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.

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.