After leaving Tathra we crossed the border back into Victoria and have been wet, wet, wet ever since. Thankfully our time we had travelling with the Sydneysiders was pretty much sunny.
I know some of you are caravaners and will know the condition of the roads in Victoria…but for those who haven’t driven here before they are appalling! Not only are there so many very serious potholes but also the ‘waves’ make for quite dangerous driving conditions. And in the rain it makes them even harder to see.
On the way to Mallacoota we called into Eden and went down to the fishing harbour where a trawler was unloading tuna. Some of them were really big so I guess worth a bob or two.
Mallacoota is a lovely little town on the southeastern coast on Mallacoota Inlet and has nice beaches and lakes. The town is surrounded by national parks and the caravan park is probably the largest we have seen. The sun was out when we first arrived so we had a drive around.
We were surprised to see this little port quite close to the caravan park in Sale. The Port of Sale is on the banks of the Thomson River in the Gippsland. It’s a historic inland port that played a crucial role in the transport of goods and services during the gold rush era.
Next stop Melbourne. You may have seen on the news the deluge that Melbourne had a few day go. We caught the bus into the city but the rain arrived so we had a quick look and a couple of arcades and then decided best to get back to the caravan park whilst we could.
We had not been to Koroit so that was our next stop. Very pretty town with lovely historical buildings. It is also a large Bega processing facility employing over 100 locals. Its key production is powdered milk, butter and lactoferrin used in infant formulas.
Right alongside the caravan park is the Koroit Botanical Gardens originally established in 1873 and further designed by one of Australia’s greatest landscape gardens of the time, William Guilfoyle in 1880.
If I had a dollar for every sheep we saw on the road between Hamilton and Balmoral I would be a millionaire for sure. It is obviously a productive wool-growing area and Google tells me it is the ideal landscape for growing fine and medium fine Merino wool. We took the 65 km drive along Henty Highway and then on to Natimuk-Hamilton Road and every paddock was ewes and lambs. Great to see so many sheep as many farmers from our home areas are cropping only.
Next stop is Adelaide for a few days.
