Jugiong 24 Nov 2013

Next day we were able to set up an attractive display in the morning. Even though it looked great, unfortunately it was probably the wrong type of goods for the show, as most people were interested in car parts, farming equipment and cheap knick knacks. However we enjoyed the experience and will take some of our goods to a Sydney market next week. The car show was well organised with a variety of vehicles on display (including a Datsun 120Y - why. While Peter loved the extravagantly styled and coloured American cars, Heather was taken with a bright red Goggomobil that had been painstakingly restored. Packed up late in the afternoon and headed north to Jugiong, through dry yellow fields - a contrast to the irrigated farms along the Murray. We camped by the river for a peaceful night beside the river. The locals have opened up an enormous site for Rvs to camp and it is appreciated by all who stay there. Must plan a longer visit on another trip.

Culcairn 23 Nov 2013

Peter went out to some morning garage sales and found a sewing machine for Heather. She wants to sew some craft with the material she finds on our travels. Drove out of Albury and headed north to Culcairn for a swap meet and a car show. When we got there we found it was just as cheap to set up a stall as it was to go in, so we bit the bullet and decided to see what we could sell from the pieces we had picked up on our travels. We spent til late in the night sorting and pricing mainly retro stuff we had found and went to bed exhausted.

Albury 22nd Nov 2013

Drove onto Corowa, another border town on the Murray. This town has a number of well-preserved art deco buildings, including an old picture show, complete with original colours and curtains – let’s hope it is not painted white to modernise it! Had lunch then drove onto Albury, where Heather had to visit the dentist, then onto an old fashion school fete, where there were lots of bargains in cakes and books.

Corowa 21 st Nov 2013

Woke up to a cool morning with rain, so we drove out before breakfast, just in case the road got too muddy, but it was fine. We would have like to stay a while on the river, but with such a big rig you can’t take any chances of getting bogged. Had another look around Cobram and then set off east towards Corowa. Stopped about 13Km west of Corowa at the Collendina Recreation Park, which flows into the Murray. This is a beautiful camp with the river gums growing right to the water’s edge. Although this time the thousands of squawking Major Mitchells were rivalled by the droning bush flies!

Cobram 20 Nov 2013

Set off through the countryside towards Cobram, stopping at Nathalia, Numurkah, Strathmerton and Koonoomoo (what a great name) – all little villages surrounded by cattle stations and grain farms, sustained by water canals from the Murray. After a look around the town, we drove out on a dirt road and camped all by ourselves (if you don’t count the squawking birds) right on the Murray – a marginally prettier spot than our Yarawonga camp.

Kyabram 19 Nov 2013

We had been to Kyabram on our last trip. It is a pleasant little agricultural town, with a good range of services, surrounded by some large stretches of water. Stayed at a reserve on the edge of town. It is still hot, so we went for a drink in the local club, but it was so grotty that we left without buying one. Instead we headed home, put the fan on and opened a cold bottle of wine – that’s the way to cool off!

Rochester 18 Nov 2013

Drove along some very narrow roads through Elmore (beesting cake from the local baker) and then onto ¬¬Rochester. It wasn’t until we got there that we realised we had visited it before but didn’t remember it. While only a small town (1,800 people) Rochester is quite prosperous as it has a number of factories (including Devondale Cooperative), but it had the misfortune of having a major flood in 2011, which inundated 80% of the town, however they have rebuilt the town since.

Sebastian 17 11 2013

The swap meet lasted 2 days but even Peter had enough by Sunday morning. Went into Bendigo (dressed in our red hot shirts) to attend the Climate Change Rally, then visited the art gallery and a few antique shops.

Late in the day we decided to leave Bendigo and headed north to Sebastian, a small village about 15Km from Bendigo and settled in at a lovely bushy reserve.

Bendigo 15 - 16 Nov 2013

Had a beautiful sunrise over the lake and then set out for Rushworth, another small historic gold mining town not far down the road. Had a lovely sponge cake and coffee at the local bike/café. Then onto Bendigo for a massive swap meet at the showground. We were going to camp at the showground but there were so many stalls there already that we camped on a paddock nearby. href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtCZ92d2GYm7MAA35lU21tOeZMGNwuv3BqciFhRQXsItoOOnWcQ9ta5sqVTO_scnweXQT52R8i7ozc74BpmknyphJZAPlJjRKDBjOXehZ2QuMYPXYHiZvXQcBYveWP4yX-pr2hw/s1600/Bendigo+Swap+Meet+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">

Rushworth 14 Nov 2013

Had another look at Shepparton in the morning (including the art gallery) and then onto Tatura, another attractive town with a large butter factory and a prosperous feel to it. Stopped at Waranga Basin (near Rushworth) for the night. This is an enormous lake with a large flat camping area at the tip of a peninsula, which we had to ourselves. We enjoyed the miriad bird life and the sense of isolation this spot produced.

Shepparton 13 Nov 2013

Left our campsite in the morning and headed to Katamatite, a small village with a small claim to fame – the local church reflects the shape of the Sydney Opera House!

Then onto Numurkah, a small pretty town with the Broken Creek flowing through it. The town has a great feel about it and like all towns around here, there are magnificent rose gardens. Camped at Mooroopna near Shepparton for the night. This agricultural town is large enough that it has a diversified industrial base and although it has been hit by the down turn in the stone fruit sector, it is still holding up.

Yarrawonga 10 – 12 November 2013

After a Sunday lie-in, we decided to head up to Yarrawonga for the last day of a rod/classic car show. It was last held in Bright, but after getting feed up with the increasing cost of running the event, the organisers moved it to Yarrawonga, on the Murray River, next to the NSW border. It was a beautiful day and about 900 cars were on show. With their bright colours and mind blowing shapes, many of them were works of sculpture (as well as being a lot of fun) and could have graced the halls of an art gallery, but alas because it is considered a ‘bogan’ interest, will never be recognised for the creative input that goes into their making. At night we drove along the Murray, til we found a magnificent camp spot on the banks of the river. We were entertained by thousands of white cockatoos as they reeled and squawked across the evening sky, before settling down amongst the red gums.

Although it was cold and wet on Monday we hopped in the car and went for a drive to Mulwala, across the Murray. Peter couldn’t remember going there before, but Heather said that we had, so that was that. Mulwala isn’t much of a town, with a few modern shops strung out along the highway and some houses hidden in the bush. The only claim to fame is the lovely Lake Mulwala it fronts, which has spawned a series of caravan parks and fishing haunts along the riverside. Yarrawonga however is obviously the major town for the region and had a good range of shops and facilities.

By the time we got back, the sun had struggled out between the clouds and we went for a walk along the river. Had a beautiful stroll and saw (and heard) an amazing variety of birds, including a kookaburra with a nest in a hollow of a tree.