Winton Wetlands - Green's Hill Campground

25 – 26 November 2024

It was quite a way from Deniliquin to Winton Wetlands but Mick wanted to do a spot of birding before we set off. We headed north to check out some of the spots he had been to on Saturday night but it wasn’t a very productive session.

After a morning birding, we returned to Deniliquin for a picnic lunch then set off for Winton Wetlands. We travelled through NSW and crossed the Murray River again, at Tocumwal. From there we continued through Victoria to another one of our favourite spots.

By the time we arrived, Bronwyn and John were already set up, and with clouds around we decided it would be wise to set up the awning even though we would only be staying one night. Just as well, as it started to drizzle even as we set up.

We had a lovely spot by the lake and enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon with family. Bronwyn and John had stayed here, at our suggestion, on their way to Melbourne and were very keen to return. Unfortunately, the weather spoiled any opportunity for a photography session, but it was a great night anyway.

Sunset over Lake Mokoan

After a slow pack-up and farewell, we started our journey to Bendigo, our final destination in Victoria.

 

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.

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.

Benalla

 20 - 22 March 2022

Glenrowan was a top spot to spend our first few nights back on the mainland, but we had the car booked in for a service in Benalla so we had to head there. On the way we did some exploring in the Winton Wetlands. We had picked up a very good map at the Visitor Information Centre in Wangaratta and set off to have a look at one of the campgrounds, as well as some of the other points of interest. There are a number of marked walks, as well as a comprehensive cycling trail. We managed to spend the best part of the morning poking around, looking for birds and enjoying the scenery. We made our way to a picnic spot near the Mokoan Hub and Cafe for lunch. From there it was on to Benalla just a short distance away.

We checked in to the caravan park and settled in for the afternoon. It was very hot so we were grateful that we had some shady trees nearby. We were almost tempted to try out the pool! On Monday morning I took the car into Toyota for a service so we were stuck in the caravan park all day. We made use of the time to do some housekeeping tasks, and Mick utilised the camp kitchen to do a heap of photo editing. 

Benalla is known as a centre for gliding and we did see a couple while we were there. We were surprised to see some sort of motorised hang glider, adding interest to a stunning sunset.

On Tuesday morning we set off with Little Desert in our sights but no real plan about where we would spend the night. We set the GPS for Shepparton where we would plan our next move. On the way to a coffee shop, Mick wondered if he might be able to get onto the bird guide in Deniliquin - definitely not where we were headed, but worth a try.

Mick phoned after we had finished our coffee and was pleasantly surprised to find there was a spot on a tour with another couple the following night. By sharing with others the cost would be much more affordable, so off to Deniliquin!