Camper Capers: On the road again

Dave and I are on the road again, after a week of R&R in Melbourne (travelling can be very tiring!). We certainly re-charged the batteries staying at Amanda’s very comfy pad in Carlton, with her two gorgeous cats- Mini and ‘Queen’ Bessie. We also popped over to the Hilton to catch up with our friend Sammi and Sydney friends Jo, Jamie and baby Gab.
But it wasn’t all R&R-

Fairy Tree and dinosaur slide, Fitzroy Gardens

We did manage a stroll through the very green Fitzroy Gardens and an explore through Captain Cook’s Cottage- OK not much for a week, but hey I had cats to play with! And then there was the Foxtel....... (we did get to see both Sound Relief concerts!)
Dadwells Bridge- the home of THE Giant Koala, and where we had left our camper. Over the week, Dadswells had 2 inches of rain,

Scramble up to Hollow Mountain

which certainly settled the dust. We opted to stay another night and walked- or should I say- scrambled over rocks to the top of Hollow Mountain. The Grampians would have to be one of my favourite views to date. Words alone cannot express the sheer beauty of plain lands surrounded by mountains made of undulating rocks. T

Views from the top of Hollow Mountain

the sun seems to flit across these structures, creating an artist’s palate of colours for your visual pleasure. From the top of Hollow Mountain we could see for 360 degrees, across the valleys below made up of olive groves, national park and grazing land- enough to calm anyone’s soul.
However, we moved on to Little Desert National Park- which is desert in name only. Here we camped beside the Wimmera River,

River Red Gum- the photo does not do justice to the beauty

which is in reality now a dry creek bed with the occasional billabong. The banks are lined with River Red Gums, which boldly display their silvery trunks against the clear blue sky. I could sit and gaze at these trees for hours, which is a good thing, as they are also known as ‘widow makers’.

River Red Gum- AKA The widow maker- check out the fallen branch!

We made sure not to camp underneath though. We were to be the only ones camping here, that is other than the Western Grey Kangaroos and Mum Emu and her 4 chicks. These are the first emus we have come across, but as we venture further into Mallee country, we have been assured of seeing more. After so long of walking through dense bush and forest, it is a pleasant change to amble through the flat, low lying scrub of the Mallee. There is something very peaceful about wide open spaces.
With the threat of bushfires now behind, we fired up the campie for a vegie and lentil soup. As the sun descended we sat around our camp fire mesmerized by the flickering flames. Occasionally we would look up to watch the stars. Out here with no other light, or a bright moon, we could vividly see the Milky Way, Saucepan, Southern Cross and all those other ‘ones’ I can’t name. I also watched a UFO hover in the distance.

Dimboola- a town staright from the 70's with this relic caryard!

Sceptic Dave, proceeded to explain to me how the mind cannot perceive objects at such a vast distance, and therefore they can appear to ‘move’. Perhaps it is good he quashed my daydream- a rather scary thought to be the only ones out in the bush with a UFO in the distance!
To be safe from potential UFO attacks (hee hee), we moved on to another free campsite at Lake Albacutya. Again this lake has no water, but has not had any since 1975! I don’t think it will ever be a lake again. Still it is a relaxing spot and comes with showers (albeit luke warm). So, it is goodbye from me as I head for a ‘real shower’.