Rivers, Goldfields and Mountains

Vern & Merle head to Victoria to compare the wine districts there to South Australia… 🍷

First stop was the mighty Murray River where they managed to get a great camp – right on the river…

Camping along the river was very relaxing. A family of ducks decided they would adopt Vern and Merle… Maybe not the wisest decision… 🥘

Paddle steamers are still plying the river, as they have been doing for over 150 years. These days the cargo is tourists, who get a great view of the beautiful gum trees on the river banks.

Moving on from the river, Vern & Merle visited the Goldfields area of Victoria.

Merle wasted no time fossicking for treasures in Daylesford…

On to Ballarat, a city that Merle insists is the coldest place on earth… Not to disappoint, the weather turned out to be freezing cold – with strong winds and sleet as a bonus!

Bendigo was a much nicer experience, a lovely town with beautiful buildings and gardens to stroll through.

During their stay at Avoca, Merle found an additional traveller in the caravan, who had hopped on board at the Murray River to bum a lift… After the initial shock of discovery 😱 there turned out to be no joy to be had for the little joy rider…

RIP Stuart Little…

Heathcote turned out to be a great place to stay, with a wonderful wine centre and the beginnings of winter fires…

The King Valley was the next stop and, after initial disappointment that the trattoria at Dal Zotto wines was closed for renovation, the travellers settled on the pub, BBQ meals and camp fires…

The setting at Whitfield was absolutely stunning… This is what camping is all about!

The final port of call for the travellers was beautiful Bright… As usual, the Autumn leaves were stunning… as was the “Roberta” pizza… 🤓 topped with pepperoni, chilli, tomato, scamorza, smoko hot honey and guindillas pizza… a crazy combination that works a treat!

With the weather getting decidedly cooler, the nightly fire was really appreciated…

So the travellers are heading home, but will be back with more adventures soon!

Last stop had to be Taste restaurant at Sawtell, to sample (again) their signature twice roasted duck… and try not to think about friends from the river… 🫣

Finally, NSW had to prove it won’t be beaten by Victoria… The picture below was during our overnight stay in Goulburn… Take that Ballarat!

That’s all for now, until next time… 😎