Stawell

27 – 30 March 2023

We wanted to visit the Grampians so decided to have a few nights in a caravan park in Stawell to dry the canvas out and wait out the forecast bad weather. The drive from Green Hill Lake only took about ½ hour so we stopped in at a coffee shop for morning tea before going to the caravan park.

The park we chose was just on the outskirts of town and in a bushland setting. Our site overlooked the lake formed by Pleasant Creek. Most sites are either near the lake or the creek – and of course there were lots of birds around. Because it was raining when we arrived, we parked the trailer on the site and headed into town. After wandering around we set off for a pub lunch – at a hotel suggested by the caravan park manager. Her recommendation was spot on – senior’s meal, which included desert, for $16 each. Great value, and a good meal.

By the time we returned to the caravan park, the rain had stopped so we set up and discovered that some water had entered and the mattress was wet. We managed to lift the edges and set up a couple of fans to get things dried out. Not an ideal situation but not a disaster.

The following day we went back into town to visit some op-shops and do some grocery shopping and then spent the rest of the day trying to keep warm. On Wednesday we set off after lunch to drive into the Grampians. The weather was still very cold, but the rain looked like it would hold off for a while. We planned to get some information about camping spots, but with more rain forecast we decided that camping in the national park might not be such a good idea.

We drove over to Hall’s Gap and stopped in to the Visitor Information Centre for directions to a couple of lookouts. We drove first to Boroka Lookout which had magnificent views over Wartook Reservior. The lookout is only a short walk from the carpark and the road in, although unsealed, was in good condition.

From Boroka Lookout we drove back to the main road and on to Reed (or Reid, depending on where you’re looking) Lookout. The carpark is right at the lookout which again had magnificent views but also a really icy wind blowing. From this lookout was took the 2 km return, easy, walk to The Balconies lookout. More fabulous views across the Grampians out towards Moora Moora Reservior.

View from Boroka Lookout

On our return to Stawell we went for the drive up Big Hill to the lookout over the town. Stawell is a nice town with lots of interesting architecture and all the services needed.

After consulting the weather forecast again, and not wanting to get the canvas wet again before putting the trailer in to storage we decided that we would have to forego camping in the Grampians this time. Instead we set off for Horsham – another place we had never visited.

Green Hill Lake Reserve - Ararat

26 – 27 March 2023

We left Rochester and continued our journey with a quick stop at Bendigo to pick up some more enhancements for the tripod. From there we detoured off our chosen route again to find a park to have lunch. As we were travelling on minor roads, there weren’t any rest areas so a detour was necessary.

We found the picnic area on Laanercoorie Reservoir and made use of the covered shelter to have our lunch out of the cool breeze. It was adequate but in a very untidy state. It is hard to understand why people would come to a lovely spot and just leave their rubbish around when there are bins available.

We continued on through Ararat and on to Green Hill Lake Reserve. This is a huge free camp on the lake, with toilets and a dump point. It was reasonably busy on a Sunday afternoon but we could imagine it would be packed on long weekends and school holidays. We lucked out and settled on a spot right on the lake, with just a short walk to the toilet block.

Friday drinks by the lake

We came to Green Hill Lake so Mick could look for a bird that had been reported recently so he spent some time in search of – unfortunately not very successfully.  The temperature dropped with the sun and we wished we had thought to bring some firewood with us. During the night it also rained quite a bit so we had to make a decision about staying, and putting up the awning, or moving on. 

More rain was forecast so there would be no bird photography if we stayed so we packed up and moved on. We were lucky that we had a short window of time with no rain so even though the canvas was wet, we weren’t. It was such a shame as this was a lovely spot – definitely one to come back to one day.

Rochester

25 – 26 March 2023

We had booked to spend a few nights at Little Desert before returning to Tasmania so we needed to start making our way towards the west of Victoria, with a view to spending some time in the Grampians. Because we prefer not to travel too far in one day we decided to make Rochester our next destination. It would be a little bit out of the way, but we had never been there so it seemed like as good a place as any to spend a night.

We left Winton Wetlands and drove through Shepparton, where we made a quick stop so Mick could pick up some camo wrap to use on his tripod. We were lucky that on a busy Saturday morning we were able to find the shop we needed, and get a parking spot right out the front. We continued on and had another stop at a rest area before we made our way to Rochester.

We had chosen this spot because the caravan park is located on the Campaspe River, and the reviews were good. It’s a community owned caravan park so the overnight fee was very reasonable when compared to some other places we had stayed, and the facilities were top notch. There was a large, and well equipped camp kitchen where Mick spent some time editing photos. Our site was good, but we were positioned in such a way that we didn’t get any shade - again! - so we were grateful for the camp kitchen and trees nearby.

Later in the afternoon we went for a walk but couldn’t get down to walk along the river from the caravan park. We could see some of the damage caused by recent floods, with a small pontoon almost completely destroyed. Rochester, like many communities, still has a lot of work ahead.

The beautiful old pub has pride of place in Rochester's main street

Before we left Rochester we went in to town where we did some grocery shopping and had a coffee. As with many of these small rural town, there were lots of empty shops. From there we continued our journey with a free camp near Ararat as our intended destination.

Winton Wetlands

24 – 25 March 2023

We checked the weather forecast and decided to head up into the Warby Ranges to a free campground about an hour from Glenrowan. We arrived at Killawarra Forest Campground and were the only ones there. We weren’t sure about staying as the best located site wasn’t ideal for us so we had morning tea in the small rotunda while we considered our options. We were very glad we hadn’t set up the camper trailer, as the couple of march flies that were hovering around when we first arrived had beckoned all their mates and we were being harassed by a huge number – all trying to bite us. It wasn’t hard to make the decision to move on.

Fortunately we were both agreed that a return to Winton Wetlands would be a much better option so we headed there and were set up by the water iin time for lunch – and again were the only ones there. We drove around to the other side of Lake Mokoan in the afternoon so Mick could look for some birds.

Evening glow

The weather wasn’t quite as good as the first time and there was some light rain come through a couple of times but nothing to spoil an otherwise peaceful night – and no visits from the night creatures this time either.

Before leaving the wetlands we stopped in at the Visitor Centre for morning tea then set off, heading west.

Glenrowan

 19 – 24 March 2023

We left Whitfield and called in to Edi Cutting so Mick could spend some time looking for birds to photograph. Unfortunately there weren’t many around but we did manage to snag a great spot by the river to have morning tea. We contemplated staying the night but decided to return to Glenrowan, partly because some nasty weather had been forecast for the following few days.

We arrived at the caravan park, again in time for lunch and were set up in a partly shady spot as the temperature headed towards 30°. While Mick spent the afternoon at the bird bath, I drove in to Wangaratta for fuel and groceries.

Hot air balloons launch from nearby Benalla

With storms forecast for Tuesday, Mick spent most of Monday with the camera at the birdbath, chatting to others with a similar interest. Glenrowan is a prime spot for birders and many secrets are sjared around the birdbath.

The forecast storms weren’t as severe as anticipated but were enough to have us deciding to stay an extra couple of days at Glenrowan so that we could get the canvas dried out – and it’s a great spot anyway. Whenever the rain stopped, Mick went out with the camera. We also took the opportunity to sample some more of the delicious bread and treats from the bakery in the small town.

We wanted to go up into the Warby Ranges and had found a possible campsite not too far away so we had a slow start on our final morning, then headed into the national park.

Whitfield

17 – 19 March 2023

We arrived at the caravan park in Whitfield and were set up in time for lunch, but once again we were in a site without much shade. Because we were staying a couple of nights we put up the awning which helped in the middle of the day. Whitfield seems to be the heart of the King Valley Wine Region so I was keen to sample some of the local product. With a winery just across the road from the caravan park, this would certainly be possible.

It was another hot day, so later in the afternoon we went for a walk to explore the small village. We found King Valley Fine Foods and bought some pesto, mushroom tapenade and a pasta sauce. We also discovered a community centre with a heap of books which were free to take. I found one by a favourite author so took it with me.

On Saturday morning we decided to drive in to Mansfield. Mansfield is the gateway to the Mount Buller ski-fields and was surprisingly busy for a Saturday in autumn. We wandered around the shops and found a café to have lunch before driving home. The drive took just under an hour through the mountains with some spectacular views along the way.

The roundabout on the main street of Mansfield

We made it home in time to go to Dal Zotto Winery, just across the road from the caravan park. They offer a tasting of their NV Prosecco, and 6 other wines of your choosing, for $10. Mick came with me to keep me company but didn’t partake. I tried most of the whites and a rose before deciding to purchase some Prosecco, Pinot Grigio and Rosata.

Staying the weekend in Whitfield was pleasant but the caravan park was way too busy and very noisy with several large groups socialising loudly until very late in the night. If we were ever to return we would definitely make it a week night.

Edi Cutting Campground

16 – 17 March 2023

We left the Winton Wetlands and drove back through Glenrowan before making a quick stop in Moyhu, then on to Edi Cutting which is a free campground on the King River. Once again we were set up by lunchtime, and once again we had to chase the shade. There were lots of birds around, and the campground wasn’t too busy when we arrived, but it did start to fill up as the afternoon moved on.

King River at Edi Cutting

We had thought that this would probably be a popular spot, especially on weekends, so planned for just an overnighter. There are toilets and some firepits, but no other infrastructure. The campground looks to be well maintained and very well used with lots of caravans arriving late on Friday afternoon.

Our next destination was to be Whitfield which is only 10 minutes down the road, so we took out time in the morning having a cooked breakfast, followed by some time by the river chasing birds. Edi Cutting is definitely worth a look, especially mid-week.

Winton Wetlands – Nesting Ground Campground

15 – 16 March 2023

We left the caravan park at Glenrowan and stopped in town to have morning tea and to visit some of the Ned Kelly sites. There is some very good interpretative information about the famous Kelly Gang, and the siege at Glenrowan in 1880. There’s also an excellent bakery for morning tea, just across the railway line in the main street.

We drove on to Winton Wetlands and were set up with a view of Lake Mokoan before lunch time. It was a hot afternoon so we spent most of the time chasing some shade until later in the day when Mick went for a drive to a good spot for birds. Nesting Ground was very productive for wildlife spotting – we saw an echidna, an antechinus, a possum and we also heard a fox close by in the night.

Sunset over Lake Mokoan

The campground is well spread out with some sites overlooking the lake and others looking out towards the hills. Most sites are quite large and easy to access. There are toilets and a picnic shelter at the campground as well. Bookings are online and the system is a little clunky but workable. You book the campground but not the actual site which you choose when you arrive - even though the booking system requires you to enter a site number. 

After our night at the wetlands we made the decision to head for the King Valley. We didn’t know much about the area, but a traveller we had met at Omeo recommended it as a good place to visit so that seemed like as good a reason as any to head that way.

Glenrowan

9 – 15 March 2023

With only a short drive to Glenrowan ahead of us we took our time leaving Chiltern and stopped at Wangaratta along the way. Wangaratta is a busy town, without much parking for towing vehicles. Most of the main street and surrounding streets are metred, angle parking so we had to drive around the back streets for a while and had almost given up when we found a suitable stretch of parallel spots with free parking. We popped into a camping store and a couple of op shops before continuing on to Glenrowan.

Glenrowan is best known as the site of Ned Kelly’s last stand and the small town is geared for tourists interested in this part of Australia’s bushranging history. For us, though, it’s all about the birds. The caravan park has a lovely spot with a bird bath that is frequented by a number of species so Mick spent much of his time there. He met a number of other keen birdwatchers and photographers, happily swapping notes and tips.

An interpretative trail leads visitors to key points of interest around the Heritage Seige Precinct

Our campsite was right on the edge of the park, looking out to the bush covered hill. It gave us some privacy from the crowds who descended on the park for the long weekend, and allowed some “on the spot” birdwatching.

On Saturday evening we were joined by a family member on his way home from a golfing and mountain bike riding adventure in Tasmania. We hadn’t seen Tony for about 5 years so enjoyed a very nice evening before he set off for his night’s accommodation a few hours away. Travelling, and meeting new people, is fabulous but I do miss seeing family and friends so his visit was very special.

On Sunday we went for a drive to have a look at the campsites at Winton Wetlands. We have visited a number of times but have never camped there, so we were keen to do so this trip. We stopped along the way at each of the points where there was water and had morning tea on the edge of Bill Friday Swamp, near one of the campgrounds. From there we drove on the Nesting Ground Campground on Green Hill. We decided that this would probably be the one for us when we returned to camp later in the week.

On Tuesday we drove in to Benalla to do some shopping and also to visit Mick’s sister who lives there. Once again it was lovely to spend some time with a family member and to meet Mick's youngest great-niece.

Mick spent most of the rest of our time in Glenrowan staking out the water point, photographing birds and chatting to fellow birders and photographers. We had intended to spend four nights but ended staying for six, and probably could have stayed longer, but with the weather forecast for clear skies for the next few days we booked our spot in Winton Wetlands and moved on.

Chiltern

4 – 9 March 2023

We had visited Chiltern and wanted to return for its proximity to Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park, where the Regent honeyeater can be found. There is no suitable camping in the national park so we chose the caravan park in town, which is ideally located on Lake Anderson. Chiltern is a small town with a few interesting shops, a small supermarket and a couple of pubs.

On Sunday morning we went for a walk in town and discovered there were markets on in the park so we went down to have a look. There was a good variety of stalls and we bought some salami and quince paste in anticipation of a nice cheese platter one day soon. We went out to the national park later in the afternoon but the light wasn’t great so we decided we needed to come back for a morning session.

We had a few things we needed to do in Wodonga so we drove in on Monday morning and ended up spending half the day there. By the time we had had a tyre looked at, bought a few things for our camping set up and visited some op shops, it was lunch time so we found a very nice café near the supermarket, then we stocked up on groceries and headed home. We also went for a walk around the lake later in the day and bought fish and chips for dinner from a visiting food van.

Sunset over Lake Anderson

On Tuesday we made the effort to get out of bed early and drove to Honeyeater Picnic area in the national park. It’s a lovely spot by a dam where there were lots of birds. Mick spent about an hour wandering around in the bush.

Wednesday was cold and drizzling with rain so we decided to spend an extra night in Chiltern so we didn’t had to pack up in the wet. It was a good day for a touristy drive so we chose a route that would take us back towards the alpine area with our first stop at Beechworth.

Beechworth is a lovely town with lots of old buildings dating from the gold rush era. There are lots of interesting gift shops and heaps of cafes which is an indication of its reliance on tourism. My favourite shop was the Beechworth Honey shop where we were able to sample some of their delicious wares. They were happy to provide tastings even though we explained we would be unable to purchase any due to our imminent return to Tasmania. Biosecurity rules prohibit you from taking honey into Tasmania (and other states as well).

From Beechworth we continued towards the high country and Myrtleford. The rain was tumbling down and it was very cold so we didn’t spend much time wandering the town. We visited a couple of op shops then continued on to Yackandandah where we again browsed a couple of shops before heading home to Chiltern. Every Wednesday the communal fire is lit at the caravan park so we joined some fellow travellers for a very enjoyable drink and a chat by the fire.

The following morning was bright and clear – but very cold at just under 4° when we climbed out of bed at 7:30a.m. We set about packing up ready to head down the road to Glenrowan.

Alpine National Park – Big River Campground

2 – 4 March 2023

We spent some time in the village before leaving Omeo and then set off north towards Mitta Mitta. We weren’t sure where we would stop so we called in to a couple of campgrounds along the way. The road was as we had expected – narrow, windy and steep in parts. We came to Big River Campground that had been recommended by the lady in the Omeo Visitor Information Centre, and decided that it would do us nicely.

The spot we chose was back from the river as all the best ones were already occupied by caravans. We were happy with our choice near a firepit and picnic table, not too far from the toilet. There were two caravans, a camper trailer and some tent campers, but all well spread out.

We had brought some firewood with us in anticipation of a cold night, even though the daytime maximum was in the high twenties. Mick lit the fire in time to get some coals ready for a camp oven stew, as the temperature started to drop.

Camp oven stew and a cold drink - perfect!

In the morning we were thinking about staying another night and made up our minds to do so after chatting with a neighbour who told us about their day trip to Falls Creek. We decided that would be a good way to spend part of the day, so packed up a picnic lunch and set off after morning tea.

Back along the Omeo Highway, we then turned off onto the Bogong High Plains Road and were again travelling on windy, narrow and steep roads, with the added complication of very heavy fog. It was a slow drive up the mountain but the reward of sunshine and magnificent views as we neared the top was worth the effort. We stopped at the lookout at Wallace Hut carpark and then continued on to Falls Creek.

Driving through the fog was a challenge but it seemed so appropriate in the "high country"

Falls Creek is a ski resort and there isn’t much around “out of season”. In the end we returned to Wallace Hut carpark where there was a nice shelter with a fabilous view,  interpretative information and seats, to have our picnic. After lunch we walked the 750 metre, easy, walk to Wallace Hut. Although there weren’t many birds around, Mick was happy taking photos of the insects that flitted around as we walked.

Wallace's Hut

We returned to the campground and enjoyed a lovely sunny afternoon, followed by another cold night. We sat by the fire to eat leftover stew for dinner before retreating inside.

While we were starting to pack up in the morning we saw the first of a very large group of cyclists stop near the campground. We were anxious not to be following too closely behind them, so delayed our departure significantly until well after morning tea. It seemed we had timed it perfectly when we saw them having lunch in the park in Mitta Mitta. Not wanting to be in such a crowded environment we continued on to a campground just past the village and had a quick lunch, hoping to get away before the cyclists were back on the road.

We thought we had managed to avoid the pack, when we came across what we thought must have been the lead group. It was extremely difficult to get around them on the narrow, windy and steep roads and a great deal of patience was required. There was a number of small groups spread out over about 10 kilometres. Fortunately the support crew, and some of the cyclists themselves signalled when it was safe to overtake.

We eventually left them behind and continued on towards Wodonga, where we joined the motorway, and then on to Chiltern.

Omeo

 28 February – 2 March 2023

We had never stayed in Omeo so decided to spend a couple of days there. With some rain forecast it seemed like a sensible idea to stay before heading up into the high country. The caravan park is right on the river, and if the weather had been better we might have done some more walking around the area.

We ventured in to town in the morning and were quite surprised at the size of the village – and the number of cafes! It seems this is a very good place to stop before or after the drive (or ride) through the mountains along the Great Alpine Way or Omeo Highway.

Our route from the coast up into the Victorian High Country

We weren’t sure about which way we would go so asked in the Visitor Information Centre where we were reassured that the road to Mitta Mitta along the Omeo  Highway would be narrow and windy, but quite suitable. The neighbours in the caravan park were also considering going that way so drove up as far as Anglers Rest for lunch. On their return they too indicated that it would be a great way to go.

We knew there were a number of free camping areas along the road we would be taking, so decided to have a look at each one until we found the one that suited us. Before we left Omeo we bought some firewood in anticipation of cold nights in the high country.