We continue south through the Murray River Valley from Mildura. A great deal of agriculture (grapes, oranges, stone fruit - peaches, nectarines, avocado - almonds, grain). There is also plenty of uncultivated land. It appears the major factor is water. Where irrigation systems are in place, land is extensively utilized. The Murray is truly the lifeblood of a good part of central Australia. Arrived in Echuca by mid-afternoon. It is a town rich in the histo...

Merry Christmas from Mildura on the Murray River. Temperature is 32 degrees and sunny. We spent a few hours touring the area around Mildura, including the red cliffs of the Murray River and the orchards in the area (oranges, wine and table grapes, avocado, nectarines and much more). We visited Wentworth, where the Darling River enters the Murray. Also trekked on the Perry Sand Dunes near Wentworth. The only downer was we discovered there was not one restaura...

We left Murray Bridge and followed the Murray River north and then east. The riverbanks in many areas are steep cliffs that are constantly eroding. In early afternoon we entered the state of Victoria and continued along the Murray to Mildura, where we will spend Christmas Day. We got a great cabin right on the River at a caravan park. It is a 3 bedroom unit with a large living room and kitchen. Much more than we need but we will enjoy the living area. Three...

We spent the day travelling along the Great Ocean Drive east of Melbourne. The Drive is about 250 km. in total from Torquay to Warrnambool in Victoria. It is truly spectacular. We have travelled along many great drives (California Coast, Dalmatian Coast, etc.). This one beats them all. We probably only drove about 200 km. today, with many stops at lookout points along the way. The two most well-known are the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge (with many tou...

Woke up to rain, which continued for much of the day, at times heavy. We decided to spend the day driving in the countryside to the south and east of Melbourne. While the rain reduced somewhat our visibility, the scenery was still quite interesting. Pastoral country to the southeast of Melbourne. Forests in the Dandenong Park. We reached Phillip Island by mid-afternoon and the rain stopped. As a result, we were able to visit the Koala Conservation Centre, ...