We are now well and truly into our Murray trip and the days are just racing by. We have had a mixture of weather from really cold days and frosty mornings to warmer days with some reaching 29+ degrees. The strong winds making it feel much cooler sometimes. We've had some great free camps along the Murray, enjoying the scenery and wildlife with campfires in the evenings and the boys have played just a few games of golf along the way. We've had some very memorable stays and met some great people but it's hard to keep up with all the places so I need Chris to remind me as I'm writing this where we've been. This could be a long entry so here goes!
Our next stop after Wodonga was along the Murray at Yarrawonga, in the bush opposite the golf club where the boys played a game. Bob tried to hit a golf ball to reach across the river but it was obviously wider than it looked! We had a few lazy days here where we walked, read our books, bought local honey and I made friends with the kookaburras, eventually getting them to feed from my hand.
Next stop after Yarrawonga was Cobram/Barooga, staying at Ski Beach on the Barooga side with more camp fires and golf for the boys. From here we went to Cactus Country and wandered around the 4 different paths looking at the many varieties of cactus from different climates around the world. We then went on to a strawberry farm and a local produce shop where we stocked up on fruit and veg getting back into the car before there was a short sharp shower of rain, something we haven't seen in a while.
On the Cobram side of the Murray from Ski beach was Thompson's beach where there happened to be a funeral one day. It was the owner of the local paddle boat business and a huge crowd were there to give him a good send off. Apparently he wanted his body to be put in a boat, set alight and sent down the river but the authorities would not allow this so he was cremated and his ashes were put in a small canoe and then sent down the river alight. I loved the sign that was put over the advertising board at the mooring as shown in one of the photos.
On leaving Barooga we headed to Tocumwal where we wandered around the town and listened to the very noisy cockatoos that we remember from our visit earlier in the year. Then on to Finley where we stopped at the bakery and had the best meat pies for lunch. Chris and I had steak and caramelised onion which were so good we then bought 2 pulled pork and apple to take away. They were not cheap but so good!
Next stop was Denilliquin, home of the Ute Muster, where we stayed at a caravan park. (a week too early for the muster.) We went to the sheep sale yards and checked out the museum at the visitors centre which was very interesting, telling us about the history of the sheep industry in the area. We went out to Steven's Wier and wondered again at the systems in place in Victoria for the moving of water around. We think this is all from the Mulwala irrigation channels of about 1500 kms. in length.
We spent 1 night at Mathura by the Edward river before heading to Echuca/Moama where we had arranged to meet our friends Dennis and Christine. We stayed at the Rich River golf club at Moama while they booked into a motel for a night. On the Saturday morning before Dennis and Christine arrived we drove out to Rochester for the markets and to check out some silo painting, agreeing that one day we might like to do the 200 kms silo art trail.
We have to say that the Rich River golf club was one of our best finds where we stayed free for 4 nights, only costing $13 for the boys to join the club. For this we got discounted members prices, $8.00 senior lunches and use of the courtesy bus into town when we went for a lunch cruise on the Pride of the Murray. Golf was the biggest expense there of $50 a round but the boys appreciated the beautiful course so what can we say! We made use of the dump point and filled the tanks with water before we left and we're off again. A good few days at a friendly spot and with great company, what more could we ask?
Cohuna was our next stop, a free camp (by donation) in town and right by the river. No golf here for the boys but us girls did check out the op shop! We drove to Koondrook/Barham and saw the red river gum saw mill and the carved statues around the town. We'd had a leisurely breakfast that day, been for a drive and walk around these 2 towns and we were still back for a late lunch!
Another gem of a place that we found was Kerang Golf and Bowling club. This place is $15 a night power and water and you can play golf for free. This was a busy weekend with Friday being a public holiday in Victoria for the AFL grand final. The club members really made us feel so welcome and invited us to join in all events, games and presentation. Chris and Bob were in their element! I managed to get involved in the catering on the Friday night by helping to dish up and serve the hot food. We had the club to ourselves on Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening for the AFL and NRL grand finals. We watched the big TV in one of the bar areas and just had to switch off the lights and lock up on the way out. Chris and Bob then helped out with coring the greens on Monday morning before we left for which the committee were very grateful.
While at Kerang we visited the museum, enjoying the company of the local volunteers and bought raffle tickets for a beautiful quilt that I would love to win. Job well done, Irene!
We drove out to Boort and visited the Spannerman. John, the Spannerman, had polio as a child and is in a wheelchair but that doesn't seem to stop him. Twice married and 4 kids, a farmer all his life, he has a great imagination and makes amazing pieces of art work out of spanners. The size of some of these things are huge and even with the use of a block and tackle it's hard to imagine how he does it on his own, only calling on friends and family to move the pieces into position around the property. John also has a love of wildlife and is known for breeding his beloved Macaw parrots, deer and many species of pheasents. This place is well worth a visit.
Now we are here at Lake Boga, part of the Kerang Lakes district, another lovely spot right at the lakes edge. It's not a freebie but with the well kept grass area, friendly locals, beautiful sunsets over the lake and toilets with hot showers it's worth the $7.50 a head per night.
Lake Boga is about 20 kms out of Swan Hill so we are using here as our base to explore the area. Chris and Bob have gone to the Catalina Flying Boat museum this morning while Ellen has gone for a walk and I'm trying to finish this blog. We are having our car serviced at Toyota this afternoon before we all go to the "Heart of the Murray" laser light show tonight. We have heard good things about this show and are all looking forward to it.
Tomorrow is our 43rd wedding anniversary, and they said it wouldn't last!