PENSHURST RSL TRAVEL CLUB

VICTORIAN GOLDFIELDS AND PHILLIP ISLAND

SUNDAY 16 – FRIDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2018

DAY 1 – SYDNEY TO ALBURY: 8 am departure from the front of the RSL Club, leaving just a few minutes late, as one passenger had been delayed. George was to be our Telfords driver for the tour, with just 20 of us which was unfortunate for those who missed the trip but fortunate for us, as it hastened the disembarkation and boarding of the coach and allowed plenty of room on board. Somewhere along the road, the engine hatch popped up, so a brief stop to fix that before turning left to Mittagong where there was ½ hour in the park

for morning tea. Back on the road and it was a beautiful day, but cold and the countryside was very dry. However, the roadside wattle was a real picture and the alpacas, which are prevalent in this area, appeared happy enough. Cooma Cottage at Yass was first on the list of many venues that we’d be visiting over the next 13 days. A delicious and plentiful sandwich and lamington lunch awaited us and then a tour of the homestead. Jacqui, Suzie, Jim, Chris and Barbara looked after us and Hunter, one of their delightful Clydesdales, was hooked up to magnificent regalia for the first time since his very recent rescue. He didn’t bat an eyelid – very well behaved and was happy to be showered with attention. A rescued stablemate, Nugget, kept a wary eye on proceedings. By 1.45, we were back on the highway and arrived at Tarcutta mid-afternoon with 30 mins to wander. Being a Sunday afternoon, only the local op shop was open. The poor man in there didn’t know what had hit him – probably a normal week’s takings in an hour. The nearby Truck Drivers Memorial was also popular. From here, it was 135 km to Albury, arriving at 5.15 to our overnight stop, the Quality Resort Siesta, which had been our accommodation numerous times in the past. It’s oldish, but the rooms are huge, there’s an indoor heated pool, staff very friendly and the food is great. DAY 2 – ALBURY TO BENDIGO: Breakfast was from 7 am and departure at 8.30. It was another beautiful day and current temperature only 4 °, but that would quickly warm up. A lovely drive on the Murray Valley Hwy (B400) through the NE wine region, countryside green, sheep and cattle, canola and grapes. Through Rutherglen, Bundalong, it was a flat drive to Yarrawonga where George turned right and arrived at Lake Mulwala at 10 am. Here we were joined by Holly, Travis, Kylie and little Molly, boarding their MV Paradise Queen for a very pleasant cruise on the lake as well as scones for morning tea. (Houses on the Victorian side of the lake sell anywhere between $500 - $800,000. However, on the NSW side, they are a million $ plus – of course they are.) 1½ hours on the lake and Travis kindly took our group photo once we’d disembarked. Lovely people and a most enjoyable way to spend the morning.

At Congupna, we took the C391 road to Kialla to the south of Shepparton. Along the way, the scenery changed to a variety of fruit trees, miles and miles of them, some in blossom. Lunch was at the Windmill Café at Emerald Bank, a complex that also houses an enormous antique shop and the

Shepparton Motor Museum. The café’s food was great and their vanilla slices and scones were even better! Entry to the motor museum was included in our tour, but several were more intrigued and chose to spend time in the adjacent sizeable antique shop. We departed here at 3.15 pm and, for a short time, were on the Goulburn Valley Hwy before turning right onto the narrower C345 through Murchison. Just before Rushworth, a B-double travelling in the opposite direction, threw up a stone which cracked

the side of our coach’s windscreen. Poor George nearly died of fright! On the other side of Colbinabbin, another pebble was thrown at us. That’s what happens when you travel the back roads!

George breathed a sigh of relief when we turned left onto the Midland Hwy eventually arriving at the Quality Inn Colonial Bendigo just before 5 pm. This would be our accommodation for the next two nights, plus dinner and breakfast. Nice enough motel, but the Kazakhstani Basketball team also had rooms here (whilst in town playing Australia’s Boomers trying to seal their spot in the 2019 FIBA World Cup) and on our first night some of us were woken at midnight as the team arrived back from their game, not only bemoaning the night’s loss 94-41 but also packing and leaving for Melbourne Airport at 12.30 am!! At least they wouldn’t be around for our second night. The motel management had warned us though. DAY 3 – BENDIGO: Sunny and we departed at 8.30 am, to pick up our guide Jim Evans from outside the Tram Museum 15 mins later. Our first visit was to the beautiful Sacred Heart Cathedral (the only English Gothic Cathedral in Australia), then a drive through Bendigo while Jim pointed out buildings of interest. We visited a hill overlooking the town, various suburbs, hospitals, La Trobe University campus and returned at around 10 am. We were all itching to take the tram ride and this we did with Frank our conductor and, apologies, didn’t get the driver’s name. At the tram sheds about the half way mark, there was the obligatory souvenir shop which had coffee available, but only one poor woman serving (she hadn’t been warned) and too many coffee orders for our 10-min stay. She was great though and kept her cool. The Bendigo Woollen Mills were right next door and some ducked into their shop quickly and others were to return later.

The Central Deborah Gold Mine was next and was interesting but, to most of us, was a fizzer. There was a tour of the precinct, but not of the underground mine itself and we left feeling extremely disappointed, especially when we saw other groups being given that opportunity. Lunch was at own cost back in town and Beechworth Pies had been highly recommended, but some found them quite ordinary. A small group of us made a rush trip back to the woollen mills and would’ve purchased a lot more, but stock and sizes were limited. Afterwards, we re-grouped and headed to the nearby Golden Dragon Museum and its wonderful displays contributed by the Chinese people of Bendigo. We were well looked after by Russell Jack who discovered by chance that he was related to our very own Wally and Lorraine. How incredible. A lovely fellow and very proud of his museum and its amazing collection of Chinese artefacts, paper mâché dragons etc. We also spent up big in their great shop!

The famous Bendigo Pottery was next and, firstly, we enjoyed a pottery-making demonstration, and then were left alone to take the strangest walk ever, amongst numerous kilns (cold fortunately) trying to find their video presentation which was inside one of the kilns! Still don’t know how we found it! Was really good though. We enjoyed their shop and choosing products to take home (not cheap) and it was now pouring with rain. DAY 4 – BENDIGO TO BALLARAT: The rain had stopped and it was fine at the 8.45 am departure time. We eventually

found ourselves on another back road, the C283 heading south. Beautiful country, with rolling hills and hobby farms on large blocks. Sheep mostly and heavily timbered in places. We arrived in the lovely town of Maldon at 9.15 and there was time to wander/have a coffee before heading to the station to board the Victorian Goldfields Railway for an hour’s ride on an original steam train, passing spectacular wattle trees, to Castlemaine where we were met by George. It took a bit of sleuthing to find Pud For All Seasons and its award-winning homemade gourmet puddings

and sauces. Now located in a large kitchen inside an old hospital, Karen Kelly founded the business in 2004 and her delicious Christmas puddings became a favourite at markets and food events in Melbourne and country Vic, receiving a couple of awards in the process. They were very generous with their tastings and we made many purchases - after all, Christmas was around the corner.

Back into Castlemaine (the original home of Castlemaine XXXX before it departed for Qld) where there was a substantial lunch at the Cumberland Hotel. Sadly, many of us didn’t realise that dessert was included and left the building before it was served! Afterwards, following a mix-up resulting in a lengthy and damp wait for our guides, Dave, Carol and Mary, there was a town tour and one particular spot of interest was the Old Courthouse built in 1851 and the oldest building in town. In the past, prisoners were chained to the still surviving old Grey Box eucalyptus tree across the road when the nearby jail was full. DON Smallgoods is the largest employer in town.

It was time to head further south to Ballarat and, following a light shower in Castlemaine, the sky had turned black! Continuing on the C283, we passed the historic Anderson’s Mill (a large steam and water powered flour mill built in 1861) in Smeaton; on through Creswick and then the skies opened before arriving in Ballarat where the weather suddenly cleared. For the following two nights, we’d be staying at the Bell Tower Inn on the western side of town.

DAY 5 – BALLARAT: Weather fine again today and we departed at 9 am together with guide, Jim, who would be showing us around. He provided us with a map of the city which was extremely useful, and spoke of its history (which is far too extensive to put here), the wonderful homestead and recently restored, Ercildoune; the Avenue of Honour, at 22 km, is the longest Avenue of Honour in Australia and one of the earliest known memorial avenues to have been planted in Vic. A lovely story which began in 1917 when the girls from Lucas and Co's factory raised money (including from their own pay packets) to plant a tree for each of the

nearly 3000 men from Ballarat who enlisted in WWI. Each tree bears a soldier’s name. A further £2,600 was raised to build the Arch of Victory as an entrance to the Avenue of Honour. We passed several other places of interest including Victoria Park; Lake Wendouree; Botanical Gardens and the Memorial to Ex-Prisoners of War; the old Cemetery where some of those who took part in the Eureka Stockade are buried. We then visited the (1884) Ballarat Fine Art Gallery and the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka where we were fortunate enough to see the original and well-worn Eureka Flag on display. After lunch here, we left early as Sovereign Hill beckoned.

There weren’t many visitors at S H that particular day, but the staff were still intent on entertaining everyone. From an animal auction to a play in their little theatre, there’s always something to watch – a lot of fun. We were free to wander for a couple of hours before heading back to our motel for an early dinner and then a return to Sovereign Hill. The plan had been to see the very clever re-enactment of the Eureka Stockade battle – Blood on the Southern Cross – but this wonderful show, around for many years, had sadly been cancelled for the foreseeable future. Instead, our group was offered a ghost tour which was good apparently, but some of us chose to stay behind in the motel.

DAY 6 – BALLARAT TO CAROLINE SPRINGS: Dull, but the showers held off, and we arrived at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens by 9.15 am and were met by five guides who split us into the same number of groups, each walking in a different direction. This worked exceedingly well and our obviously devoted escorts were extremely knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions. We particularly enjoyed Prime Ministers Avenue and the lifelike bronze busts of former and current heads of state. The Conservatory was currently closed to the public as it was being frantically set up for a floral exhibition “Volcanus Floralis” opening the following day. However, when they saw 20 sad faces (all the way from Sydney) peering through the glass, the floral artist Joanne Mott, allowed us inside for a sneak peek and she was happy for us to take photos. Amazing work, thank you Joanne.

From there, it was a short drive into the heart of the city and Craig’s Royal Hotel for High Tea and a tour with Josh. Thoroughly enjoyable. This legendary Australian gold-rush-era grand hotel is a true icon of the Victorian period. Opening in 1853, it has played host to poets, princes and prime ministers over its 160-year-plus history. To start with, we couldn’t eat all of the food which was served in a lovely banquet room, followed by an interesting tour of the building, from beautifully spacious rooms upstairs to the underground cellar. The hotel had recently hosted Prince Edward whilst he was in town presenting the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. We left the now sunny Ballarat in the early afternoon, with George taking the M8 which led all the way to Melbourne. 25 km west of the city, was newish Caroline Springs where building commenced in 1999. The suburb is located within a reasonable distance of Tullamarine Airport and is seemingly very popular with young families and has a current population of at least 25,000. After negotiating the umpteen roundabouts, we arrived at the high-rise Mercure for the next two nights. After spending the past six days in the countryside, this hotel (while very pleasant and food excellent) wasn’t what some of us were expecting! However, for those who liked to shop, it was just across the way from a huge shopping centre and there were pleasant Lake Caroline views and walks.

DAY 7 – LOCAL SIGHTS OF WERRIBEE: Beautiful weather and a more leisurely start this morning. We’d arrived at the Werribee Open Range Zoo by 10 am, with the place already crowded! Turned out to be World Rhino Day which celebrates all five species of rhino: Black, white, greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan! After a bit of a walk and wait, we boarded their transport and spent the next 45 mins driving around the property. Obviously, the locals had prior knowledge, because we found ourselves seated on the left-hand side when most of the animals were on the right! Or perhaps Murphy’s Law! There was free time (with the gorillas stealing the show) before a pre-ordered lunch in the Meerkat Bistro, being entertained by these playful creatures in the enclosure alongside. A little

more time to fill in and, with the Zoo’s map a bit beyond our capabilities, Leila, Heather and Jenny resorted to a compass! Jenny did redeem herself by finding a pair of blue wrens which were unbelievably cute. We left the zoo at 1.45 pm and, within two minutes, we’d arrived at Werribee Park Mansion (1877) where, after an introduction to the house, we roamed freely until 4 pm. Some of us took the $6 “train” ride which enabled a view of the little lake within the grounds that would otherwise have been quite a walk. Two weddings and a child’s birthday party happening as well. On the drive back to our hotel, we viewed numerous vegetable-growing areas plus new subdivisions.

DAY 8 – CAROLINE SPRINGS TO PHILLIP ISLAND: Damp this morning, but expected to clear and a max temp today of 14°! We headed east across Melbourne to the Dandenong Ranges and the famous Puffing Billy which departed from Belgrave Station. Being a Sunday, it was an easy trip across the city (which included a very long tunnel near the city centre) through Upwey, Tecoma to Belgrave, a lovely spot, but a hairy drive downhill to the station. It was still early and the platform was empty except for a beautifully-dressed organ-grinder, but the area was packed when it came time for the 10.30 am departure. Those in the know sat on the right-hand side of the open carriages where they would enjoy better views, although it was all very pretty. Some passengers alighted at Menzies Creek, but our group remained until Emerald, a most enjoyable ride totalling about 45 mins. George was there to meet us and what followed was a gorgeous journey through the D R National Park, Kallista, Sassafras to Olinda where our lunch venue, the Cuckoo Restaurant, proved elusive.

Worth the wait though, an extensive buffet located within a Bavarian Chalet built in 1914 and extremely popular – the place was packed. There was entertainment, although we left before it really got started. George found the way back to Kallista and, from there, we headed south to Narre Warren where we joined the M1 to just past Pakenham, then met up with a back-road heading south to Koo-wee-rup (what a great name!). The coach was being blown around by the wind and it was all George could do to keep it on the road. Sunshine and showers alternated as we travelled through winery country, then Grantville and San Remo with its lovely sea views and bridge (1971) to Phillip Is. Our accommodation for the next three nights was in Cowes, at the Comfort Resort Kaloha, tucked away amongst private homes and close to the beach. Dinner here was very nice, but was the usual long table squash plus the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head when the other large group in the room was being served lobster! To be fair, they did pay a lot extra for it!

DAY 9 – PHILLIP ISLAND: Weather was fine, tho a little cloudy and a max of 15° today. We departed at 9 am and directly south was our first stop, the island’s famous Grand Prix Race Circuit. At the entrance, we admired the roos in an adjacent paddock, before being greeted by our guide, Zena, who took us immediately to the viewing area. Here we found ourselves fascinated by the bikes already out there practising, and what an amazing ocean backdrop! It was hard to drag ourselves away, but Zena wanted to

show us the rest of the museum, scones were beckoning in the café and we needed time in the gift shop. Located on the south west tip of the island was our next venue, the Nobbies Centre, where there was a tour and fun with their

wonderful interactive displays - the Antarctic Journey in particular was amazing. Outside the building was spectacular coastal scenery and Seal Rocks, home to Australia's largest colony of fur seals. A very generous “light” lunch (with more scones) was offered here and, sadly, we could only eat half! Heading to the island’s eastern side, next was the Koala Conservation Centre at Rhyll. This was a nature reserve with elevated walkways allowing for views of the animals, plus interpretive information. It took us several minutes and we’d almost given up, when we spotted our first koala. This led to several more nearby and we managed some great photos/videos of their sleeping, eating and scratching!

Time to head back to our motel for a nap/freshen up before our visit to the Little (formerly Fairy) Penguin parade, at Summerland Beach in the south west. Departure was at 4.45 pm and it was going to be cold. Most of us were suitably dressed, but didn’t realise just how bitter it was going to be, on tiered concrete seating resulting in numb bums for a good 1¼ hours and almost dark before a smattering of these tiny creatures finally made an appearance. That was thanks to one on-shore penguin fed up with waiting and finally swimming out to give the okay! Sadly, at this stage it was too dark for normal photos and flash was not permitted. 40 years ago, this was a delightful experience. Not so now, and entry is expensive with all sorts of “packages” on offer! Hundreds of visitors allowed in each night, some disregarding the rules and only three very patient rangers attempting to keep order. Virtually a stampede at the end with the long boardwalk to the Info Centre barely coping with the crowd which, for some reason, left the area simultaneously. One young woman was witnessed suffering a panic attack and completely hysterical. Despite being school hols, it was most fortunate that there were few children. There is an enormous information centre/gift shop on site and another currently being built (at a cost of over $58 million), with plans to demolish the original building and return that land to the penguin colony. That’s great, but why has it been allowed to get to this (massive and over-developed) stage? On one website, it states that the Penguin Parade is the most visited tourist spot in Australia after Uluru, so that says it all! To avoid any wildlife on the road, it was a slow drive back to our motel where a most welcome dinner and drinks awaited us.

DAY 10 – PHILLIP ISLAND: Dull and cool. We departed at 9 am for tiny (57 ha) Churchill Island and its working Heritage

Farm, located just off Phillip Island’s NE coast and 30 mins drive from our motel. Only accessible by a narrow (but concrete) bridge, George expressed his concern for taking the coach anywhere near it but, after phoning to check, he was given the all clear. We were greeted by Tom who showed us around this delightful spot. Elizabeth had wanted an afternoon visit here to view the farming activities, but our group had been allocated the morning so made the best of it. Still a most enjoyable visit, looking through

the restored Amess House (1872) and cottages/outbuildings, pretty herb and flower gardens, patting friendly farm animals. The site of the first European agricultural pursuits in Victoria, the island has been farmed since the 1850’s. These days it has a Visitor Centre featuring an exhibition on the history of the island, a quality gift shop and licensed café. The island is also used for public events, corporate and private functions including weddings.

We were overdue for our next venue, Pannys Amazing World of Chocolate and the P I Chocolate Factory, but it was a very short drive. We now knew where all the children had gone – they were having a ball in amongst the interactive displays and so were the adults, and it’s very easy to spend an hour or two here. We made many purchases in their shop, great quality Belgian chocolate, but not exactly cheap. A tasty sandwich and cake lunch was in their café, but they seemed unprepared for us and service was a little chaotic, but pleasant.

Our final visit for the day was to the National Vietnam Veterans Museum close to the P I Airport. First, there was a 20-min “video” before we were shown around this extraordinary collection, based inside a huge re-located aircraft hangar. Even so, these amazing volunteers have found that they now need more room! There were also several large exhibits outside. We all enjoyed this visit, but it was a real treat for the men in our group – some of the women sought respite in the little café area when the standing became too much. We arrived back at our motel a little earlier than usual (sadly, we did have a suitcase to pack) and the motel provided another lovely dinner. DAY 11 – PHILLIP ISLAND TO LAKES ENTRANCE: We’d loved P I and were surprised at how many interesting places there were to see, but now it was time to wend our way back to Sydney. Sunny today and there would be cloudless skies all day, but a particularly cool breeze. We’d be heading through Wonthaggi and Leongatha, but first collected six of our group that had taken an early morning shopping expedition in P I’s extensive shopping centre. There was confusion around Wonthaggi where George was given incorrect information and found that he’d travelled six km in the wrong direction! As of this morning, our trip mileage was 1709 km and we’d just accidentally added a bit more!

We were now on the B460 in the very pretty South Gippsland Shire, with farms, trees, cattle and/or dairy. After Leongatha, there were lots of cattle, green rolling hills, a narrow road but a lovely drive through stunning countryside. Our first stop was at Mirboo North where there was a talk, factory viewing and bistro lunch at the Grand Ridge Brewery located at the site of the old butter factory. We spent a total of two hours here and thoroughly enjoyed the beer, especially their stout. Need to also mention their stunning timber dining table tops in their natural state with knots and holes - beautiful. We didn’t get to view the murals in town which were mentioned in the itinerary, but no one seemed to mind.

Heading north east on the same road, the pretty drive continued through eucalyptus trees and a pine plantation. The B460 (Strzelecki Hwy), while a reasonably major road, was narrow and we rocked around somewhat, but intrepid Liz was running up and down the aisle selling raffle tickets!! Passing through the Latrobe Valley near Morwell, we spied the now decommissioned (end of March 2017) Hazelwood Power Station, quite impressive with its eight chimney stacks. It was listed as the least carbon efficient power station in the OECD in a 2005 report by WWF Australia,

making it one of the most polluting power stations in the world. The planning of the demolition in 2020 has been a lengthy process, as the place is riddled with asbestos. From here, we joined the Princes Hwy and noted that there was another 152 km to Lakes Entrance from Traralgon, the next city along this road. On through Rosedale and its dairy country, then Sale, with a lot of roadworks along the way and single lanes in many spots and arriving in the East Gippsland area, home to Snowy River National Park. Road still pretty crook – totally needs resurfacing. Bairnsdale was next and home to Patties Foods, represented in the Australian market by the Four'N Twenty, Patties, Herbert Adams, Nanna's, Chefs Pride, Boscastle and Snowy River brands. It is the largest meat pie producing company in Australia, (possibly) the world.

Finally arrived at Lakes Entrance at our hotel, Bellevue on the Lakes, at around 5.30 pm. Pleasant accommodation with a little indoor fountain outside our rooms. This was good or bad, depending on the state of one’s bladder. Dinner was plentiful, though there appeared to be confusion amongst the staff, and was a buffet brought to the table. We’d eaten so much at lunchtime, that we weren’t all that hungry. On the other hand, breakfast the next morning was definitely on the sparse side. With the lake views, it was a nice place to stay, but noisy plumbing in our section.

DAY 12 – LAKES ENTRANCE T0 EDEN: Sunny (and it would slowly warm up as we headed further north). 9.25 am departure. L E is always lovely, but unless visitors are boating people or enjoy fishing, there’s not a lot to do. Their unique wooden sculptures along the promenade were worth a look, but that would require a bit of a stroll which some of us weren’t up to, although we’d visited the town not all that long ago. Relaxing place though and very popular. Still on a narrow stretch of the A1, the country was heavily timbered and hilly with the odd farm, as we headed to Orbost, still in East Gippsland. Lots of logging in the area. We were intrigued by what turned out to be the Snowy River Floodplain Railway Bridges, two sequential and exceptionally long and low timber railway bridges on the Snowy River floodplain just west of Orbost, which were built in 1916, and provided the original terminus point for the Bairnsdale-Orbost railway. The bridges are 770 metres and 183 metres long respectively and are unusually constructed from 'Southern Mahogany', Eucalyptus Botryoides which grew along the coast east of Bairnsdale. The line was closed in August 1987.

There was a stop at the Orbost Exhibition Centre where host Scott gave a talk on the centre’s history, followed by a delicious morning tea. He had a few quality items for sale and some of us indulged! We stayed here for 1½ hours so plenty of time to shop or pop in to the neighbouring Visitor Information Centre. Located inside an historic and very photogenic relocated slab hut, this was originally a family dwelling built in 1872 on a site approx three km upstream from the junction of the Buchan and Snowy Rivers. From here, we took a short backroad south through dairy country to the coastal town of Marlo at the mouth of the Snowy River, and immediately fell in love with the place.

Lunch was at the Marlo Hotel (over 100 yrs old) and how fabulous that was, sitting outside on their expansive verandah, listening to the crashing ocean, soaking up the sun, and marvelling at the river and lake views. Particularly nice people running the hotel too. Jason, the publican’s son, was having time away from his regular accounting job and was a real asset to the place. It was almost impossible to drag ourselves away – we promised to return!

Back to the single lane Princes Hwy where Liz was determined not to let us nap and ran a true/false quiz. Almost completely surrounded by bush, recent and not-so-recent bushfires were very noticeable. More roadworks and more bush just before Cann River for a brief (but unsuccessful) stop to check out the craft at the community centre. At 3.15, we were back into NSW and heading for Boydtown very close to Eden. Fortunately, George missed the Boydtown turnoff. We weren’t devastated, as calling in here six months ago, there was nothing to see except the Seahorse Inn, a lovely boutique waterfront hotel which immediately closed its doors when our coach arrived. (We’d only wanted to see the foyer which was lovely, so we’d been told.) The nearby Ben Boyd Tower, on the other hand, is worth a visit but it requires a bit of a walk and there wasn’t the time today. We’d made good time and arrived at the Coachman’s Rest Motor Inn, Eden at 4 pm. We were a little concerned about noise when we saw its Princes Hwy location, but needn’t have been, and we enjoyed a really delicious final dinner with the three very friendly hosts. DAY 13 – EDEN TO SYDNEY: Cloudy and cool. Breakfast was great and Jason farewelled us with some mints. It was a nice touch and we would happily stay here again for a night or two whilst looking around Eden. Taking the coastal road, we travelled through Merimbula and then a real treat, Tathra, which we’d been unable to visit several months ago during their dreadful bushfires. Of course, the evidence was plain, but there’s so much bush in the area that it was amazing that the fire didn’t spread much further – a real tribute to those who fought so hard. It took us a little while to find the main shops along the waterfront, resulting in most of us descending on the Tathra Bakery which had a wonderful selection and gave great service. Walking across the road to the water, it was possible to view and photograph the distant historic wharf which we’d been so disappointed to miss last time.

Staying on the coast road, it was a scenic drive past Mimosa Rocks NP, farmland, hills, bush and lakes. North of Bermagui, we took the short tourist drive, before finding ourselves back on the Princes Hwy and arriving in Narooma soon afterwards. On past Bodalla State Forest, through the quaint township of Bodalla and hitting lots of traffic at Moruya. Then lovely Mogo, and it was just 10 km to Batemans Bay where traffic halted while the bridge opened to allow a small ferry to pass. It was fun to watch and, in the future, will be no more as

construction of a new bridge is commencing early in 2019. Further up the highway was Lake Tabourie and then Ulladulla for a one-hour lunch stop, taking advantage of the Information Centre’s amenities and café. There was even time for some last-minute shopping. On the road to Nowra, Liz discussed the previous 13 days events, most of them memorable and a couple not quite as much. However, it had been a fabulous trip and George had been great company as well as a first-rate driver. Even more interesting was that George hadn’t visited these areas in Victoria previously, so he enjoyed himself as well! It was a routine trip back in to Sydney, with a brief stop at Wirriwin Rest Area. Sue and Elaine won the Lucky Seat Prizes and it may have been Phil who won the Guess the Km Prize? Hope to find out this info later.