Exploring the North West of Victoria. A trip from Nowhere to Nhill - November 2012

After 3,5 months on an amazing trip to Queensland, it did not take too long before we started getting that urge to hit the road again. With work being a bit slow at present, we decided to hook up and head out to somewhere, anywhere, nowhere.

Then Bert got a call to run a one day training program in Nhill! “Where is Nhilll?” you may ask. That was our question too. We discovered it was a good 420km North West of Yarra Glen on the way to Adelaide. Well, that's it then – we were heading off in that direction to enjoy a new part of this amazing country. From Nowhere to Nhill. Some say nil happens in Nhill. Well to our delight that's not exactly true!

We had about 5 days to get there so, avoiding the highways, we just headed out through the Victorian countryside and enjoyed a good slow drive on the roads less travelled.

On our journey we passed through rolling green hills, open flat wheat and canola fields, sheep country, and through some interesting  'Ye Old World’ Australian villages.

This blog provides some insights into the wonderful sights and experiences we had. Enjoy the journey with us…….

Chewton

One of the first of the towns we came across was Chewton – a wander into history when in the Gold Rush days up to 30,000 gold diggers lived in the area mining for gold.

Maldon

No travel would be complete without some bush camping near Maldon, in the Historical Nature Reserve. We enjoyed a night in the bush with very few people around. A beautiful evening around the fire was just what we needed.

Maldon is a beautiful and historic town, which was also one of the many Gold mining towns in the area, in years gone by. The town has kept its historic architecture creating an attractive tourist destination.

Minyip

We enjoyed a detour to the lovely little town of Minyip.
During our years in the Netherlands we used to watch a very popular Australian TV series at the time.  Flying Doctors was a dramatized series based on the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and Minyip was used as the home base for filming.   We loved the series as it showed us a lot of Australian life, especially the beautiful Outback and village life style. Many of these old towns are not dissimilar to the old towns in South Africa. Here are some of the sites that were used in the series. On YouTube one can see some of the sections of this famous series.

At the entrance to the town is a simple monument to this series and in town a historic board that speaks of the filming of this long running series in Minyip.

These are some of the sites used in the filming of the Flying Doctos

Avoca

We also enjoyed a few days in Avoca and visited the local market and Ute Muster – it takes all kinds……

Avoca also gave us an opportunity to buy some good old country meat at the local butcher – fresh, excellent quality and great price.

We love supporting these guys as they always offer the best they can as their lives depend on it. We saw a notice outside a country shop which read 'Country businesses are like muscles. If you don't use them, you lose them'. Sadly for a number of shop owners, it is painfully true.

Nhill

Not too far from Nhill we came across the Pink Lake, which on this day was not as Pink. It is a salt lake and shows off its pink colour more in cloudy conditions. Unfortunately we passed this on a scorcher of a day at 40 degrees C.

Bert enjoyed a great day training the local Shire team and we enjoyed an excellent dinner at the Commercial Hotel. The best hotel pub meal we have had yet. Well worth a stop over if you ever come past this way – on the road to Adelaide.

Surprisingly we discovered Boerewors (South African Sausage) at the local Nhill butcher. We heard that many South Africans lived there – especially Doctors and Nurses. Doctors migrating to Australia have to work in the rural areas for 5 years before they can move to the cities. This is why there is such a strong South African presence there, and explains the delicious boerewors for sale!

And Finally...

As always we did come across some really interesting buildings on these travels. Two that stood out for us were the following:

In Lancefield, on taking a walk one morning we really saw a combination of the Old with the New. A really old and run down shed - with a Solar Panels on the roof. I reckon those panels were worth way more than the shed!

In Chewton, next to the town hall, we came across the old Goal. This was used to lock up the criminals during the mining period. With very little ventilation - it must have been a sauna in these jails.

And finally a look at the journey less travelled....which was now travelled and enjoyed

The towns we visited included:

A: Yarra Glen

B: Lancefield

C: Chewton

D: Maldon

E: Avoca

F: Minyip

G: Nhill

H: Bendigo

I : Shepparton

J: Yarra Glen

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Port Douglas to Melbourne 9th August to 5 October 2012

It's hard to believe we spent 3 weeks in Port Douglas. Time flies when one is having fun.

Port Douglas

This was the third time we've visited Port Douglas, and we never tire of it. This visit was different in that Bert was away overseas working for 2 of the 3 weeks so I had plenty of time to enjoy it.  I barely used the car during the first week, choosing to cycle or walk. 

During the first week, the weather was magnificent so I thoroughly enjoyed swimming in the warm sea, taking long walks on the beach or cycling. I needed  to lose some of the inches that had mysteriously grown on me! There was also office work that I needed to catch up on (yes, Bert’s business still produces admin which needed  attention so this was a good opportunity to put some hours in).

During the second week, my good friend Sally flew up from Melbourne to join me….and did we have fun!  Not only did we visit wonderful places but we talked….and talked……and talked and could have kept going except there was a seat on a plane with her name on it. 

LOWE ISLES REEF
Sally and I took the Reef Sprinter speedboat to Lowe Isles.   Incredible! Even though the weather was not at its best, we visited Lowe Isles for some snorkelling. Not the most flattering photo of me but snorkelling over the reef was magical.  Sally thoroughly enjoyed viewing the reef from the glass bottom boat.

The Reef Sprinter which travels at 80km p/hr, takes 15 minutes from Port Douglas so we were there before we knew it and there was no time to get sea sick, one of my weaknesses.  As always the reef was magnificent.  It's one thing to see it on TV and quite another to see it in real life. The Jet Sprinter seen on this photo takes the guests on something of an adrenaline thrill seeking ride to the reef.

BARRIER REEF - from 35000m up
While Kenau was having a ball with Sally, I was off to China. Would you believe the sights I saw from my plane window as we flew over the barrier reef! As I had to fly from Brisbane, we saw the reef for 100's of kilometres up the coast of Queensland. Truly an amazing sight!

KURUNDA

Barron Falls :  Sally and I took a drive up the pass and arrived around 12.30.  Kurunda is well known for its little shops and markets so the village was bustling with people. Instead of going to the shops immediately, we decided to have our picnic lunch, visit the lovely Barron Falls then go shopping. By the time we arrived at the shops, much to our surprise, most were shut and the tourists gone!  

MOSSMAN

CHURCH OF ST DAVID in Mossman is a beautiful stone church. Construction commenced on 1912 after the original wooden building was destroyed in 1911 by a cyclone.  It was completed in 1952 and was added to the National Trust of Queensland’s Register of Significant Places. It’s really interesting to walk around as it carries a lot of historical significance such as the bell which was originally on the ship SS Woonona which was wrecked in 1893 at Fitzroy River and the vase stands which are 17^th century marble fragments from St Paul’s Cathedral, London. The stained glass windows are relatively new (1988).

DAINTREE RIVER (Mama croc and baby croc)

CROC TOUR, Solar Whisper, on the Daintree River. Our tour guide was excellent and his wife who manns reception is just superb - friendly, helpful, forgiving (we were late so had to wait for next tour) – just a lovely person.   We recommend their tours.  On the way back to the caravan park we bought a barramundi from the Barramundi Fish Farm at Wonga Beach where one can throw a line and catch your own fish.  We took the easy way out and bought one. Absolutely delicious!!!

CAPE TRIBULATION

After Sally left and Bert returned, we visited CAPE TRIBULATION, another excellent day. It was named by James Cook on 10^th June 1770 after his ship, The Endeavour, hit a reef almost sinking his ship on what is now known as Endeavour Reef. Cook recorded “…the north point was named Cape Tribulation because here began all our troubles”.  It was from here he limped some 90kms into what is now Cooktown to repair the badly damaged hull.

BARRIER REEF - in a Cessna

Our final treat on this holiday was the FLIGHT OVER THE BARRIER REEF with Barrier Aviation in a Cessna 182 (3 seater).  No words can explain how magnificent it was to fly over Green Island, Arlington Reef and Upoly Cay.  It was low tide so we saw the exposed land and contrasting colours of the ocean and even a whale. We couldn’t have asked for better weather.  It was just amazing.

Leaving Port Douglas, we headed for the Gold Coast where Kenau would stay with family while Bert was away working.  We stopped off overnight at a free camping spot at Balgal Beach with lovely beach front sites but oh, the midgees.  They too love Balgal and their bites are seriously itchy....for weeks!! On another night we camped at The Flaggy Rock Community Centre which is in woop-woop but it was magical.  The stars were outstanding, and we had this park-like place to ourselves…not even the midgees could find us. Can you spot the caravan in the distance?

TIN CAN BAY
The highlight of the journey south was in Tin Can Bay where we were able to hand feed the rare Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in their natural environment. Each morning the dominant male and his favourite female come in for a taste of brekkie before going out to feed with the rest of the pod. It was really special to get that close to a dolphin.

GOLD COAST
What did I do at the GOLD COAST while Bert was away working?  Geocaching! This is a wonderful way to get outside and find treasures - in fact there are more than 2,000,000 worldwide.  Bert’s sister, Trish, and I hit the trail at every opportunity and I found 80 in the short time I was with her. We had a ball, and on more than one occasion came home after dark. Bert’s return flight was delayed so rather than hanging around waiting at the airport, what did we do? Cache in the dark! It can be a challenge but hey, we did it, and found them.  During our geocaching we also came across 4 snakes.  The only one I indentified was the harlmess carpet python.  Two others I very nearly stood on! Eeek!
For more on Geocaching.... http://www.geocaching.com

SYDNEY

North Narrabeen, Sydney was the last main stop on our way home. I stayed at the caravan park across the road from the beach while Bert was away working again. What a life I have! I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the rocks at Narrabeen Lagoon which is the largest coastal lagoon in the Sydney region. It contains all sorts of plant life   Over the years there have been rockfalls from the cliffs The results of erosion and the colours made them so interesting. Nature is amazing. From here it was homeward bound with an overnight stop at Chiltern, also an interesting 'ye olde world' town.

In the 3.5 months that we’ve been away, we covered 14 000kms and apart from the diesel incident which was our own error, we experienced no serious problems. During that period we had no more than 10 cloudy days, 3 nights of rain, 2 days of occasional drizzle and temps of 20C to 30C depending on whether we were on the coast or in the highlands. What a way to enjoy winter!  We remained healthy throughout. We have seen so many wonderful places.  God has truly blessed us.  It’s difficult to select the highlights as we enjoyed every single place we visited but here are some.

Bert : The Outback and the ability to sit outside around a fire and have a barbie under magnificent starlit nights was always an amazing experience. Travelling the vastness of the Australian Outback was truly wonderful. In addition, we were fortunate enough to see just a few of the more than 11 000 beaches in Australia, each one was beautiful with it’s white sand, palm trees and clear blue water. Stunning!

Kenau :  Like Bert, I thoroughly enjoyed the Outback and its vastness especially Lorne Hill which is truly a magnificent National Park.  I so enjoyed the camping, canoeing on the peaceful slow flowing river and the hiking. For me, Cobbold Gorge is also high on the list as places to visit . Getting away from the hustle and bustle of urban life, enjoying such a different lifestyle and meeting so many friendly people along the way was something to treasure.

For both of us, the flight over the Great Barrier Reef is something we’ll never forget. The photos are just a glimpse of what we were able to experience, a truly amazing natural wonder of the world.

Thank you for joining us on our journey. We hope to see you on the road again soon - it's a great country. 

Now to get down to planning the next one!!!!!!!!


Mapping our route home
With numerous night stops (as indicated) on the way, we have certainly been blessed with seeing so many amazing sights

A: Port Douglas
B: Balgal
C: Bowen
D: Flaggy Creek
E: Calliope
F: Tin Can Bay
G: Brisbane
H: Maudsland
I: Tarree
J: Narrabeen
K: Chiltern
L: Yarra Glen

View Larger Map

Signs: The Funny and Interesting signs we have seen on our journey

SIGNS

On our journey through Queensland we have come across many interesting, provocative and, at times, politically incorrect signs. 
The great thing is that it brings some humour and enjoyment to the travels through this amazing country and reflects on some of the characters you meet out here.

Discovered near Cape Tribulation..... Didn't really want to know where he was - and in fact why would he - weather was great and the beach sensational!

This sign might help mate..... In case you did not know where you were - you may want to get positioned!

(Apologies for poor quality picture!) These signs were above every toilet in the Toilet amenities in the Caravan Park in Karumba. It appears that many frogs love a swim in the dunny!

Bit concerned by the implication that they have VERY large cows in the Outback!

Does this mean I can go to the Bar on Sundays if there is no Fresh Bread?

There is no doubt you heed this one when you see a Road Train coming at you on a single lane bitumen road!

It has been said that some tourists have chosen to use these rather large leaves for toilet paper. Apparently not advisable! 

Apologies to all those Labour supporters out there. This was seen outside a RoadHouse in Outback NSW. I somehow think it must have impacted which business clientele they have supporting them!

I can tell you 50 meters is long. Trucks with 3-4 trailers - goes on forever - not to mention the dust they kick up!

One wonders if this is a dig at McDonalds!

Great sign, observed at the harbour in Cooktown. Yes, there was a picnic table with some old weathered locals having a yarn. 

All along the Queensland Coast - we have encountered all these warnings of swimming with Crocs. Real pity as there are some magnificent beaches here

About 5km outside the town of Gregory we came across this sign. Yes - you are correct. The road suddenly converts into 15 meter wide, 1,5km landing strip. Just part of the national road. More than likely used primarily for the Royal Flying Doctors.
Dust everywhere - quite an experience to see so much of it.