Judy & Brian Tour Oz

Holbrook NSW. May 20, 2015 Left Echuca on the penultimate leg of this tour. We told the GPS 'Holbrook' and then ignored its strident and persistent advice to go the longer way around on the Murray Valley Highway, instead choosing to take the most direct route out through the back-blocks and all the little towns (some not so little) such as  Nathalia, Katamatite, Numurkah,  Yarrawonga and Rutherglen before spilling out onto the Hume and turning North. We made it into Holbrook about 2pm and were just sitting down to lunch when Bev & John arrived on their first day out on their great northern trek. We haven't seen them for months and it was a great chance to have a good old chat, mostly road-talk, where we've been, where they are going, all that kind of stuff.  Bev brought out a nice bottle champers and we toasted each others health before retiring to our vans to get ready for a big night out at the local RSL club where we will have dinner and maybe another...

Echuca Vic, May 19 2015 Woke up to a drizzly grey sort of day and went straight back to sleep. Finally dragging ourselves out 'before noon' we headed into town with the intention of going to the National Holden Museum, but got as far as the end of the street when we got distracted by an old telegraph station and the original punt crossing of the Murray. The telegraph station turned out to be a private line which worked for a short time in the 1850s before being turned into a private residence for one of the river-boat captains. Our caravan park is called Maidens Inn Holiday Park, and part from being huge (two parks combined) is right on the river. Right up one end are these 4 old stone columns topped with a plinth. One can only imagine this big hotel where the maidens of the district lived...  The reality is that maiden refers to an ex-convict, James Maiden who established a punt across the Murray river in 1845 and built his inn on the bank next to it. The columns were the ...

 Echuca Vic. May 18, 2015 May 18? Heck, that means our new Ford is 1 year old and maybe not so new any more. In fact it has 49132 km on the clock and could do with some new tyres on the front and a bath! Car by Ford. Parking by Judith. The drive across from Swan Hill is not the most pleasant in the world, it’s not far but the road is quite bumpy and wanders in and out of towns and around old rivers and creeks and dead dogs and anything else that could be used to preclude a straight line been A and B. We actually stopped in Kerang for a cuppa, which at least let the big truck that was menacing me go by. We have been to Echuca a few times now, this time we are staying right out along the river in Moama, which is in NSW on the river opposite Echuca. We had some lunch in Moama before venturing into Echuca proper. There’s only one place it go really and that is the wharf precinct. There is a street open to the public, with old shops fronts and carts and drays a...

Swan Hill Vic - May 17, 2015 Swan Hill has one of Australia's lesser known gems, the Pioneer Settlement village / museum. We last came here in 2002 on our way to Broken Hill. This time we are staying in the Big 4 right next door, and of course we had all day to explore. And talking of days, today was an absolute cracker - absolutely perfect weather. Our plan was to get there in time for the 10:30 river cruise aboard the PV Pyap before spending the rest of the day wandering about. We just made it! The whistle was blowing as we went through the gate. The Pyap is an 1896 paddle wheeler originally steam powered system, but the engine has been replaced by a diesel. I can completely understand this, but it does detract from the paddle boat experience. However, the Pyap's saving grace is that it has been really nicely done-up and or / restored. It's got loads of charm and character with its polished timber work and a graceful staircase leading to the upper deck. The cruise its...

Swan Hill May 16, 2015 Drove over to Swan Hill today, which is in Victoria but you have to start to from Mildura by going into NSW as far down as Euston before crossing back over. Weather is finally looking better, gads it might even be classified as ‘warm’. We made our way to the Big 4 on the river, the sites are a bit narrow, but you back right onto the river and the place has lots of lush green grass. The van park leads right onto the town park and its a truly lovely place. We strolled into town to get some bread and things before coming back for a sit in the sunshine. Only drawback is that the place ‘has a few water birds’ that think that they own the place and are fairly aggressive in trying to mooch a feed. We assume that they get plenty of feed because everyone is sitting out on the bank of the river watching the water slide by. Oh, what’s that? A paddle steamer. Saving it up for tomorrow! Judy relaxing over  toastie and tea. Swan Hill Vic Murray River. Swan Hi...

Mildura Vic May 14, 2015 Another day in Mildura, another boat ride. Well, you just have to have a ride on a paddle-wheeler on the Murray when it's possible. We've done this a few times before, both here and in Echuca, both on steam powered vessels. Last time here we were on the PS Melbourne but this time, apparently it has Friday and Saturday off, for no specific reason and is being replaced by the PV Rothbury. We were early so I had Judy take this then-and-now photo of me and a steam engine: Brian and K175 a W class locomotive, 1976. Mildura Vic  Brian and K175 a W class locomotive, 2015. Mildura Vic The Rothbury was built in 1881 and used as a tug and freight boat up and down the Murray Darling river system. It's last work was carting timber for the timber mill at Mildura and later pulling a barge with a crane on it for building things up and down the river. In 1959 she ceased work and lay idle on a slipway for 10 years until bought by Captain Alby Pointon, wh...

Mildura  Viic  May 14 2015 Flashed down from Broken Hill to Mildura, 300km or so. Heaps of wild goats running wild everywhere, but thank heavens they tend to run away from the road, not like roos or emus. Also a few sheep wandering about and who knows what they will do? It’s 265 km BH to Wentworth with nothing much in between. There is a servo / roadhouse at Coonbah, but it’s too early to stop for anything. Those goats continued to show themselves in increasing numbers, we even saw one group with a few fairly new kids, which we haven't seen very often. They certainly way outnumber the sheep and you have to start wondering what impact they are having on the pasture and environment. Slid into Mildura without stopping, no reason to as Wentworth is only 33 km from Mildura, and we’ve seen the lock, the confluence of the rivers and the old goal a few times already. So press on, and we did. The poor old GPS got a bit confused when trying to find our Big 4 Deakin, on Deakin Road...

Broken Hill NSW May 13, 2015 Art Gallery day, starting with the Regional Art Gallery - nice building.... Actually, they had several big displays on of Aboriginal art, well not the traditional dot paintings, but a whole bunch of what looked like necklaces made from anything that could be found, a whole room of colour-splash art and a grouping of portrait photographs of the Elders from Blacktown. I thought the photos were excellent, must have a go at this portrait lark one day. They also had a whole gallery of an eclectic mix of old 'proper' paintings, impressionist, dot paintings, modern and contemporary, who knows. The two old proper ones were the standouts, in that they were in the traditional model where the models are almost lifelike. Had to laugh though, at the top of the stairs, in the top of the stairwell, they had their entire Brushmen of the Bush collection: a few Pro Harts, one Jack Absolom and one other somebody. 6 in all. That was it. Not too good considering t...