Gippsland Victoria

Day 10

Home

The past 10 days have been great, we read, relaxed, ate well, saw a lot of interesting places and met some lovely people. What more could we want?

We also discovered that Pip is a wonderful caravan dog but hates being near large bodies of water and I can't say I blame her. We are both so happy to have her in our family and look forward to many more happy journeys with her on board.

We had a good trip home, stopping in Meeniyan, the home of the Garlic Festival, for lunch at the famous award winning pie café Bread & Pickle. Yummy pies and sausage rolls with home made tomato relish...nothing better.

We missed the after school and peak hour traffic so a stress free drive and we are glad to be home.

The saddest part of the journey is the hooking up and heading for home.

The happiest part of the journey is planning the next trip.

Gippsland Victoria

Day 9

Seaspray

The Honeysuckles, Glomar Beach Road

Golden Beach

We had been to Seaspray a few years ago but found the place unrecognisable today. There has been a lot of development, park-lands and playgrounds along with car parks and a Life Saving Club with a restaurant. The General Store remains the same as always. The caravan park has been relocated to the other side of town, it looked quite large but very open, offering no shade or shelter. The town generally looks well looked after with small cottages and holiday homes. There is a memorial park and an Avenue of Honour.

We walked along the deserted surf beach watching a storm brewing.

From Seaspray we took the beach road towards Golden Beach and came across 2 small holiday communities with some comfortable and some unique holiday homes. The first was The Honeysuckles (don't you just love that name) and the other on Glomar Beach Road. Both of these small enclaves run alongside the 90 Mile Beach with access through the scrub and dunes to the surf so if you'd love a secluded beach house either of these could be appealing.

We carried on to Golden Beach which has also had some substantial updates with car parks, public toilets and a few shops which I'm sure are very much appreciated by the summer holiday makers. There is a lot of camping spots along the foreshore most of which are not dog friendly so it's worth checking that when making a booking.

I couldn't believe it when another Echidna decided to scuttle out in front of us. We were travelling slowly so stopped and waited for him to cross. I think we've seen about 4 of them in the past 2 days...maybe it's an Echidna plague! 

We did run into the storm on the way back but stayed dry in the car and it passed us quickly.

We are heading home tomorrow feeling happy and relaxed after a great trip.

I loved this sweet little cottage in Seaspray

Pip had no intention of getting any closer to that surf

Storm Brewing over Bass Straight

I wouldn't mind this cabin at The Honeysuckles

Take your time little one, we can wait

Driving through The Avenue of Honour during the storm

Gippsland Victoria

Day 8

Agnes Falls Welshpool

Agnes Falls is about 45 minutes from Yarram though Welshpool. We picked the perfect day, as it had rained most of the night and into the morning so was not hot and great for walking. Once we got to the carpark we followed the well signposted paths down to the Agnes river, then up to the viewing platforms. The walk was well worth the view with plenty of water coming over the falls.

We continued our walk along the river and through what looked like a new picnic area.

On the way back we had a quick stop at an Op/Antique shop in Welshpool, where we browsed and chatted to the two very friendly ladies who were on duty there. It turned out to be a very dog friendly shop and our little Pip had a lovely time exploring and taking in all the different and interesting smells in there.

Seeing an Echidna on the side of the road really made my day. He was feasting on ants and quite happy to have me around him.

After a busy day this little dog is having a well earned sleep and the caravan is a good place to be curled up in, on a blustery evening.

The beautiful Agnes Falls

Flowers clinging to the cliff beside the river

The Agnes River 

Harvest

This little fellow made my day

Gipsland Victoria

Day 7

McLoughlins Beach

Reeves Beach

Woodside Beach

We have had steady misty rain for most of the day. It's probably not enough to put out large bush fires but it has certainly cooled everything down.

We took it easy again this morning, staying at the caravan park, after lunch we continued our tour of the coastline. First stop was McLoughlins Beach which didn't really boast much of a beach just mud flats around the jetty and boat ramp. Access to the water was on Shallow Inlet looking out toward St. Margaret Island. Like other small villages in the area it boast small shacks and houses. There is no caravan park and no shop there. You probably would not go there at all unless you were a fisherman with a boat.

Reeves Beach has free camping and a pit toilet. There were a few vans there and some camps looked as if they had been there for months, we did not get out of the car and would be very reluctant to stay there. Access to the surf beach was through the bush and up over the dunes.

Next stop was Woodside Surf Beach. There is a well maintained caravan park there with a kiosk attached. The surf lifesaving club has a club house, lookout and they actively patrol the beach during the summer holidays. There is a great kids playground, plenty of parking and public toilets.

We did briefly try to walk on the beach, however it was raining, blowing a gale and Pip was afraid so we beat a hasty retreat and headed home.

Boat ramp and foot bridge to surf at McLoughlins Beach

Mudflats at the jetty in McLoughlins Beach

Reeves Beach camping ground

Woodside Beach Park

Never diet on holidays

Gippsland Victoria

Day 6

Port Welshpool

Manns Beach

We started the day doing the washing and having a late cooked breakfast. We sat enjoying the cooler day and breezes, spending the morning relaxing and reading.

The local bakery provided coffee and yummy lunch, we then headed off to explore the region and Port Welshpool was first on the agenda. We saw and walked the historic long jetty. I had to Google the history and it was unclear but think it was the longest curved wooden jetty built in the 1800's. It has now been completely restored and probably looks nothing like it did when first built.

Google revealed

Whalers first used the area as early as the 1830s.
The town built a long jetty for loading and unloading fish catches, cattle and timber. The arrival of the railway in 1891 allowed the local produce to be transported to Melbourne for sale.

195 kilometres south-east of Melbourne

An unfortunate event in town's history was the beaching of 300 whales in 1957 that attracted about 10,000 people to the township.

Population today is approximately 230

From there we followed the coast and found Manns Beach, a small community based near Port Albert. It has a jetty and boat ramp that provides boating access to the water. It's a real holiday fishing village with lots of tiny cottages and houses, which was completely deserted today except for a couple of fisherman coming home. We walked along the shore admired the mangroves and enjoyed the bird life.

Most of the day was spent in a haze of smoke from either the Grantville or Wahalla fires, the evening breeze has thankfully taken it away.

A glass of lemonade and a good book.

The LONG jetty, Port Welshpool.

Ibis loving the mangroves at Manns Beach

We were watching them...No, they were watching us.

Gippsland Victoria

Day 5

Tara Bulga National Park

Tara Valley

This morning we went to the Yarram Sunday Market which is a local event held monthly at the Scout hall. Unfortunately the early heat was keeping the crowds away. There were a few stalls with secondhand bric a brac, antiques and plants. I came away with another succulent for my collection and I resisted the blue willow and other china so felt good about that.

Yarram is closed because it's Sunday, so we headed for the hills and the Tarra-Bulga National Park. It was a lovely drive through the Tarra Valley past some beautiful homes and farms. It felt cooler as we climbed through the incredible lush ferns that lined the very narrow winding road to the park.

The park is a cool temperate rain forest and is a part of the Strzelecki Ranges. It boasts magnificent Mountain Ash and ancient Mytrtle Beech, a beautiful place to see. The park is named after Charlie Tarra who was Strzelecki's Aboriginal guide, they worked together cutting through the thick scrub and tall timber eventually reaching the coast. The Aboriginal name Bulga means mountain.

We saw many Crimson Rosellas and we startled a small Swamp Wallaby on the road. We didn't walk in the Park because we had Pip, we didn't want to upset the local fauna and of course we always obey the rules 👼

We are now back in Yarram and feeling blessed to be in an air conditioned van with the current temperature of 35.5c.

Sunday Market Yarram Scout Hall

Plants for sale

Tarra Bulga National Park

Incredible tree ferns

Cool swimming hole in the Tarra River on a hot day

I want sun glasses too!

Farming in the Tarra Valley

Looking across the valley

Gippsland Victoria

Day 4.

Port Albert

Between 1841 and 1880 Port Albert was the gateway to Eastern Victoria. I learned today, that in 1850 ¾ of the population of Eastern Victoria lived within a 4 mile (6.5 km) radius of Port Albert which includes Yarram. A lot of people who were on their way to the Walhalla goldmines passed through this port. On the road between Port Albert and Yarram there is a large historic cemetery, I reflect on the heartbreak encountered by so many, their dreams unfulfilled

These days it's a sleepy holiday village and a haven for fisher folk. Accommodation and homes there range from grand modern houses to tiny ramshackle, unloved shanties. We drove around trying to decide which waterfront property we would buy but decided it probably wasn't the place for us. We did check out the Seabank caravan park and decided that we didn't want to stay there either. It's full of derelict cabins and vans so not appealing at all.

I'd like to think this fish came straight from this fishing boat early this morning.

Port Albert Victoria.

A wonderful bird is the Pelican

His bill can hold more than his belican

More beautiful black swans, this time wading in the shallows beyond the mangroves.

Gippsland Victoria

Day 3

Yarram.

We only travelled a few kilometres today to the large rural township of Yarram. We thought we might escape the coastal wind and that it would also give us the opportunity to explore the Port Welshpool and Port Albert beaches. We didn't escape he wind but we're happy to be here.

The Yarram Holiday Park is a small but comfortable park on the edge of the town.

The facilities are good, very clean with large shower cubicles and plenty of hot water. We are in a shady drive through site which suits us perfectly.

We wandered through the main street and chatted to a few friendly local people. Everything you would ever need is here in Yarram.

While we are in the area we'll go to the Tarra Bulga National Park and then go to the Sunday market in the township.

Franklin River free camp

Victoria Hotel, an old building which seems to be in the middle of nowhere.

Office building in the main street of Yarram.

Derelict cottage on the edge of the highway.