The Kowsas' Big Lap: Back on the East Coast!

Since writing last time we have moved through Victoria, N.S.W, the A.C.T., back into N.S.W. and have now landed back on the eastern coastline.

We left Whyalla early on the 11th of the 11th, 2011 and celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on the road. The girls had anticipated a day of celebration, so they were quite disappointed that we had plans to drive most of the day. We did stop in for lunch at a beautiful little town called Burra and the girls decorated the van for dinner, which we enjoyed at a free stay just out of Mildura overlooking the Murray River.

The drive through the South Australian country side was magnificent and had us passing many old homesteads on stunning properties. Crossing into Victoria was quite uneventful, but as we hit the Murray River and followed its path south-east the journey became more fun. The girls were also entertained by the fact that we tick tacked back and forth into N.S.W. and Victoria every time we crossed a bridge.

Our journey following the Murray started in Mildura which is a very pretty town, as were most of the places we visited on the river. We got to see our first paddle steamer on the Murray and watched it move its way through the lock system.

Our next stop for the night was behind the Nyah Harness Club, which was a ripper free stay on the river again. Paddy and I thought it would have been even better if the trots were on though! A short drive in the morning and we arrived at Swan Hill nice and early and ready for a day at the Pioneer Settlement. Unfortunately being a Sunday, there wasn't as many of the volunteers manning each building, but the day was still enjoyable. The highlight for the girls was getting to dress up in the old style clothing and they also loved watching a nice young man make a horse shoe.

The next stop was Echuca, which once again was a beautiful place. We managed to pack a lot into our day there starting with a stroll around the historical port, which was made all the more enchanting with the continual "toot toot" whistling from the restored paddle steamers. We moved into the adjoining streets and fossicked through the array of shops. Our tummy's beckoned and lunch was had at one of the little pubs.

Next came the adventure! We hired a canoe and spent an hour paddling, laughing and screaming our way up the Murray, trying our best to stay dry and out of the way of the paddle steamers and house boats. The girls and I headed back to the van while Paddy went for a look around the Holden Museum and came back wishing his garage housed some of the collection.

The next morning after the usual chores of groceries, finalising washing and also some school work, we once again followed the mighty Murray. We stopped in for a very special lunch treat at The Big Strawberry in Koonoomoo north of Cobram, then headed for our designated camp for the night north of Rutherglen.

Once again we were right on the river in beautiful surroundings and all for free! The weather was cool with misty rain when we woke the next morning and our camp spot was such a delight that we decided to stay another night. The day was spent doing lots of craft work, exploring down at the river and creating the perfect camp fire to cook our dinner on. Our time meandering down the Murray River Highway was very special and we were glad to have made the last minute decision to explore the area and not take the Sturt Highway in the north.

We moved on from Rutherglen and the Victorian leg of our journey and followed the Hume Highway to more relatives in Bungendore, which is just east of Canberra. A nice piece of footpath was designated for the stay outside their house and a night of catch up was had.

Friday we ventured into Canberra for the day with the first stop being Parliament House. We spent a lot longer there than we had anticipated and the girls were actually quite interested. Unfortunately though there were a lot of questions from the girls that we couldn't answer very well, like "So Mum, why do we have to have politicians?"...hmm, "That is a question we ask ourselves often love!" we answered.

We also spent a long time at the Royal Australian Mint, with the girls wishing they could pocket a few hand fulls of Goldie's for their money boxes. Lunch was had in the city and also some shopping for Christmas was done (oh lord is Christmas that close?). Sadly we didn't make it to the War Memorial, as our day just seemed to fly by. We enjoyed another great night with my relatives, while the kids all enjoyed a few movies.

Saturday we packed up once again and headed towards the N.S.W. coastline, with a few hours stop over to see my cousin's farm and the house they are building in Braidwood. We made it to Durras Beach north of Batemans Bay late in the day, after winding our way through some beautiful National Parks.

Yesterday we had a look around Batemans Bay and made it to our current spot at Lake Conjola. We are in a lovely caravan park with a site right on the lake. There is a lot of wildlife in the park and on dusk it becomes infested with kangaroos. We also back onto the playground and the jumping pillow is only a few more steps away, so the girls give this park a very high rating! This morning we ventured to the beach and walked to a little island that is only accessible during low tide. We tried with no luck to snag a feed of fish for dinner, while the girls had fun with the beach ball. This afternoon has been lazy, with some craft and Polly Pocket play and a few hours of school work...while of course, I compile the blog.