The way south....The plan for this trip is to take the caravan as far south as Geelong, here we would place the caravan in storage and spent 3 weeks touring Tassie with the car only, staying in caravan park cabins and in motels.
We have given ourselves around a month to get from home to Geelong, we aim to use 'roads less traveled ' where possible on this part of the trip...in most cases we will be free camping, camping in showgrounds or recreation grounds or caravan parks.
We have given ourselves around a month to get from home to Geelong, we aim to use 'roads less traveled ' where possible on this part of the trip...in most cases we will be free camping, camping in showgrounds or recreation grounds or caravan parks.
Our Tasmania Trip...Spring 2023
The Mainland part. From home to Geelong Vic.
The Mainland part. From home to Geelong Vic.
Our stops on this trip are below- click the location names below to see places where we stayed.
Yelarbon
Was our first stop, it is a place we have camped at many times before...when our family lived in Sydney we would travel between home and Sydney two or three time each year.
The Yelarbon Recreation Grounds was often the first, and last place we would stop before getting home...it has been about 6 years since we last stayed here and little has changed in that time....back then the grounds we run by volunteers, one of whom lived directly opposite the park. Now a resident caretaker husband and wife live onsite but other than that it is virtually unchanged.
Its a great little place...very popular with traveling caravaners, it fills up during the day and empties out each morning.
Toilets, showers, water, a dump point...powered and non powered sites.
Yelarbon township consists of a hotel, servo and small general store...that's about it.
Click on the photo below for a slide show.
Was our first stop, it is a place we have camped at many times before...when our family lived in Sydney we would travel between home and Sydney two or three time each year.
The Yelarbon Recreation Grounds was often the first, and last place we would stop before getting home...it has been about 6 years since we last stayed here and little has changed in that time....back then the grounds we run by volunteers, one of whom lived directly opposite the park. Now a resident caretaker husband and wife live onsite but other than that it is virtually unchanged.
Its a great little place...very popular with traveling caravaners, it fills up during the day and empties out each morning.
Toilets, showers, water, a dump point...powered and non powered sites.
Yelarbon township consists of a hotel, servo and small general store...that's about it.
Click on the photo below for a slide show.
Goondiwindi is a rural town and locality in the Goondiwindi Region. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the 2016 census, Goondiwindi had a population of 6,355 people.
The town also sits on the intersection of several major highways, in particular the Newell Highway, a major trucking route from Melbourne and Sydney...monster road trains ply this route 24 hours a day...and believe us, the condition of the road shows it....Dreamworld's roller coaster is not as bumpy!
While in Gundy we were lucky to see the Lanescape art display.
Lanescape inspires community connectivity to arts and culture through vibrant evolving spaces and places.
They are a community group on a mission to create public works which promote art and culture, support tourism, increase the liveability of the Goondiwindi area and improve community participation in arts and culture across the region.
Several examples of Lanescape Street Art could be viewed around town including a roadside display as can be seen below.
Click the photo below for a slide show.
The town also sits on the intersection of several major highways, in particular the Newell Highway, a major trucking route from Melbourne and Sydney...monster road trains ply this route 24 hours a day...and believe us, the condition of the road shows it....Dreamworld's roller coaster is not as bumpy!
While in Gundy we were lucky to see the Lanescape art display.
Lanescape inspires community connectivity to arts and culture through vibrant evolving spaces and places.
They are a community group on a mission to create public works which promote art and culture, support tourism, increase the liveability of the Goondiwindi area and improve community participation in arts and culture across the region.
Several examples of Lanescape Street Art could be viewed around town including a roadside display as can be seen below.
Click the photo below for a slide show.
Goondiwindi (pronounced Gund-a-windy and commonly called Gundy)
Yelarbon Recreation Campgrounds
If you would like to see photos of Goondiwindi's 'Lanescape' exhibition click here
Bingara....the Gwydir River campsite
Bingara is a small town on the Gwydir River in Murchison County in the New England region of New south Wales.
Bingara is currently the administrative centre for the Gwydir Shire that was created in 2003. The Gwydir River being a main highlight of the town is a main catchment of the Murray-Darling System
Bingara sits on the 'Fossickers Way', a name given to the road by the tourist industry...we understand there are many fossicking sites along the road.
Fossickers Way is a great alternative to the Newell and its truck traffic...it is also in much better condition.
Bingara is 174 km south east of Goondiwindi so an easy drive.
Our plan was to free camp alongside the Gwydir River and we were certainly not disappointed....previously we have stayed at one of the many free-camps along the river, the one we chose this time is the 'Commons' camp and it is the one closest to town....there are no facilities at the Commons camp so campers must be fully self-contained....click on the photo below to see a slide show of our photos.
Bingara is currently the administrative centre for the Gwydir Shire that was created in 2003. The Gwydir River being a main highlight of the town is a main catchment of the Murray-Darling System
Bingara sits on the 'Fossickers Way', a name given to the road by the tourist industry...we understand there are many fossicking sites along the road.
Fossickers Way is a great alternative to the Newell and its truck traffic...it is also in much better condition.
Bingara is 174 km south east of Goondiwindi so an easy drive.
Our plan was to free camp alongside the Gwydir River and we were certainly not disappointed....previously we have stayed at one of the many free-camps along the river, the one we chose this time is the 'Commons' camp and it is the one closest to town....there are no facilities at the Commons camp so campers must be fully self-contained....click on the photo below to see a slide show of our photos.
Glenriddle Reserve Campgrounds
After leaving the Gwydir River we travelled just 90km south along the Fossickers Way passing through Bingara township and Baraba to Glenriddle Reserve.
Very large, grassy campground on the northern foreshore of the Manila river which feeds into Split Rock Dam and a campgrounds we have visited many times before.
There are plenty of sites to choose from with very large, normally well maintained grassed areas leading right up to the edge of the water.
There is a large, sheltered picnic area (for day use only) and built wood barbeques. Don't forget to bring your own firewood.
There are also large fire pits with chains for hanging a pot which is handy if you have a large group and are trying to cook up a feast.
If the main picnic/camp area is crowded, you can sneak up along the shoreline to a couple of spots that are more secluded.
I tried fishing but fortunately we had some sausages and steaks in the freezer!
There are toilets here but no potable water...there is of course the river and it would likely be ok...if boiled.
Click on the photo below to see our snaps of Glen Riddle.
Very large, grassy campground on the northern foreshore of the Manila river which feeds into Split Rock Dam and a campgrounds we have visited many times before.
There are plenty of sites to choose from with very large, normally well maintained grassed areas leading right up to the edge of the water.
There is a large, sheltered picnic area (for day use only) and built wood barbeques. Don't forget to bring your own firewood.
There are also large fire pits with chains for hanging a pot which is handy if you have a large group and are trying to cook up a feast.
If the main picnic/camp area is crowded, you can sneak up along the shoreline to a couple of spots that are more secluded.
I tried fishing but fortunately we had some sausages and steaks in the freezer!
There are toilets here but no potable water...there is of course the river and it would likely be ok...if boiled.
Click on the photo below to see our snaps of Glen Riddle.
Coonabarabran and the Warrumbungle Range
The old adage 'All good things come to an end' reared its ugly head.
Following Glenriddle we had a very pleasant drive through quite 'un-droughty looking' country to our next stop...Coonabarabran.
'Coona is another place we would camp at during our many exodus' from home to Sydney before the family saw the error of their ways and moved back to Queensland.
New owners here and sadly, the place has gone down the gurgler...actually, when I say 'new' they have now been here a long time, prior to that the park was owned by a husband and wife team Noel and Heather, whom we got to know quite well, sadly age has caught up to them and they are now in poor health and in a retirement home.
The 'new' owners have now run this park for close to 10 years and not one cent has been put back into it!
Foolishly we paid for our 3 nights with memories of how it was.
Noel would rotate the campsites allowing the grass to have a bit of a chance..., some caravan parks even have concrete pads for caravaners, this bloke does no such thing, hence we are camped on the Tamini Desert!....the sign out front welcomes caravaners, cabin folk and campers.
If the campers are hoping for a camp kitchen they would be disappointed...two open, un-roofed BBQ's are there, no table to sit at, no water tap, on one bbq the key to turn on the gas to be collected from the office 300 m away, the other is a fire place but there is no wood!. Oh there is a microwave, it sits atop an ironing board in the laundry 200 m away. They appear to be doing ok, if the Tesla in the carport is any indication.
See the photos below.
Not all is bad, we spent a day visiting the nearby Warrumbungle Range and Siding Springs Observatory...photos of this below too.
Siding Spring Observatory (SSO), on the edge of the Warrumbungle National Park near Coonabarabran, NSW, is Australia's premier optical and infrared astronomical observatory.
Since opening in 1964, The Australian National University has operated the observatory site hosting research telescopes from the ANU's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA), Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) and many other institutions from around the world at this spectacular location next to the picturesque Warrumbungle National Park
Following Glenriddle we had a very pleasant drive through quite 'un-droughty looking' country to our next stop...Coonabarabran.
'Coona is another place we would camp at during our many exodus' from home to Sydney before the family saw the error of their ways and moved back to Queensland.
New owners here and sadly, the place has gone down the gurgler...actually, when I say 'new' they have now been here a long time, prior to that the park was owned by a husband and wife team Noel and Heather, whom we got to know quite well, sadly age has caught up to them and they are now in poor health and in a retirement home.
The 'new' owners have now run this park for close to 10 years and not one cent has been put back into it!
Foolishly we paid for our 3 nights with memories of how it was.
Noel would rotate the campsites allowing the grass to have a bit of a chance..., some caravan parks even have concrete pads for caravaners, this bloke does no such thing, hence we are camped on the Tamini Desert!....the sign out front welcomes caravaners, cabin folk and campers.
If the campers are hoping for a camp kitchen they would be disappointed...two open, un-roofed BBQ's are there, no table to sit at, no water tap, on one bbq the key to turn on the gas to be collected from the office 300 m away, the other is a fire place but there is no wood!. Oh there is a microwave, it sits atop an ironing board in the laundry 200 m away. They appear to be doing ok, if the Tesla in the carport is any indication.
See the photos below.
Not all is bad, we spent a day visiting the nearby Warrumbungle Range and Siding Springs Observatory...photos of this below too.
Siding Spring Observatory (SSO), on the edge of the Warrumbungle National Park near Coonabarabran, NSW, is Australia's premier optical and infrared astronomical observatory.
Since opening in 1964, The Australian National University has operated the observatory site hosting research telescopes from the ANU's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA), Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) and many other institutions from around the world at this spectacular location next to the picturesque Warrumbungle National Park
To return to the Main Page click here
Peak Hill showgrounds.
Around 220 km south of 'Coona takes us to the small town of Peak Hill...to the showgrounds actually, our home for the next two nights.
Peak Hill is a historic, goldmining town in the Central West region of NSW, Peak Hill defied the boom-to-bust fate that befell other such towns and endured well beyond the gold rush. Now known for its antiques and arts and crafts, as well as its heritage open-cut gold mine, Peak Hill is a worthy stopover for browsing antiques and exploring the surrounding beautiful bushland.
The showgrounds were a nice change from the dusty John Oxley CP in 'Coona...a large flat grassy area, power and water and almost half the cost of the John Oxley.
Peak Hill showgrounds are typical of many small showgrounds in that it is not always easy to find a tap and a power box close together, often there will be a tap but the power box is too far away for our 20m lead to reach...but we were lucky finding a tap and a power point just within range.
Campers at the showgrounds should not expect to arrive at 4 pm and waltz start into a power and water site.
Located just 400 metres from showground and the main street of Peak Hill, Caswell Street, a gold mine provides a great example of mining techniques used historically and today.
The historic Peak Hill mine operated between 1893 and 1917 producing about 60,000 ounces from 500,000 tonnes of rock. Alkane re-excavated for gold on the site between 1996 and 2002 retrieving 145,000 ounces gold from 4.9 million tonnes of rock.
While most of the historic operations were consumed by the recent mining activity, some of the old workings have been preserved.
Peak Hill is a historic, goldmining town in the Central West region of NSW, Peak Hill defied the boom-to-bust fate that befell other such towns and endured well beyond the gold rush. Now known for its antiques and arts and crafts, as well as its heritage open-cut gold mine, Peak Hill is a worthy stopover for browsing antiques and exploring the surrounding beautiful bushland.
The showgrounds were a nice change from the dusty John Oxley CP in 'Coona...a large flat grassy area, power and water and almost half the cost of the John Oxley.
Peak Hill showgrounds are typical of many small showgrounds in that it is not always easy to find a tap and a power box close together, often there will be a tap but the power box is too far away for our 20m lead to reach...but we were lucky finding a tap and a power point just within range.
Campers at the showgrounds should not expect to arrive at 4 pm and waltz start into a power and water site.
Located just 400 metres from showground and the main street of Peak Hill, Caswell Street, a gold mine provides a great example of mining techniques used historically and today.
The historic Peak Hill mine operated between 1893 and 1917 producing about 60,000 ounces from 500,000 tonnes of rock. Alkane re-excavated for gold on the site between 1996 and 2002 retrieving 145,000 ounces gold from 4.9 million tonnes of rock.
While most of the historic operations were consumed by the recent mining activity, some of the old workings have been preserved.
Young Showgrounds.
We are camped at the Canowindra Showgrounds for a night, our intention being to stay here and tomorrow night at Young Showgrounds again for one night before getting into chilly Canberra for five nights...we decided on the one night stands only and to eat at hotels and the like, to save getting anything out.
Got to Canowindra (pronounced K-noun-dra, not Can-o-windra) around noon after a hectic day dodging monster potholes on the way down.
Got a site at the Showgrounds, unhooked and went off to town in search of eats...the Services Club looked great...sadly the young lady behind the counter in a totally deserted establishment told us no meals are being served...odd, given it is a public holiday.
Directly opposite sits the Canowindra Hotel and yes, they had a flourishing bistro...Pam had Battered Barra and I had steak...Pams fish was underdone and my Med Rare steak was overdone.
The showgrounds are well cared for, amazing to think that their annual show was on just a week ago yet there was no evidence of that, not a scrap of rubbish anywhere!.
The town of Canowindra, sadly and like many small rural towns we pass through, looks as if it is dying...in the main street and old and abandoned hotel has a balcony that looks ready to fall.
Talking to the caretaker, a Wiradijri man, he told us the town started dying when Edgells closed their vegetable packing plant some time ago. Amazingly this gentleman was very vocal about The Voice Statement from the Heart....despite his heritage he was of the opinion that this Voice would, and already has, damaged First Nations people standing in this country, referring to his perception of the racism involved. Further he scoffed at claims, aired on ABC TV, that 80% of first nations people are in favor of the Voice. He is not aware of one Wiradjiri person so inclined.
Got to Canowindra (pronounced K-noun-dra, not Can-o-windra) around noon after a hectic day dodging monster potholes on the way down.
Got a site at the Showgrounds, unhooked and went off to town in search of eats...the Services Club looked great...sadly the young lady behind the counter in a totally deserted establishment told us no meals are being served...odd, given it is a public holiday.
Directly opposite sits the Canowindra Hotel and yes, they had a flourishing bistro...Pam had Battered Barra and I had steak...Pams fish was underdone and my Med Rare steak was overdone.
The showgrounds are well cared for, amazing to think that their annual show was on just a week ago yet there was no evidence of that, not a scrap of rubbish anywhere!.
The town of Canowindra, sadly and like many small rural towns we pass through, looks as if it is dying...in the main street and old and abandoned hotel has a balcony that looks ready to fall.
Talking to the caretaker, a Wiradijri man, he told us the town started dying when Edgells closed their vegetable packing plant some time ago. Amazingly this gentleman was very vocal about The Voice Statement from the Heart....despite his heritage he was of the opinion that this Voice would, and already has, damaged First Nations people standing in this country, referring to his perception of the racism involved. Further he scoffed at claims, aired on ABC TV, that 80% of first nations people are in favor of the Voice. He is not aware of one Wiradjiri person so inclined.
Young is a town in the South Western Slopes region of New South Wales, and the largest town in the Hilltops Region. The "Lambing Flat" Post Office, as the town was originally named, opened on 1 March 1861 and was renamed "Young" in 1863.
Young is marketed as the Cherry Capital of Australia and in December every year hosts the National Cherry Festival.
Young is situated on the Olympic Highway and is approximately 2 hours drive from the Canberra, our next stop.
The town sits in a valley, with surrounding hills. The town is named after Sir John Young, the governor of NSW from 1861 to 1867.
The size of the town surprised us, it has a population of around 10'000. It also looks to be quite a prosperous town, particularly when compared to many of the smaller town we have passed through.
The showground caretaker told us of a great place to have a meal...following the 'disastrous' Canowindra Hotel meal we were a little apprehensive, however, into town we went and the Australian was indeed a fine looking place...built in 1897.
We were very pleasantly pleased...our meals were huge, I had a Mixed Grill and, unbelievably, could not eat it all, a doggie bag was secured and I finished the perfectly cooked rump steak for dinner that night!. Pam's Fish of the Day was also excellent.
As our plan is to have many pub meals as we travel in Tasmania, caravan-less, we hope we encounter many more such establishments like The Australian, in Young NSW.
This morning we awoke to the expected change in weather...although not cold, that is supposed to commence later today as we approach Canberra, a light pitter patter can be heard on the roof.
Following days of bushfires in Victoria and parts on NSW we learn that very heavy rain is falling across Gippsland and parts of eastern Vic,,,.TV tells us up to 100mm is expected, even allowing for TV exaggeration that is a lot of rain. We are not very concerned at this point, we will be in Canberra for almost a week yet.
Yesterday, just after we returned from town, a sudden windy squall popped up from nowhere....a mad rush occurred with other campers to furl awnings, including some whose owners were away. Some very serious gusts were experienced.
Coming down from Canowindra we had a tail wind, this was reflected in our diesel consumption with an incredible 12.9 L/100 km being achieved!...I consider that to be very good with 2 tonne hanging on the back, I wonder what if the wind was head on however.
Young is marketed as the Cherry Capital of Australia and in December every year hosts the National Cherry Festival.
Young is situated on the Olympic Highway and is approximately 2 hours drive from the Canberra, our next stop.
The town sits in a valley, with surrounding hills. The town is named after Sir John Young, the governor of NSW from 1861 to 1867.
The size of the town surprised us, it has a population of around 10'000. It also looks to be quite a prosperous town, particularly when compared to many of the smaller town we have passed through.
The showground caretaker told us of a great place to have a meal...following the 'disastrous' Canowindra Hotel meal we were a little apprehensive, however, into town we went and the Australian was indeed a fine looking place...built in 1897.
We were very pleasantly pleased...our meals were huge, I had a Mixed Grill and, unbelievably, could not eat it all, a doggie bag was secured and I finished the perfectly cooked rump steak for dinner that night!. Pam's Fish of the Day was also excellent.
As our plan is to have many pub meals as we travel in Tasmania, caravan-less, we hope we encounter many more such establishments like The Australian, in Young NSW.
This morning we awoke to the expected change in weather...although not cold, that is supposed to commence later today as we approach Canberra, a light pitter patter can be heard on the roof.
Following days of bushfires in Victoria and parts on NSW we learn that very heavy rain is falling across Gippsland and parts of eastern Vic,,,.TV tells us up to 100mm is expected, even allowing for TV exaggeration that is a lot of rain. We are not very concerned at this point, we will be in Canberra for almost a week yet.
Yesterday, just after we returned from town, a sudden windy squall popped up from nowhere....a mad rush occurred with other campers to furl awnings, including some whose owners were away. Some very serious gusts were experienced.
Coming down from Canowindra we had a tail wind, this was reflected in our diesel consumption with an incredible 12.9 L/100 km being achieved!...I consider that to be very good with 2 tonne hanging on the back, I wonder what if the wind was head on however.
Canowindra showgrounds.
Canberra
Canberra City is perhaps Australia's most interesting city, in our opinion anyway. We have been there many time yet each time we find different places to visit.
Its is a clean city...well, it always was but this time we did notice quite a lot of graffiti.
Canberra does have one annoyance....there is not much free parking!...visit Parliament House, the Canberra Visitors Centre, even shopping centres and you are obliged to pay for the privilege of parking your car...in many case a minimum charge of $3.
Other than that we have enjoyed our stay. Staying at the EPIC showgrounds we were quite close to most of the attractions...we chose to use our car (and thank God for Amy, the GPS lady) to get around but there is a new electric light rail system now which is free to visiting seniors.
We have taken a lot of shots and they are presented below. click the photo below and navigate through a slide show.
Its is a clean city...well, it always was but this time we did notice quite a lot of graffiti.
Canberra does have one annoyance....there is not much free parking!...visit Parliament House, the Canberra Visitors Centre, even shopping centres and you are obliged to pay for the privilege of parking your car...in many case a minimum charge of $3.
Other than that we have enjoyed our stay. Staying at the EPIC showgrounds we were quite close to most of the attractions...we chose to use our car (and thank God for Amy, the GPS lady) to get around but there is a new electric light rail system now which is free to visiting seniors.
We have taken a lot of shots and they are presented below. click the photo below and navigate through a slide show.
Henty Showground
Following Canberra we continued our southern route, our next stop was the Henty Showgrounds.
Henty is a town in southwestern New South Wales close to the boundaries of the South West Slopes and the Riverina districts, almost midway between the regional cities of Albury and Wagga Wagga. At the 2006 census, Henty had a population of 863 people.
The village of Henty was originally called 'Doodle Cooma'. Nearby wetlands are still called Doodle Cooma Swamp; they cover 20 square kilometres and are a breeding area for water birds.
The post office changed its name in 1886 as the railway station's name was thought to be confused with Cooma in the Monaro district.
The showgrounds are pretty basic but quite ok for us to sit for a couple of days. We didn't do much in Henty, just stayed around the showgrounds and read our books.
Some photos of Henty below, also some of the famous 'Dog on the Tucker Box' at Gundagai along the Hume Highway.
Henty is a town in southwestern New South Wales close to the boundaries of the South West Slopes and the Riverina districts, almost midway between the regional cities of Albury and Wagga Wagga. At the 2006 census, Henty had a population of 863 people.
The village of Henty was originally called 'Doodle Cooma'. Nearby wetlands are still called Doodle Cooma Swamp; they cover 20 square kilometres and are a breeding area for water birds.
The post office changed its name in 1886 as the railway station's name was thought to be confused with Cooma in the Monaro district.
The showgrounds are pretty basic but quite ok for us to sit for a couple of days. We didn't do much in Henty, just stayed around the showgrounds and read our books.
Some photos of Henty below, also some of the famous 'Dog on the Tucker Box' at Gundagai along the Hume Highway.
Shepparton Victoria
After leaving Henty Showgrounds we continued southward, crossing the NSW/Vic border, the Murray River.
We spent a couple of days in Shepparton.
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, approximately 181 kilometres north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, including the adjacent town of Mooroopna, was 53,841.
The weather was not crash hot in Shepparton and we didnt get to see a lot....one thing we did see was an amazing auto museum...MOVE (Museum of Vehicle Evolution).
An incredible collection of cars, trucks, motorbikes, push bikes and much more.
One gentleman told me the collection is valued at $21 million dollars. The fire prevention system alone cost $8 million!. Due to the damage that water would cause should there be a fire regular sprinklers are out...instead a n inert mist is pumped in...oxygen is forced out and the fire stops...they hope they never have to actually find out if it works!
We stayed in the 'Acacia Gardens Caravan Park' while in Shep...and in our 50+ years of caravanning we dont believe we have been in a worse example of a caravan park ever. It was an absolutes disgrace...the following is a copy of the review we uploaded to Wikicamps:
We believe one of the great things about Wikicamps is the reviews folk leave, and the star rating given. We are always happy to contribute, good or bad but honest.
We dont feel this caravan park warrants four stars. The grounds are littered with rubbish...there are old unregistered cars, disused furniture, broken clothes lines and even ancient caravans covered in tarps...weeds are out of control.
A lot of workers live in 'dongers' in the park...the workers themselves are quite ok but at 5pm in they come, trucks trailers, utes. Some going out around 4 am.
The one 'saving grace' for traveling caravaners is that the few sites each have a nicely cleaned and presented ensuite, something however we didnt need or particularly want.
Refer photos.
Click on a photo below for a slideshow.
We spent a couple of days in Shepparton.
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, approximately 181 kilometres north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, including the adjacent town of Mooroopna, was 53,841.
The weather was not crash hot in Shepparton and we didnt get to see a lot....one thing we did see was an amazing auto museum...MOVE (Museum of Vehicle Evolution).
An incredible collection of cars, trucks, motorbikes, push bikes and much more.
One gentleman told me the collection is valued at $21 million dollars. The fire prevention system alone cost $8 million!. Due to the damage that water would cause should there be a fire regular sprinklers are out...instead a n inert mist is pumped in...oxygen is forced out and the fire stops...they hope they never have to actually find out if it works!
We stayed in the 'Acacia Gardens Caravan Park' while in Shep...and in our 50+ years of caravanning we dont believe we have been in a worse example of a caravan park ever. It was an absolutes disgrace...the following is a copy of the review we uploaded to Wikicamps:
We believe one of the great things about Wikicamps is the reviews folk leave, and the star rating given. We are always happy to contribute, good or bad but honest.
We dont feel this caravan park warrants four stars. The grounds are littered with rubbish...there are old unregistered cars, disused furniture, broken clothes lines and even ancient caravans covered in tarps...weeds are out of control.
A lot of workers live in 'dongers' in the park...the workers themselves are quite ok but at 5pm in they come, trucks trailers, utes. Some going out around 4 am.
The one 'saving grace' for traveling caravaners is that the few sites each have a nicely cleaned and presented ensuite, something however we didnt need or particularly want.
Refer photos.
Click on a photo below for a slideshow.
Maryborough Victoria is about 170km north west of Melbourne.
We stayed in the Maryborough Caravan Park for three days. Not a bad park, quite large but the sites are quite small as can be seen in the photos below. The park is located on the banks of Lake Victoria, a beautiful man made lake and home many species of water birds.
While there we witnessed the annual meeting of the Victorian Vintage Caravan Owners Group or the VVCOG...we sat and witnessed all of about 50 old caravans pull in, many being towed by similar aged cars.
As you would expect most of these old caravan and car combinations arrive here driven by equally old drivers, i.e. around our age. Not a weekend hoon to be seen.
Happy Hour was spent watching many old and heavy canvas annexes being erected...not a roll-out awning to be seen...wooden annex poles too, something not seen for centuries. Even some, believe it or not, old Holden axles being used as tent pegs.
To us, having been involved in caravanning most of our lives, nostalgic tears almost flowed...of particular interest was watching a grey-haired couple install a full annex on a Marconi tracked bond-wood caravan likely of similar age.
The city of Maryborough contains some very ornate buildings, no doubt a throw-back to its gold prospecting days....one building in particular, the Bull & Mouth Hotel in the main street...see in the photos.
We enjoyed our stay in Maryborough. It has a population of around 8000.
Click on the photo below for a slideshow.
We stayed in the Maryborough Caravan Park for three days. Not a bad park, quite large but the sites are quite small as can be seen in the photos below. The park is located on the banks of Lake Victoria, a beautiful man made lake and home many species of water birds.
While there we witnessed the annual meeting of the Victorian Vintage Caravan Owners Group or the VVCOG...we sat and witnessed all of about 50 old caravans pull in, many being towed by similar aged cars.
As you would expect most of these old caravan and car combinations arrive here driven by equally old drivers, i.e. around our age. Not a weekend hoon to be seen.
Happy Hour was spent watching many old and heavy canvas annexes being erected...not a roll-out awning to be seen...wooden annex poles too, something not seen for centuries. Even some, believe it or not, old Holden axles being used as tent pegs.
To us, having been involved in caravanning most of our lives, nostalgic tears almost flowed...of particular interest was watching a grey-haired couple install a full annex on a Marconi tracked bond-wood caravan likely of similar age.
The city of Maryborough contains some very ornate buildings, no doubt a throw-back to its gold prospecting days....one building in particular, the Bull & Mouth Hotel in the main street...see in the photos.
We enjoyed our stay in Maryborough. It has a population of around 8000.
Click on the photo below for a slideshow.
Maryborough Victoria
Geelong
Geelong is a city southwest of Melbourne. Lining its bay, The Waterfront esplanade has a 19th-century carousel, plus a curved art deco boardwalk and sea bath at Eastern Beach. Scattered along The Waterfront are the Baywalk Bollards, colourful sculptures chronicling city history.
This is our last mainland stop before we board the Spirit of Tasmania for part two of this trip.
Our plan is to place our caravan into storage here and travel with the car only...the cost of taking the caravan to Tassie quite prohibitive.
The caravan we are in has storage facilities on site...$20 a week, or part thereof....we need to store the van for 3 weeks and one day...poor planning what?.
Geelong is a big and busy place...again it is a place where you have to pay to park everywhere, our visit to the tourist info centre and look at the bollards cost $5.18...why such an odd figure we have no idea. To many $5 is little to pay to park for 90 minutes but to me it is the principle of the matter...the establishment of parking facilities is or is supposed to be paid for out of general revenue, i.e taxation...this is double dipping.
We didnt get much of a chance to look around Geelong but we did check out the amazing foreshore, photos of which appear below.
We are, of course, to return to Geelong after Tasmania.
You may have heard of the famous Bollards of Geelong...the things are everywhere...and they come in different sizes, shapes and colors, some are just 300mm, or a foot in the old language, and some are full-size, like the redcoats below.
This is our last mainland stop before we board the Spirit of Tasmania for part two of this trip.
Our plan is to place our caravan into storage here and travel with the car only...the cost of taking the caravan to Tassie quite prohibitive.
The caravan we are in has storage facilities on site...$20 a week, or part thereof....we need to store the van for 3 weeks and one day...poor planning what?.
Geelong is a big and busy place...again it is a place where you have to pay to park everywhere, our visit to the tourist info centre and look at the bollards cost $5.18...why such an odd figure we have no idea. To many $5 is little to pay to park for 90 minutes but to me it is the principle of the matter...the establishment of parking facilities is or is supposed to be paid for out of general revenue, i.e taxation...this is double dipping.
We didnt get much of a chance to look around Geelong but we did check out the amazing foreshore, photos of which appear below.
We are, of course, to return to Geelong after Tasmania.
You may have heard of the famous Bollards of Geelong...the things are everywhere...and they come in different sizes, shapes and colors, some are just 300mm, or a foot in the old language, and some are full-size, like the redcoats below.
To see a short map animation of this trip and all others...click here
To return to our final stay on this trip click here
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