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.

TOCUMWAL - AND THE STEEL DANCERS IN THE SKY

 AIR SHOW 2022

air show - YouTube

It is so great to be able to pack up the necessary belongings and hit the road. Often with destination unknown. 

But sometimes it pays to check out the events and festivals which may be happening along the way. I know many of you have a list of favorite events that you head off to; and isn't it great to see life coming back into all our loved Australian activities.

As yet hubby and I  have not traveled enough to have built up a list, but we will get there.

Occasionally, there will be ads for certain events which pop up on the Facebook feed. And Tocumwal Air show was one such event. So as luck had it, it turned out to be a great time to head to Tocumwal.

I bought our tickets online in the hope that there would not be a long line of devoted plane enthusiasts waiting to enter the event. But as luck had it, we drove straight in as we were quite early, which gave us plenty of time to peruse all the displays, find a nice place to set up our chairs and be prepared for five hours of flying. 

And the pilots certainly make those planes dance through the sky. They are absolute dare devils. It was a day filled with entertainment, information and thrills, all from the ground I may add ! 

But a word of warning, especially for the ladies. Do not wear a dress or skirt as when those planes start up, they create an incredible amount of wind. So much so that I even found bits of grass down my top!

Enjoy your travels everyone, and enjoy hunting out all those festivals around our great country.

static planes - YouTube

TOCUMWAL - part 1

A TOWN ON THE ROAD TO SOMEWHERE ELSE 

Tocumwal  is a small town on the banks of the Murray river in New South Wales. It is on the southern section of the Newell Highway so a town that you will more than likely pass through on the way further north. 

Yes, we have been guilty of just driving through and continuing on our travels, but this time we decided to stay.

We spent 4 nights at the Boomerang Way Caravan Park, a member of the G'Day group of parks. It is a lovely set out park and we were lucky enough to have a  large drive through grassed site in the rear section, near the relatively new amenities block. The camp kitchen is well set up and is quite popular. There are ensuite sites available also. Blu was an absolute encyclopedia of information about the area, so hunt him out if there is something that you need to know about the region.

https://www.boomerangwaytouristpark.com.au/

Now I admit that I knew very little about Tocumwal, but scratch the surface and you will discover some fascinating facts. 

I did not know that this little town played such an important part in the second world war.

A visit to the Aircraft museum out at the airport is a must. It is full of informative facts and interesting displays. And afterwards a coffee at the cafe next door is a worthwhile place to sit and discuss the newly discovered history of Tocumwal. 

Yes, okay, many of you probably already know these facts, but as I said I didn't so it was an eye opener to me.

When we roam around our country we all like to partake in some relaxing hobby.

So Tocumwal has the river if you carry your fishing gear with you.

There is also a magnificent looking golf course. I do possess a set of golf clubs, which are  covered in a mountain of cobwebs as they have not left the shed for quite a few years. And looking at the standard of this well kept course, I would not even dare  think about playing a round, as I would probably be asked to leave as my current standard of play would cause too much damage. But those who carry clubs with them would surely enjoy this course. There are also well maintained bike paths if you carry some pedal power with you.

In the centre of town Tocumwal has a nicely grassed  park with the large Murray cod statue taking pride of place. The bakery is opposite so purchasing a treat and sitting a while is a great way to relax. There is a IGA supermarket , a few pubs if a counter meal is to your liking and friendly coffee shops. A local Op shop is always good for a browse, and a shop selling tourist items and trinkets is where a special item for a loved one can be found.

All in all Tocumwal is worth so much more than just a town on the road to another place, so stay a while, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Happy and safe travels everyone.

https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/the-murray/tocumwal

https://www.gdayparks.com.au/

https://www.tocumwalaviationmuseum.com.au/