Bendigo

26 – 30 November 2024

We left Winton Wetlands and let the GPS determine our route, which turned out to be the most direct, but mostly on “C” roads. This meant we passed through a number of small towns and avoided a lot of traffic. We stopped for lunch at a bakery in Murchison then continued on to Bendigo.

Bendigo was to be our last stop before heading to Tasmania. We had a lot of re-organisation to get the trailer ready to go into storage so we booked an ensuite site at a caravan park. We were very glad we did when we were hit with a couple of big storms, including one which blew around everything not secured. We had seen it coming on the BoM App and were able to move chairs and other small items into the ensuite just in time.

Although we had been able to prepare for the storm, we were faced with a very wet camper trailer. The next day was sunny and bright so we were able to get everything dry. Because the forecast was for more rain we decided that a move into a cabin would be the best thing to do.

After getting the trailer dry and repacked, we took it to the storage facility we have used before and settled into the cabin.

We took the opportunity to visit Greater Bendigo National Park for some more birding but again, not so successful. We spent the last couple of days getting the car ready for the trip to Tassie and using up all the fresh food as we wouldn’t be able to run the fridge in the car.

We didn’t need to be in Geelong until late in the afternoon so we planned to leave as late as we could and take our time making our way there.

Our Wikicamps Trip Plan shows we didn't take 
the most direct route from Townsville

Greater Bendigo National Park - Notley Campground

21 -22 November 2024

We knew we couldn’t get to Deniliquin from Portland, in one day, as it was well into the morning when we made the decision to change our plans and head there. We weren’t sure which way we would travel so headed first towards Port Fairy where we stopped for morning tea in a park by the water. From there we set the GPS and followed the chosen route until we stopped for lunch at a park in Ellerslie. While there we made the decision to head to a campground in Greater Bendigo National Park that we had considered in the past.

Greater Bendigo NP is very close to Bendigo

It was getting quite late when we arrived at Notley Campground (also known as Whipstick). It was a hot day so we were glad to be setting up as the temperature was starting to drop slightly. The campground wasn’t as nice as we had anticipated but it was sufficient for one night. There were quite a few people there, including some that looked to be long term residents. There was some bush around, but all the shady spots were already taken when we arrived.

It was a quiet night and because we hadn’t set up the awning or disconnected the car, we were ready to set off quite early in the morning.