Return to Tasmania

4 – 5 April 2023

We left Little Desert ahead of schedule and drove back through Nhill, then the GPS took us along a number of “C” roads towards St Arnaud where we stopped for a coffee and to pick up some bread rolls to have later in the day. Meals are available on the Spirit of Tasmania but we decided to have a pub lunch along the way, then salad rolls for dinner onboard.

We made it into Bendigo on schedule and settled the trailer into the storage facility we have used a number of times. On a recommendation we headed to a nearby hotel for a very good lunch, at seniors prices. Our timing was perfect and we had time to stop again in Daylesford for a look around. We’ve stopped there before, but always on a weekend when it has been crazy busy, so it was nice to be there mid-week when it was just moderately busy.

From Daylesford it was on to the Corio Bay terminal to board the Spirit of Tasmania for our overnight sail to Tasmania. Once onboard we headed up to the bar for a couple of drinks before settling into our cabin to have our bread rolls for dinner and to watch an episode we’d downloaded from a streaming service.

We always check the forecast and it looked like we would have a very smooth crossing this time – and it was indeed. I think it was the smoothest we have ever had – at times you couldn’t even feel the gentle rocking of the boat. We were lucky to have our car in Deck 5 so we were among the first off at Devonport in the morning. We decided to go somewhere for a nice breakfast and as luck would have it, we would be at House of Anvers at about the time they opened.

                                                  Who doesn't like ice cream for beakfast?

Anvers is best known for their chocolates but they do a great breakfast too – eggs benedict for Mick and apple crumble French toast for me, as well as a hot chocolate! Absolutely delicious and very filling. Back on the road and we drove straight through to Hobart where we would spend the next few months with our daughters.

Nhill - Little Desert Nature Lodge

1 – 4 April 2023

After leaving Horsham we drove on to Dimboola where we stopped for a coffee and a walk around the town. We had time to kill so spent a good bit of time looking into lots of interesting shops and getting a last few grocery supplies. We continued on to look for somewhere to have lunch. We had intended to stop at the pink lake but the place was packed so we drove on to a rest area near Kiata. We had our lunch and Mick spent some time wandering around the adjacent bushland reserve looking for birds.

From there we stopped in at the Visitor Information Centre in Nhill to use up some more time until we could check in at Little Desert. We finally decided it was time to head to our final destination and arrived just after 2:00pm.

We’ve stayed at Little Desert Nature Lodge several times and it has been a favourite since our first visit. We were a little apprehensive as it has changed hands several times, and been closed for a time since we were here last, but Mick had phoned and asked about the bird hides and was reassured that they were all still in place and the water points continued to be maintained.

Once we were settled into our room, Mick set off to visit one of the hides, and spent a few hours there. Bird photography was our reason for visiting so he was determined to get the most out of it. The following morning I went for a walk with him to locate the second hide, and also so he could set up some perches. He revisited in the afternoon, again for a few hours.

We first met George in 2014
so I guess you could say we are old friends

The next morning we went out for a walk to the waterhole which is in the opposite direction to the hides. It’s another great spot for birding. Mick again spent the afternoon at the hide. I spent my time relaxing with a good book and enjoying the peace and quiet. For the last two nights of our stay it was just us and George, the resident emu.

On our final morning we had calculated we needed to leave before 8:00 so were up early and on our way to Bendigo.

Horsham

30 March – 1 April 2023

With another short drive ahead of us, we left right on check out time of 10:00am and stopped along the way to Horsham at Oasis Rest Stop not far from Ararat. We had morning tea at the well-presented area then headed off again. We had rung ahead and the staff at the caravan park were happy for us to check in when we arrived, well before lunch time.

We were given a good sized site which looked out towards the river side park. We chose this caravan park for its proximity to the river and botanical gardens and were very happy with the location. Before we had left Ararat we noticed a very large crack in the windscreen which may have happened the day before on one of the dirt roads in the Grampians, so called the insurance company as soon as we were settled and arranged for a replacement the following day. We were very relieved that we could get it done so quickly.

The caravan park sits beside the Wimmera River

After lunch we set off into town for a walk around and to visit the op shops. We found another very friendly town, with a few good op shops, a couple of which were located out of the CDB area. Mick also managed to find a reasonably priced barber for a haircut.

On Friday morning I took the car in for the windscreen and walked back to the caravan park. We pottered around until it was time to pick it up, then spent most of the afternoon getting everything reorganised so we could put the trailer into storage again in a few days’ time. Later we went for a walk in the gardens and a little way along the river. 

We had some rain overnight but the sky was clear and bright in the morning. We had arranged a slightly later check out of 11:00am so that gave us plenty of time to get everything completely dry ready to pack up for our return to Tasmania. Before that though, we had three nights booked in at Little Desert Nature Lodge, in a garden view room.