The black line, on the map above, shows the route that we plan to take as we explore Australia. However, this is not set in concrete & may change as alternatives present themselves.
7.30am & ready to leave Portarlington
A very long day! We left Portarlington at 7.30am & travelled 577 kilometres north to Mildura, arriving there at about 5pm. The early part of the journey was misty, wet & murky but the weather improved considerably as we neared our destination. The fields that we passed were unusually green & so the sheep and cattle had good grazing. Many of the trees were bare, the first time that we had seen them like that, in Australia. We passed through several small settlements but, however small, every one had its little church; some even had two or three!
A rural view from the car
At one point, a group of kangaroos dashed across our path & we saw numerous dead ones along the side of the road. We had coffee at Buningyon, then drove on through Ballarat before stopping at Birchip for lunch. We visited the famous statue known as the Mallee Bull, which continues to stand, proud as ever, in the centre of the town! We braved the cold & ate our sandwiches in the town's picnic area.
Finally, we reached Mildura Deakin Holiday Park, where we set up our vans & settled in for the next three nights. Fortunately, we received two kind invitations to dinner, from friends & relatives of Judy & Charlie (our fellow travelllers), so we didn't have to go out hunting for kangaroos or emus, immediately but we can't guarantee that this won't happen at some time in the future!
A chance to catch up with the washing (at least it dried well in Mildura!)
Bob has done extremely well, driving the 4x4WD & towing the caravan. The whole experience is a test of character & he has come through with flying colours! Various problems have presented themselves & he has coped with each one admirably - eg. he had to mend the motor that operates our toilet pump, as well as finding & fixing a gas leak. My duties are simple by comparison.
This is a real learning curve & a whole new way of life. We are discovering how to live in a confined space - not always easy but no major problems, so far. We're sleeping well - our bed is really comfortable & very cosy, probably made even more so by the sheepskin overlay on the mattress. You can face the world if you've slept well!
