More Kyneton (Castlemaine, Daylesford, Bendigo)

May 29th
Still having great weather.  To Malmsbury this morning and walked through the Botanic Gardens and looked at the viaduct.  Supposedly the first and still the finest example of keystone construction in Australia. 

Malmsbury - viaduct

Then to Castlemaine and stopped in to walk through the Forest Creek diggings and complete the self guided tour.  Of course I also had to solve the rock maze!!

Rock maze

 

This poor miner lost his head

After a drive around Castlemaine we headed for Daylesford.  We weren't looking for chocolate but came upon the "Chocolate Mill" and the best chocolate coated licorice ever (and I consider myself an expert)!!  The building is made of hay bales rendered with a mixture of soil and lime.  The beginnings of this business and the structure of the building was very interesting. 

Chocolate Mill

Then to Daylesford, a great little town of restaurants, cafes, boutiques and galleries and alongside Hepburn Springs which seemed to be a place of spa accommodation and mineral baths.  We went in search of the springs, found them, and had a drink from the hand pump.  Were really surprised because it was carbonated??  I must have been living under a rock as I did not realize that natural mineral water came out of the ground effervescent.   Thought they put the bubbles in when it was bottled.  Felt bizarre drinking soda water out of the ground!! 

Hand pumps at Hepburn Springs

By this time it was getting late, but we followed signs to 'The Blowhole' (another gold diggings site).  Getting dark by this stage so after a quick walk and look around we headed back to Kyneton.

May 30th
Woke up this morning to drizzle and it developed into steady showers as the day went on. Went to Bendigo today.  Walked the CBD as soon as we arrived, looking at the historic buildings and fantastic architecture.  Came across 'The Conservatory', full of chrysanthemums and some beautiful gardens.  Were wondering about the smell and noise coming from the gardens, however eventually worked out it was bats!!

 

 

Inside the Conservatory

The Conservatory

 

The Bats

Spent an hour in the 'Golden Dragon' museum which tells the story of the Chinese and their experiences and influences on the goldfields and then went out to Bendigo Pottery for lunch.  Beautiful pottery and great antiques for sale, a shame we have no room for purchases!

One of the original kilns at Bendigo Pottery

Decided to make our way back to Kyneton via Heathcote.  Stopped in at Lake Eppalock (another man-made lake) to check out the Victoria Speed Boat Club.  Big compound and a lot of on-site vans on the bank of an enormous lake.

Watching the news tonight we are beginning to realize how fortunate we have been.  April and May have been unusually dry and warm in Victoria!  Big front expected tomorrow night for the beginning of winter and 50 - 100 ml of rain expected over the next few days.

Kyneton (Hanging Rock, Macedon Ranges, Sovereign Hill)

 

May 25th
Into Kyneton this morning to find some breakfast in historic Piper Street.  Then we wandered the main streets and went in search of the Information Centre in High Street.  After walking and walking and not finding it, we went back to fetch the car and drove.  High Street is a very long street!!  Armed with lots of information and brochures we headed back to the resort to read up on the area and had a lazy afternoon on the couch.

May 26th
No picnic at Hanging Rock for us, but we did have a coffee at the café.  Then walked to the summit, did the circuit walk around the base and the creek walk out around the racecourse which is alongside.  Many community events and race meets are held at Hanging Rock.

Hanging Rock

 

At the top of Hanging Rock

 

A view from the top of Hanging Rock

Rock  Formations at Hanging Rock

Then drove to Woodend and found a great place for lunch before continuing on to Trentham Falls and Lyonville Springs.  We were expecting water flowing out of the ground and evidently it did once, however you now need to use the hand pump to obtain spring water.  People were there filling their large plastic drums and others turned up with an arm full of water bottles.  Decided it must have great therapeutic properties!! We left them to it, as we had nothing to collect water in and drove down a myriad of  tracks through the Wombat State Forest and wandered our way back to Kyneton. 

Trentham Falls

Out with the gym gear once we got back and followed up with a swim in the pool and a spa.  Pool was great as it is heated to 25 degrees and is 20 metres long so you can do a decent lap.  Spa wonderful too!!

May 27th
Off to Mount Macedon today.  We had been told to check it for cloud cover before going.  Well there wasn't any cloud when we started out, was there??  Got to the top and walked to the Memorial Cross but couldn't see much of the view at all. 

Memorial Cross -Top of Mount Macedon

Then went and checked out Sanatorium Lake which originally was a lake built to supply water to the Tuberculosis Sanatorium.  Now it is a wetland in the State Park and a pretty picnic spot.

Sanatorium Lake

Decided some real exercise was needed so walked to the top of Camels Hump (the highest point in the Macedon Ranges).  The cloud had cleared, but it was very smoky and hazy so although the legs got a stretch, the view was a bit disappointing. 

Looking towards Hanging Rock from Camels Hump

Drove back down Mt Macedon Road past the 'summer homes of the Melbourne gentry'.  Oh my goodness!  Enormous homes on acres with amazing entrances, each surrounded by their own huge and immaculately tended garden.  Holgate Brewhouse at Woodend was our final stop for the day, where Mike had a few beers and I got to be the skipper.  Nice beers, especially the Mt Macedon Ale !

May 28th
Ballarat today!  To be honest we actually didn't see much of Ballarat as we immersed ourselves in Sovereign Hill, the amazing outdoor and interactive gold rush Museum.  After spending more than five hours there, we walked across to the Gold Museum and then back to Sovereign Hill for dinner and the sound and light show, "Blood on the Southern Cross".  Arrived at 11.00 am and left at 8.30 pm and loved every minute of it. 


Sovereign Hill - Main Street

In the Bakehouse

Had the place to ourselves at times.  Lots of school groups, but every now and then they would disappear to do 'the education bit' and we had individual attention from the guides and staff, all in period costume.  Did one of the underground mine tours and learnt all about troopers, red coats, their weapons, candles, Eureka Stockade and lots more.  The sights, sounds and smells, all very authentic!!

Cobb & Co

 

35 metres underground 

 

Red Hill Mine

Gold pour

Chinese camp

Sale to Kyneton

Free camp at Golden Beach

May 21st
Beautiful day.  Headed to Lakes Entrance today after driving back through Sale and then Bairnsdale, both very big regional centres.  Stopped in Sale to have a look at the swing bridge, which swings from a central pivot and is the only one of its kind in Australia. 

Swing Bridge at Sale

Lakes Entrance is a very pretty fishing town with lots of waterways.  Walked the main street of the town and set up camp at one of many caravan parks.

May 22nd
Walked into town from the caravan park, about 3 km, and Mike met me after he had driven in and booked tickets on an 11.30 am lakes cruise.  Then we found a café for brekky.  Later, once on the boat we were dropped off in Metung for two hours for lunch at the Hotel and a walk around the village. 

Thunderbird

The actual Lakes Entrance

Unloading the fishing boats

Then back on the boat for more cruising through the many lakes and some of their residential canal developments.  Although interesting, the trip struggled to match what we had experienced in Tassie.  The man-made entrance is very narrow and the tide rushes through.  As we returned to the wharf a fishing boat followed us in, so we went and watched it unload.  Looking closely at tomorrows weather as wanting a clear day to go over the Great Dividing Range.  Some roads have been closed off and on over the past few weeks depending on the snowfall.

May 23rd
Wonderful clear day so we headed north west, up the Great Alpine Road which takes you to Mount Hotham and Falls Creek.  The northern section of the Great Alpine Road is closed for road repairs however, so once in Omeo (middle of the Alps) we headed up the Omeo Highway.  Interesting 'highways', it felt like we were back in Tasmania.  Some narrow sections, major twisting and turning and the sides fall away to nothing.  Even an unsealed section which amazes me for a highway, but they are currently working on it and have 12 km to go.  Hardly any traffic, maybe 4 oncoming cars in a couple of hours!

Omeo Highway

 

Levelling the road so we could get through

 

Snowy peaks from the top of Omeo Highway

 Weather was fantastic though which was a relief, as would not like to do it on a bad day.  Long drive but lots of changing scenery, rolling hills, pretty green valleys, cascading rivers, dry brown alpine areas and snowy peaks eventually took us to Wodonga.  A warm and sunny 17 degrees on our arrival.  Going to be a cold night though, about 2 degrees.

May 24th
Very sad today as we mourn the loss of our wonderful friend, Carole.  Strong, courageous, caring and dedicated.  We will miss her no-nonsense approach to life, optimism and positivity so very much.  A beautiful person.  Sometimes life just seems so unfair!!  Lost the desire for holidays and feeling the strain of distance. A teleport home about now would be good!

Despite heavy hearts we did a loop around past Hume dam to Albury then drove down the River Murray on the NSW side to Mulwala then crossed back into Victoria and through to Shepparton and finally Kyneton where we have a weeks accommodation booked at Kyneton Bushland Resort.  Kyneton is in a great location, well situated between Bendigo, Ballarat and Castlemaine for lots of sightseeing over the next week.

Hume Dam wall and Hydro Power Station

 

Looking down the River Murray from the Dam wall

Lake Hume, Albury-Wodonga

Lake Hume - snowy peaks of The Great Dividing Range

Mornington Peninsula to Sale

May  18^th
Left Mornington Peninsula this morning and headed in the general direction of the Gippsland.  Our drive took us through really pretty country, rolling hills and lots of green.  Stopped in Leongartha to restock the pantry as by this stage we had decided to go to Wilsons Promontory National Park, affectionately known to the locals as ‘The Prom’.  Arrived at the visitors centre just in time to check in.  Everything closes at 4 pm around here!!  Set up camp and down came the rain.  Made dinner and ate it just before the next cloud burst and so on for most of the night. 

Camp at Wilsons Promontory

Interesting neighbours!  Four twenty year olds in a tent beside us (3 guys and a girl), drinking, watching a movie, listening to music and playing a guitar, badly!!  Three Pakistani guys doing some male bonding, discussing their love life, drinking and getting louder and louder and LOUDER.  Then a wombat went through next doors camp and the guy on the guitar started composing a song about wombats.  We were tucked up in our camper listening to the rain and the hullabaloo outside.  Hilarious!!  All group lodgings, cottages, cabins and hikers camps were booked out in the Park tonight and we keep seeing very weary folk who were barely able to walk.  Asked at the shop if there had been an event on?  The guy there, (obviously NOT very switched on) told us they were volunteers, tree planting.  I thought that had to be wrong because these people were walking like I do after a 3 day preseason hockey carnival.  Anyway, after further research it turned out that they had participated in the “Wilsons Prom 100”, a 48 km, 60 km, 80 km or 100 km trail run.  Amazing feat!!  Everyone starts in the dark at 6 am and some finish in the dark!!  No wonder they were hobbling.

May 19^th
Morning overcast, but the rain had stopped.  Today turned into a day of walking and lots of wildlife and by mid-afternoon the sky was a brilliant blue.  Walked a few different trails, (10+ km) and caught up with all the animals.  The wombats are inquisitive and just waddle through the camp whenever they feel like it.  The parrots were cheeky, stealing my multivitamin tablet off the bench and taking off with the plug from the sink.  Fortunately as soon as it was found to be inedible it was dropped.  The wallabies are shy here, the lazy kangaroos were sunning themselves and it was very entertaining watching Mike (with great stealth) stalk the emus!!  

 

 

Tidal River footbridge

 

Tidal River Overlook walk trail



When you need a little more peace and quiet, nature provides!





Natures ear plugs



Kangaroos enjoying the sun

 

Pill pinching parrot

Camp invading wombat

 

 

Beautiful views of Bass Strait, mountains and rivers.  Stayed a second night which was great.  Camp ground had emptied out so we had it almost to ourselves and it was a fantastic starry evening with no wind.

Mt Oberon and Normans Beach, Wilsons Promontory

Squeaky Beach, Wilsons Promontory

 





The Prom at sunset



Almost on our own!

May 20^th
Got up to more sunshine and a beautiful day.  Packed up and finally we have headed north to Sale, stopping to have lunch at Foster and for a ‘sticky beak’ at a few of the little towns along the coast.  As we arrived in Sale the rain caught up with us again, but we looked up the forecast and the radar said it was going to clear.  Headed for a free camp called Golden Beach on Ninety Mile Beach in Gippslands Lakes National Park.  The weather did clear into another wonderful evening.  No one warned us about the mozzies though.  The first insects we have had bother us in over 7 weeks and they were huge, abundant and ferocious!!  Perhaps that is why there is no one else camped with us!!  Showered under the stars despite the mozzies!