From Port Fairy North…

(Much delayed entry due to faltering internet)

Port Fairy to Nhill, 6^th May, 2022:

Goodbye to the Great Ocean Road. Coastlines are rhythmic terrains, ocean dancing with the rocks and sand, sun leaping skywards away from the horizon line – or swooping down out of sight – there, beaming yellow and red one minute, gone the next.. The seagulls prance and float in the sea breeze and the whole world seems to be teetering and shimmering with life.

So different now. As we head for the Grampians, the earth seems calm, asleep even beneath the vast, overwhelmingly vast, sometime turbulent sky – and here below there’s so much space, flat space, telegraph poles to infinity, immense yellow spreads of grass around us, with occasional gnarling trees. We cross dead creeks on our own black river of bitumen, with clashing AUSTRALIA UNITED PARTY signs occasionally blotting the world.

The Grampians, where the Great Dividing Range of Australia ends, turn out to be merely a dramatic backdrop as we drive through and among them rather than climb the sides.  Dunkeld is an historic town with a famous hotel, but we’re not in the mood for $250 per person meals, so eat an historic pie and continue, headed for Nhill, where we shall collect our voting forms for the coming election and post them in good time – don’t want to miss that small say in the future of Australia – particularly this time.

7^th May, 2022

Nhill, Bordertown to Murray Bridge

Nhill‘s greatest claim to fame – apart from the post office which holds our precious election papers – is a vast swamp which is being rejuvenated by locals. Charlie and I enjoy the walks – and can you count the nest boxes?

Bordertown, is, as its name suggests, the border between Victoria and South Australia, a sweet town like all the others but its main claim to fame is the fact that it contains Bob Hawke’s childhood home.

We’re to cross the ‘mighty Murray’ at Murray Bridge which sounds like a leafy campsite, but turns out to be the home of a large commercial marina and jetty system, the stepping off point for those wanting to do a Murray Cruise.  Too commercialised to have any interest for us itinerants, so we’re off to Burra, and I am putting this entry live while I have a small access to the internet!.