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.
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