Bendigo to Melbourne

The plan once again was to stay off the major Freeways and Highways . It is just a matter of programming into the GPS the little towns along the way and then letting it do its thing. Trish was interested in going through Axedale where there had been her Hawkins relatives in the past. There should be a few of them in the local cemetery.

I had a desire to go through the areas where the devastating Victorian fires took place in 2009. I wanted to pay my respect to the area. Having been through the recent but less devastating Kelmscott fire it was important to me. After the 2009 Victorian Bushfires I finally decided to act on a plan I had in the back of my mind for some time. So I set about putting the roof sprinkler onto the house and developing our fire plan. We continued on our plan to fire proof the property with the removal of certain trees and cleaning up the yard.

Like house insurance you never want to have to use it when you pay the money, but when things go wrong you are glad that you did. The actions that we took because of those Victorian Bushfires surely paid dividends for us two years later.

This is why it was so important to pass through and pay our respect.

We had decide to go to Lilydale on the eastern edge of Melbourne. After Axedale we passed through Heathcote then Kilmore, this is where one of the devastating fires started. Then through Wittlesea, which was largely spared by a change of wind on the day. From Whittlesea we headed for Kinglake. It was on this leg that we started to see the effects of the fires and the scares on the landscape. I was a it shocked how they were still so visible after nearly three years. The Kelmscott hills have been recovering so well. It all goes to show the ferocity of these fires.

Kinglake on the outside seemed to be reasonably normal and functioning well. This did not reflect the 159 people who died in the area. It all hit home when a woman in a Sheepskin/Ugg Boot Shop opened up and talked to us for some time about the ongoing effects that it really hit home. She was telling us about all the ongoing divorces and two recent suicides connected to the fires. Even with the 72 homes lost in Kelmscott there was no loss of life. We were so lucky in comparison.

We travelled on down steep twisty mountain roads with the fire scares all around. Through some of these areas the fire front had been travelling at up to 100kmh. Food for thought!

On arrival in Lilydale and finally finding the caravan park only to be told that they don't have powered tent sites. Time for plan B, should have looked closer at the camping book we use and rung ahead to check. Another lesson learnt!

Plan B involved negotiating the two bikes and trailer through peak hour traffic to the other side of Melbourne. I now refer to the GPS as the "Goddess" as were wound our way through traffic, dodging Toll Roads, to our new destination. The Sena Bluetooth allows us to stay in touch and for me to tell Trish what to expect before we get to any difficult intersections and lane changes. Hial to the "Goddess"

Our new campsite overlooks a steep little valley full of trees and a creek. Very relaxing and peaceful.

Dave