lake is an enjoyable place to pull over and take a break. Nice clean barbeque area and clean toilets. If you want to stay the night, then this is the place to set up. The lake is always home to many travellers. Just set up where a site is available and abide by the daily charge rate. Dump point is available.

MINYIP- another surprising little town of the Wimmera region. So many of these towns are so welcoming for those who travel in their RV's. There is an easy to find Dump Point and a small cost caravan park. The showers and toilets were spotless. There is a camp kitchen and power and water at some sites. And all this for $15 per night. Envelopes for your cash are available on the wall of the amenities block and just drop them in the slot. There are also a couple of cabins. Minyip is a town with quite a few historical buildings so a wander around town is quite worthwhile. It has a claim to fame as the town of "Coopers Crossing" in the television series The Flying Doctors.

RUPANYUP- another small town but a town with a few reasons to stop for a few nights. Decorating the garden which divides the road are some very clever carvings. There is also a museum and of course the painted silo

Rupanyup silo

Lovely carvings

We enjoyed our Silo trip, but we still have other silos to visit, and communities are constantly raising funds, so silos are constantly being added. And then you need to take into account water tanks and street art as well. There are so many of these small towns that are worthwhile spending a few days in, it just depends on your travel plans. But plan your driving. Many of these towns no longer have fuel stations or bakeries, both important stops as you traverse the countryside. The other thing to be very aware of, is large farm machinery moving on local roads. We met a large farm machine on a small road without a pilot vehicle. A bloody nuisance when you are towing a caravan and have to move off the bitumen. Our roads in country Victoria are in a bad way, with many edges chopped up and badly covered with degraded bitumen sheeting. 

But enjoy your travels and drive safely

Both of these paintings are in a lane way in Dimboola.
https://visitwimmeramallee.com.au/
discover-the-region/western-wimmera-mallee/dimboola/

Dimboola Riverside Holiday Park Hindmarsh Shire Council

Home - Yarriambiack Shire Council

 A SAD END TO OUR TRAVELS

This is a sight that no caravanner wants to ever see! Yes, it was very disheartening, and extremely disappointing.

 It was a pleasant Sunday, and we decided to head to Nyngan, from our overnight stop, Dunedoo. One minute we were travelling along the Oxley Highway and then, with the comment, "We have lost all power" we were on the side of the road. 

 Thankfully we had a large driveway to pull into, and we had phone reception.

We did have other motorists pull up to offer help, with one lovely gentleman with mechanical knowledge spending quite some time exploring a variety of possibilities, all to no avail. Thank you to everyone who offered help.

https://www.mynrma.com.au/roadside-assistance

It did not take long to get through to NRMA Roadside assistance, and for them to locate us via their mapping systems. The patrolman was sent out from Gilgandra, and arrived within the hour. Unfortunately, the Ute's problem was not a quick fix, so off he went to return with the tow truck.

After the ute and caravan were all hooked up, the most difficult part was climbing into the bloody tow truck. Now just visualize a push/pull exercise, as that is what it probably looked like. I'm glad there was not an audience armed with mobile phones as I would hate to end up as a Youtube video. I'm definitely not the fittest person and undoubtedly not a slim size 8, so doing some exercises to make getting into a truck easier certainly was not on my "to Do" list. I did feel sorry for the poor patrolman who had to help me get up those damn steps. When I was relaying the story to a friend later, we could see the funny side and had a huge laugh with all of us left with tears streaming down our faces. 

Yes, laughter is the best medicine.

We were roughly 30 kilometres  from Gilgandra  so us and our caravan were deposited at  the caravan park. Now to wait and see what the outcome of the mechanical check brings.

Prior to the ute being loaded up we made sure that we had taken what we assumed we would need for the duration of our stay at the caravan park. The main thing that we now needed was some food so after we were all connected up, a walk over the bridge to the local IGA supermarket was a necessity.

The unknown was, how long are we going to be here? 

But come Monday morning and some answers were arriving. 

The mechanic rang with the news that the ute should probably be euthanised. He was unable to repair it.

Now all those little asterisk's that show the Terms and Conditions on RACV top cover roadside assistance will come into play.

Firstly, the ute cannot be repaired within 3 days, so the choice is to stay or head home. We chose the latter, as it was unrepairable. Generally, the phone service that I received from RACV was acceptable, but after I made an initial complaint, things improved. Trying to decide how to get everything back to Victoria was stressful. It was not sit back and we will organise it for you. There is a budget of $2400 that RACV have, to return you and your vehicle to your home. My concern was that I wanted to know how much out of pocket we would be once we were back home. So, figures were being thrown around which only added to my stress. A hire car was a possibility, but one to tow the caravan back was not an option. Air fares would have eaten the budget completely so that option was also gone. Thankfully a friend organized a ute to be delivered to Gilgandra for us, complete with the requirements to suit our caravan. We were able to head to the NRMA yard to retrieve more of our property from our ute as we knew it was going to be a little while before it was delivered back to Victoria. Hopefully it will go straight to our mechanic so decisions can be made as to a resurrection or a final goodbye.

Will we continue with top RACV Roadside Assistance? Yes, most definitely. I hope we never have to use it again but it did cover some expense: the initial tow back to Gilgandra and the mechanical check, our stay at Gilgandra caravan park, and our ute will be returned back to central Victoria. 

Our friend who organised the supply of a ute so we could bring the caravan home was a god send. 

https://www.gilgandracaravanpark.com.au/

Travel safe everyone. Hopefully we will get out there once again.

🚙🚙🚙🚙🚙

 

 The Grampians - Gariwerd

 

 

 

 

 We are so lucky in Australia to have such a variety of stunning scenery. And the Grampians or Gariwerd as it is now known , in Victoria is one such place. It is a place where you can go if you just require complete solitude. Or perhaps you enjoy birdwatching. Maybe you want to hike to that wonderful water fall and be cooled down by the spray of fresh mountain water

It offers you so may experiences.

 

 

In Halls Gap you have some wonderful choices of food, or maybe you are craving a sweet delight. But the ice cream shop is always so busy that you need to be prepared for a long wait, but it will be worth it.!

 

 

                      https://www.hallsgapaccommodation.com.au/

 

Accommodation is abundant throughout the town but it is constantly booked out for holiday seasons. There are plenty of choices, from luxurious to basic.  There are caravan parks, motels, Air BNB, or areas to throw down a tent on the lush grass.

 The town has a supermarket, a service station, pub, and a delightful area where you can enjoy a coffee and share your table with the birds.

Pomonal is small town, also in the shadows of the stunning mountain range. It is in the process of recovering from the early 2024 bushfires. But is still worth a visit as there is plenty to see. The general store serves a great coffee. The lake is abundant with birds. And just out of town is a extremely talented glass blower so his gallery is worth a visit.

 Barneys Bistro has a unique atmosphere and a serves a great meal. An appetizing and mouth watering plate full of fine produce is a relaxing way to while away the afternoon in the wonderful rustic surroundings

                        https://barneysbistrobar.com.au/

 A peaceful afternoon can be spent at the Pomonal Estate Winery. Great wines and very tasty Platters if you just want that very slow and relaxing lunch in the serene surroundings ,with the majestic mountains rising from the earth nearby.     

                                                                                                                                                                                                   https://pomonalestate.com.au/

 

The Halls Gap Zoo is a must see place for the animal lovers, adults and kids  alike.

 

If you have a fascination with the Big Things, then a stop off at the Big Koala in Dadswell Bridge is a definite diversion. And just over the road is the Turkey Farm I understand the turkey sausages are very popular. So make sure that you check out the products.

 

Further up the Western Highway is Old Dadswells Town.  Accommodation is a group of cabins, all with there own identity. It is worth a look around just to see the collection of items in every nook and cranny. Max always has a story to tell you, with such a dead pan look on his face, you are uncertain whether he is joking or not.

 

 

 

There is so many place to visit around tis area of Victoria. To the west you have Horsham , and further back east is Stawell or Ararat. All these towns have educational  and interesting tourist offerings.

It really is worth a visit, if you are a nature lover, a wine lover, a foodie or maybe you love long walks along mountain trails.

Definitely visit the Grampians in Victoria

https://www.visitgrampians.com.au/

https://www.hallsgapaccommodation.com.au/en/halls-gap-attractions

THE BELLARINE, DON'T FORGET YOUR SHOES

 

NOT ALL TRIPS AWAY ARE FOR HAPPY OCCASIONS

We all love to hitch up the van, or throw in the camping gear and hit the road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGvjH9GS0g0

But holidays are not the only reason for a road trip. Who doesn't love a party or a fabulous wedding, and sadly the reason can be a  funeral, so bringing your own accommodation  along with you can be a very  practical reason.

Our last trip, to a region that we have visited many times, was for a funeral.

The Bellarine area in Victoria always has something to offer. And Bellarine Bayside caravan park in Portarlington, offers views over the bay where you can sit in quiet solitude and reflect on those gone before us.

https://www.bellarinebayside.com.au/

When you have a caravan there really is not a problem taking along comfortable and presentable clothes for a funeral. But check that you have everything, as a lack of dress shoes can cause a bit  of angst, but the black sneakers did not look that out of place with the suit pants.

The city of Geelong is growing, with lots of shopping and housing precincts popping up throughout the area. But for the tourist, the area does offer a variety of interesting pursuits. There are areas that we had never ventured too. 

Inverleigh is a small town, situated on the Hamilton Highway, which for us needs more investigating. There is a lovely blue stone pub which dominates the corner position, and a free camping area across the highway.

Inverleigh Pub

If you enjoy some ship spotting, there are quite a few places around the Bellarine Peninsula where you can get the binoculars or camera out and watch the boats traverse the heads.

Sitting and enjoying a takeaway coffee at Queenscliffe  became quite a poignant moment when a small boat, heading towards  open ocean, came into view. As it got closer, and the crowd grew a bit more fascinated, we saw clearly that it was undertow. It was certainly a time of interest for many who lined the pathway. According to news reports it was heading to China to be scrapped. Its life as a sea worthy vessel was complete.

So it was the end of life for a boat which served its purpose well.

Yes, the Steve Irwin, for Sea Shepard, was undertaking its final journey.

So our recent trip away was one of reflection and remembering:a goodbye  for the husband of a wonderful friend; but also a surprising viewing of the last journey of a boat who had served an organisation well.