Day 15 – 20/12/13 – Carrum -> Forrest Hill Vic

While we weren’t awoken by it we hadn’t long been out from under the sheets when we were greeted by a Knock Knock on the door. The owner of the knocks wasn’t some generous bloke offering me a free spot on a charter boat but a Vic Parks ranger informing us that we weren’t allowed to camp here. He was a nice young bloke and when I was sheepishly informing him that we hadn’t camped here but were just stopping for breakfast he cast looked at Jack and while I don’t think being a poker player was at the top of his “I wanna be a .... when I grow up” list I certainly is at the bottom of it now! Must have been a trick they taught him at Ranger Danger School! He was still happy to take my reasoning and left us alone.

We packed up and headed north towards St Kilda and the ramp locator helped out again pointing us towards the St Kilda Yacht Club and for $3 one of the best views of Port Phillip Bay.

Our ‘Are we there yet’ bucket list included visiting Luna Park and finding a one legged man to teach the boys to juggle! The first one was pretty easy and the boys had a ball on the ‘roller coaster’ but we gave up pretty quickly on the juggler, even a bipodal one was unable to be found.

We then walked through Acland ogling at all of the yummy cakes on display but it was unfortunately a bit early to see the ‘real’ sites of St Kilda on display! A quick walk out to the pier and then back to van to wait for an exciting visitor.

While there are many knockers of Facebook, it has allowed me to reconnect with a number of people that I haven’t seen in years. I had reconnected with Jenny Maree (nee) Summers over the past year and it was great for her to come and visit, especially during the silly season. We had a great catch up and the boys were besotted by her. After an all too short catch up we headed to Forest Hill to catch up with an old work colleague Andrea her husband Brad and their kids. We parked the van in their drive way had few relaxing beers and shared a few laughs while the kids ran riot. Brad had cooked a super yummy curry for us and it was great to be able to sit on a couch and watch some cricket before hitting the hay at the end of another great day.

Day 14 – 20/12/13 – Grantville -> Carrum Vic

We had gone to bed pretty late after the penguin parade so a sleep in was in order! We climbed out around 8 to find a magnificent view of mud flats. I felt like I was back at Wynnum! We were out of water so we scouted around and found a tap on bottle shop that wasn’t open yet. 80l later and we were off!

The fella in  the big red suit is due pretty soon so we dropped De off to the mall in Frankston while the boys and I found a boat ramp to park at. Driving through cities and even a lot of small towns is hard but finding a park for our ‘rig’ is near on impossible sometimes, so we now head for the boat ramp as there is always space! I managed to find a really handy app Aus Boat Ramps that is coming in really handy. It locates you and then gives you a list or maps all of your nearest ramps! While they do charge you to use boat ramps in Victoria we have avoided any inspectors so far. We knocked over a few jobs and a few hours later we went back to grab De.

We headed back to the boat ramp as I was yet to properly christen Rufus, our roof top tinny (on the roof with us) and the boys were keen to have a swim. We headed for the beach and there was a pretty long jetty and we (read the boys) decided it was time for mummy to have her first dive of a jetty. The boys and I jumped in and De soon followed. While the water was pretty cold it was refreshing and we had a great time.

We were soon back at the ramp with the Rufus getting his feet wet. In the only other time she had been in the water there was a couple of issues, firstly it was blowing 25 knots at Colmslie on the Brisbane River, secondly I hadn’t sealed the holes in the stern (back of the boat) that you can secure the motor on with and finally whilst the boat is rated for a 15hp engine it probably wasn’t designed to have it, my portly self, a fuel tank and about 20l of water all in the very back of the boat whilst the rest of it is completely empty. This resulted in the boat pulling a very serious wheely or maybe a sterny as it doesn’t have wheels, to the point where I had no idea where I was going, as even at 6 ft tall the bow was pointing so far to the heavens that I couldn’t see over the bow. It was slightly terrifying especially heading into the 25 knot wind!

In order to avoid the boat pulling another sterny I had implemented a few changes. Firstly I sealed the holes in the stern and moved the tank to the front of the boat. I was thinking about going on a diet but decided that I had a couple of wonderful counterweights that I could employ for our second test voyage. So I grabbed their life jackets, threw Sam and Jack in the front of the boat and we set of what was a very narrow and shallow creek. All went very well and while it will take me  a while to get my confidence up like I had in Tom The Fox (our other tinny) I think that is probably a good thing!’

We loaded Rufus back on the roof and headed north towards Melbourne. As I am sure you can imagine free camps aren’t very common in capital cities so we decided to head for the nearest boat ramp. I thought I had seen some pretty good ramps in my time but the one at Carrum was something out of this world! About 500m in length with 4 two lane ramps, moorings the full length and three rows of trailer parking this would hold every boat in Brisbane! We later learnt that when the fish are on it is not even close to big enough and cars are parked on the road for hundreds of meters!

I am guessing that it might be time to share lesson #3; Don’t park on boat ramps on Friday nights. While I am a light sleeper at the best of times, having cars doing circle work beside you isn’t conducive to a good night’s sleep, well for me at least. The boys slept like a log!

Day 13 – 19/12/13 – Bear Gully Creek -> Grantville Vic

Today was our first experience of the slightly erratic nature of Victoria weather. While yesterday was in the mid to high 20s today was going to be in the 40s! We thought Bear Gully Creek would be the ideal place to sit the day out and drive through to Phillip Island later in the day for the Penguin parade. Now as a Queenslander whenever I am looking for a campsite I look for shade and lots of it when you are expecting 40 degrees! There is a slight problem with this when you are free camping and relying on the sun’s rays to power your batteries and hence your fridge and freezers! Maybe I should have packed a 20m extension cord for the solar panel!

The boys had buddied up with some girls from the camp site next door and were having a wonderful time racing around on their bikes but rather than just move the van into the sun we decided to pack up and find a beach at Phillip Island to soak the heat up in.

After a quick restock in Wonthaggi (try saying that in your head without a Billy Connollyesque Scottish accent) we hit Cowes Beach on Phillip Island. We set the beach umbrella and camp chair up in the water, which was refreshingly cool, and spent the afternoon playing in the water.

The boys and I headed over to have a look at the jetty which was quite a novelty for us. We found a mob of teenagers hanging out there jumping of it, so we decided to join them! It was great fun and whilst we weren’t doing flips or twists I think the boys felt pretty cool!

After dinner on the beachside we headed first for Seal Rocks then to the Penguin Parade. Seal Rocks was very picturesque however after walking half way down the boardwalk we realised that it should have been called bird rock as that was about the only thing living on the rocky shoreline! The Penguin Parade had changed slightly since I visited it in the late 1970s. Now a massive building welcomes you with raised boardwalks all throughout the dunes and a cement grandstand for you to watch the penguins come out of the water. About 30 minutes before sundown they start to gather a hundred or so meters off shore and then as soon as the sun dips below the horizon they start to make their way over the beach. These little critters are seriously cute and watching them waddle and stumble their way up the beach over clumps of kelp was quite enjoyable. They travelled in packs or rafts, as Sam kept reminding me, and when one fell behind they would sprint to catch up, only to be exhausted by the time they rejoined the group so they would take a quick rest to recover only to fall behind again! There were heaps of chicks in the dunes that were waiting for the mum or dad to return to regurgitate their days catch and this is where it got really funny!

 

The chicks huddle together in groups of two or three and chirp away trying to attract their returning parent. However rather than waiting patiently they attack every adult penguin as they waddle past. It is hilarious as these fluffy balls complete covering tackles reminiscent of George Gregan taking down Jonah Lomu. I felt sorry for the penguins that lived at the back of the dunes as they had to go through this same process hundreds of times before they got back to their nest! Many of them have developed a reasonable side step and I am pretty sure Campese’s “Goose Step” should be renamed the “Penguin Step”. Unfortunately cameras are banned from the parade as the flashes mess up the penguins night vision so we only have this to remember them by.

It was after 11 by the time we left and after a half an hour drive we arrived at our salubrious free camp, a boat ramp in Grantville.

Day12 - 18/12/12 - Wilsons Promontory -> Bear Gully Creek Vic

Well the luxury of having to be able to stay in a place for more than one night was short lived! However check out wasn’t until 11 ish and the park was only ½ full so we were pretty sure we would be able to stay over by a bit. So after doing the morning chores which included De’s first attempt at baking muffins in the Webber, De and the boys headed to Norman Beach that is next to the park while I logged into the office and did an hour or so of work. Poor Tone, who is looking after the business in our absence, had to pick up a big shipment that was supposed to be in before we left but got held up, so I did my bit to help out.

When I got to the beach the boys were off on an adventure with a couple of other kids from the park to what must be close to one of the coolest cubby houses ever constructed. On a small beach on the other side of a rocky headland an outcrop of rocks stands alone in the middle. It rises about seven meters out of the sand at its peak, to one side hundreds of pieces of driftwood have been intertwined to make a roof for a multilevel cubby house. The drift wood varied from the wind twisted native trees of the area, to bits of 4 x 2 hardwood and massive stumps all delicately woven together to create what was now a castle to defend the beach against invaders! If only I had bought my camera!! Their imaginations ran wild on what was a spectacular day. The sun was shining brightly, there was only a small breeze to keep things cool and the granite rocks lined the white sandy shores that edged the incredibly clear waters of Bass Straight. If somebody had dropped me on that beach, with no prior knowledge of where I was (and I hadn't dipped a toe in the water) my first guess would have been somewhere in the Whitsundays or Far North Queensland. However I was more than 3000kms to the south and the southern most point of Australia was a 10 minute boat ride away!

Unfortunately we had to leave and move to our next destination but we didn't mind as there were no more long drives and from here on our hops will mostly be half an hour to two hours, at least until we get to the Nullarbor! We looked up our three ‘free camps’ advisors and “Bear Gully Creek” sounded good, so off we went. This was pretty new to us, as up until this point our path had been predetermined by the particular places we wanted to visit, like Craig’s Hut or Jenolan Caves. So with little or no idea what it was going to be like we headed of down a dead end dirt road. It was only 5kms long so we decided that it was acceptable! It was a great little site right beside a rocky coastline which we had a great time hoping and picking through for the afternoon.

The other residents of the free camp were super friendly and we had a number of visitors throughout the afternoon and evening with all more than keen to chat. Most were off local farms and were there for 4 or 5 weeks over the Christmas holidays so I am guessing a few Queenslanders were a bit of a novelty.

The boys were pretty excited as they went to bed as we were off to see the Fairy Penguins tomorrow night!

 

Day 11 – 16/12/13 - Wilsons Promontory

Yeah! We don’t have to get in the truck and drive anywhere!!! Most of you will be thinking that was what the kids were saying, but believe me after 10 straight days of driving, with the previous two being pretty bloody intense I think I was the happiest out of everybody!

The day started as slowly as anybody could hope with a big sleep in by everybody, with Sam staying in until after 8 a new world record! We muddled around camp for a while finding out about the walks available as well as giving the boys a chance to get on their bikes and out from under our feet. After some morning tea we got back in the truck and drove the 5ks to Whisky Bay and started our walk back to the camp ground at Tidal River. I know I have said this already in this blog a few times but here I go again...The scenery was awesome! Whisky Beach is only a couple of hundred meters long with the southern end having a pile of massive boulders stacked, wedged and jammed on top of each other. This created a wonderful feature to look at but also a great place to climb in and around of. We crawled through gaps and caves and rock hopped for ages having a great time. We left the beach and headed over a small headland to Picnic Bay which was equally as beautiful. We were tempted to have our lunch there but the allure of Squeaky Beach and ticking another one off our Are We There Yet? Bucket list was too great. I imagined it to be just a quick walk over another headland but about ½ hour later we arrived and squeaked our way across the super white silica sand, that really does squeak!

I have been to the Great Barrier Reef a few times and the colour of the water there seemed like the Brisbane River compared to the glass like nature of the waters of Bass Straight. Looking down from the walking paths into the ocean was incredible; it looked like a resort swimming pool with the bottom clearly visible.

At this stage I should mention that after our Kosciusko experience I had decided to over dress rather than under dress. It was quite cold in the morning so had long pair of duds, shirt and jumper on. By the time we got to Squeaky Beach it must have been 28 degrees and I was regretting my wisdom as the boys stripped to their boardies and had a refreshing dip. By the time we got to the other end of the beach I had had enough and rolled my duds up to my jeans – man I was an impressive site!

Another half hour of sweating and we were back at camp, except I now had to walk back to Whisky Bay to get the truck. After I had changed duds I set of at a brisk rate (Mum skip to the next paragraph please) but I hadn’t even got to the gate of the van park and I had already hitched a ride, but it only took me about a kilometre before I had to hit the pavement again. After another 15 minutes of walking about 40 cars had driven past me in the opposite direction but only one in my direction so I thought I was out of luck until a lovely local couple, who had just gone to The Prom for a burger lunch, gave me a lift!

While we hadn't got to the actual "Southern Most Point" it was decided that it was close enough and the rest of the afternoon was spent lazing around the camp ground and an early night for all!

Day 10 – 15/12/13 – Jamieson Vic –> Wilsons Promontory Vic

Nick the German ,whom was sharing our free camp site with us, had given me a few hints about trout fishing the night before so I was up early with rod in hand heading for the river. It was an awesome morning watching heaps of brown trout taking flies and bugs of the top of the water. Unfortunately they weren’t interested in any of my lures but the adrenalin was up every time I saw one break the water. When one of my lures got snagged I decided to leave it attached to the line and head back, get the goggles and retrieve it after breakfast. Fully nourished I returned to find it was only knee deep water. Nick and the boys came down to watch and we noticed a huge yabby hiding under a submerged log. As Jack ran back to get the landing net Nick noticed the great great great grandmother of the huge yabby sunning itself a few meters away, this thing was prehistoric. When Jack returned with the net Nick joined me in the water and we mounted two pronged attack. A minute later and we had ourselves a MASSIVE yabby! Much to the boys difference we decided that we she was to beautiful to eat and we put the old girl back for the sake of the future. 

We packed up and headed for Wilsons Prom. While it is only 200kms as the crow flies I guestimated it would be a 4 hour drive as the first 60k were on dirt road. The first 2 hours heading up the river were awesome. Sure the road was a bit corrugated but otherwise in pretty good shape and the scenery was magnificent twisting alongside the river through tiny villages. Once we reached Matlock however the grader seemed to have decided about a decade ago not to worry about going any further. There are usually pot holes on roads but I think this pot hole had a road! After about an hour and a half (that’s 3 ½ on dirt now) later we reached a bitumen road to our delight and some cheering, only for it to disappear again five minutes later for another bone jarring half an hour. So with about eight hours of dirt roads in two days we decided to add lesson #2 -  NO MORE (long) DIRT ROADS, especially in the high country of Victoria. There was the opportunity take another dirt road that would have shaved about 150kms of the trip but took the long way instead.

The boys had been so good and had hardly complained so we lashed out and had hot chip sandwiches for lunch in Warburton. We finally got out of the mountains and to my relief onto the flats of what I think is called the Gippsland region. Nine hours later we had completed the 200km journey and that doesn’t even include the 4 hour short cut from the day before! I have since taken the time to see what the difference in kilometres and time is according to Google Maps....our route was a massive 24kms shorter but only ADDED about 4 hours to the journey – high country driving is something different!

We were excited to be at Wilson’s Prom or The Prom for a few reasons. Firstly we had hot showers! Secondly we could tick the most southerly point of our list, thirdly it is also in Are We There Yet?and finally it was the end of our biiiig drives - everything from here will be short hops and skips of an hour or two, at least until we get to Perth (with the exception of the Nullarbor Plain)  As we drove in the sandy beaches looked awesome and I couldn’t wait to get some sand and salt water between my dusty toes!

Day 9 – 14/12/13 – Merrijig Vic -> Jamieson Vic

What an Awesome Day!

 

The alarm sounded at 4:50 but not much happened until 5 as two bleary eye boys were rustled into existence for the drive to Craig’s Hut. The drive was only about 30ks but ended up taking about 45 mins as we had to stop and drag a tree that had fallen onto the road. Unfortunately we missed the colours of the predawn light but the softness of the morning sun and the serenity of looking out over the glowing mountains were awesome.

 

 The Man from Snowy River has been one of my favourite movies since I was a lad and seeing Craig’s hut was always on my bucket list and it was worth the wait. We all took a walk around the hut while I gave the camera got a work out trying to capture a shot like you see in the shops!  It is a majestic place and all I could hear in my head while I was walking around was na na na na na na na na na na, da da da da da da...Jessica’s Theme.

 

Pretty soon the webber was retrieved from Izzy and a delicious meal of frittata and bacon was made to order! The boys then went on a hunting trip trying to spear rabbits with no success – bugger

Back down the mountain and after De had a morning nana nap we packed up and headed for Wilson’s Promontory – and this is where it gets shall we say..... interesting. I had noticed there was a bit of a short cut just before Merrijig that would take us over to Jamieson that would save us about 10k worth of driving and thinking it would be nice to see some off the road places so decided to take it.

Hmmm......There was a sign as we turned onto the short cut road saying tight turns for the next 16kms and as the short cut was 15kms I was confident I was heading in the right direction. The dirt road was in pretty good condition and there were heaps of 4wds and vans coming in the opposite direction, more than we had seen all week, so they must all be taking the same short cut right? After 16kms we came across Sheep Yard Creek camping area where there were still 20 or so vans or tents as well as a couple of horse trail rides set up beside a pristine creek. It looked like a really nice area but we were heading for the Prom so no time to stop. While the road still was in reasonably good condition it seemed to continue upwards, and upwards, and upwards.... and hang on, if you read about our trip to the Blue Mountains you will remember that I don’t get vertigo, but the sheer cliffs that are snaking up these seemingly endless valley and the 5t rig that I am driving them along are starting to make me feel just a tad nervous.

Fast forward two hours of the ‘short cut’ and we reach a simple ‘fork’ in the road at the top of a saddle welcoming us to the Jamieson State Forest as we leave the Alpine National Park. ‘Great we are heading to Jamieson so we must be getting close’ I though comforting myself that maybe it was all going to turn out fine. After close consultation with the map that doesn’t have said State Forest on it we decide to take the left fork as it appears to be used more frequently. As we started to descend down the narrow winding dirt road I decide to see if anybody is about on the UHF radio that may be able to help. Amazingly I straight away I raise three helpful 4wders that consult their detailed maps and tell us where we are ( how can you be in the middle of absolutely no where and still be somewhere I am not 100% sure) and that we should have taken the right turn. “You bloody ripper” I think, as I am sure De’s patience with my short cut was beginning to wear veerry thin at this stage. “We just need to turn around and we’ll be in Jamieson, I venture the question what the road is like and how long to get us there. ‘Six hours of serious 4 wd tracks and we should be there no problems’ was the reply! I was at this stage that I decided not to look in the direction of my co driver for the rest of the trip for fear of turning into stone. Shortly after we found a very safe place to turn the rig around and head back down my short cut road from where we came.

 

 

 

We stopped for lunch at the fork and I noticed the ski lifts at Mt Buller on the next ridge just slightly above the height we were at. This told me two things. One we were up bloody high and two we were a LONG way from where we were meant to be! An hour and half later (that’s 3 ½ hrs total) we made it back to the beginning of my short cut and we headed around the ‘Long Way’ to Jamieson and the free camp area at Drs Creek.

 

Lunch at "The Fork"

 

We eagerly disembarked from Izzy and a fellow camper, Nick from Germany, struck up a conversation and told us about the fresh water yabbies and trout in the river. Down we went to have a swim and play in water that was amazingly warm and we came out with three tasty little morsels that were cooked and served within 5 minutes of being out of the water. I have eaten plenty of red claw out of Somerset but these fellas were out of pristine fresh water and were bloody good eating! We retired early after a looooooong day of going pretty much nowhere BUT with a valuable lesson learnt – NO MORE SHORT CUTS!

A big thanks to my super patient wife for putting up with me xxoo... love ya little lady

Tomorrow our second attempt to get to The Prom - maybe we should have learnt two lessons from today!

Day 8 – 14/12/13 – St James Vic -> Merrijig Vic

We had planned to get an early start and get into Benalla in the hope of getting the boys a run in the local cricket team but they were having such a ball playing with Henry that we hung around until 10. In Benalla we visited the visitor centre that was the antithesis of the previous days experience in Glenrowan. I felt like Ned was the centre of the display not the bloody souvenirs! The visitor centre did charge $4 per adult but they had a video that was quite informative, the cell that Ned was held in and low and behold something genuine! They had on display the sash that he was given as a lad and was wearing on the day he was shot in the siege in Glenrowan, with the blood stains to prove it!

Stringy Bark Creek

Next stop was Stringy Bark Creek, the site where the Kelly gang shot three policemen and the chase for Ned began in earnest. It was a fair way of the beaten track but it was worth the trip. It was petty eerie being in the spot that was the beginning of something every Australian knows about. The crickets in the trees were as loud as I have ever heard them, to the point of being deafening which only added to the atmosphere.

 

 

The Kelly Tree ....#3

The Kelly Tree is a funny one. Once believed to be the tree that one of the stray bullets hits it is now suggested that this is the Kelly Tree #3. But it is pretty cool as somebody put a Kelly Gang style suit in the tree and it has now grown around it.

 We pottered into Mansfield and De undertook the first laundry session of the trip. A weeks worth in two machines! The boys raided the IGA and found a book shop along the way. We then headed up the road leading to Mt Buller and found our site for the night nestled in the bushland.

We finally had some other people camping near us so Jack and Sam launched their Co-op. I have sold them some of our businesses products and they have started their own business selling them to other campers. The first night was pretty successful despite Jack’s initial hesitance.
The Gator was unhitched with the plan to get away early  in the morning to have breakfast at dawn at Craig’s hut.

Day 7 – 13/12/13 – Towong (NSW) -> St James (Vic)

Our first job for the day was to cross the Murray River into Victoria - a new destination for both of the boys!

Today was all about Ned Kelly country! I have recently read Peter Fitzsimmons’ story based on Ned’s life so I was pretty keen to put some reality into my imagination as well as give the boys a bit of a head start in their Australian History units of the future. We stopped at the Information Centre in the first town, Corryong, and all we could find about was The Man From Snowy River - hang on that was yesterday and tomorrow - don't spoil my itinerary! So we took a quick pic and headed westward.

On our our westward journey we stopped off for a beer at the Kinross Woolshed, a pub owned by friends of a family from the boy’s school. Perfect timing as we got to watch the first ball of the 3^rd test while we were there. With Jimmy Barnes playing the next night, it was pretty hard dragging De away. My 6 day old Telstra phone was playing up like a 2 bob watch and after a protracted ‘discussion’ with the Telstra shop in Wodonga we headed into Kelly country. We were doing the touring route in reverse as it usually starts from Melbourne and ends in Glenrowan the site of the Kelly Gang's siege. To my amazement to main street of Glenrowan was more like Surfers Paradise gift shop than a significant part of Australian history – it was very disappointing. Thankfully we picked up an oversized booklet that school tours use and headed to the site of the actual siege. While we were there I read the account to the boys and it, to at least some extent, made it come alive. The pictures of the site are pretty boring - which is what it is like! The small grey think in the picture is a replica of the suit that the Kelly Gang members wore - and that is about as exciting as it gets!

 

We had run out of time and we headed to Geoff’s (a client of mine) place in a small country town called St James, which ironically was the birthplace of Coles, but apparently their profits aren’t big enough to put anything back into the town - while it may have been a bustling country town it is now a few houses in an area. Geoff has an awesome garden, both vege and ornamental, so I spent the next hour with beers in hand getting a tour and De having the same while the boys had great time playing with Henry their 10 yr old boy – their first child contact in a week! We headed to the next town down the road Devonish, (that has the school for both towns with 7 kids total) for Christmas Carols. It was the direct opposite of our schools carols where the kids all sit up the front and sing and the parents sit at the back and hum.. The kids all played on the playground at that back and all of the adults were at the front singing! It was a great night and we were warmly welcomed into their small community.

A great way to finish of  our first week Doin' The Block!

Day 6 12/12/13 – Thredbo NSW – (Just near) Towong VIC

While it was pretty cold when we got up by 8:30 am it felt simply balmy as we headed off to the chair lift dressed in shorts and t-shirt and a jumper we would take of when we warmed up as we walked up to the summit of Mt Kosciusko – while I knew the 12k round trip was going to be a challenge I really had no idea!



 The Sign I probably should have paid more attention to!

 

 I think we must have been on the chairlift for 2 minutes as we headed over the top of the first ridge that reality set in.

Just before going over the first ridge - all smiles here!

 

I am not sure whether it was the cold that hit me or the sound of the two boys crying that made me realise this was not going to be fun! The temperature was about 3 degrees but the 45 – 60km/h wind dropped it down to around – 3 degrees.  Maybe we should have taken the tracksuit pants that I suggested. To make matters worse Sam’s favourite hat, that he got from Santa Claus in the crowd on the night of  their 2011 finals win, blew off causing an outpouring of grief that is usually reserved for African funerals. By the time we got to the top of the chairlift I knew it was going to big fight but I was going to make sure we at least got to the Kosciusko lookout – hey it is only 2.5kms away.

 

We made it at least 200m before Jacko refused to go on at least 300m before Sambo broke down and I had to piggy back him and by 500m De’s knees were hurting from the cold so much that she wanted to turn back. With just a bit of positive encouragement and cajoling we continued on. Neither of the boys had ever seen snow, let alone played in it, so that was the big carrot. After about 1.5 kms we could see where the path lead through a big area of remaining snow just before the lookout – and through the tears they headed onwards. Once they reached the snow it was great and I think they may have learnt something about perseverance and never giving up.

 



 

Note the snow ball - just missed!

 

 

Snow ball fights ensued with De being the key target and a great time was had by all until I said we needed to keep climbing to reach the lookout – by this stage the idea of getting to the summit was well and truely gooone! It was only about 500m  to the lookout and the level of inspiration at viewing our nations tallest summit was less than optimal. As De and the two boys huddled in behind a rock out of the wind I tried to soak in the opulence of the stumpy looking hill in front of me. A couple of quick photos and we beat a hasty retreat down the mountain.

 

We did manage to stop on the way down so I could educate the boys in the fine art of penguin sliding and instigate another snow ball fight.

 

 

As we got close to the top of the chair lift I noticed the front of Sam’s jumper was soaking wet, from the snow ball he had stowed in his pocket to throw at us later on in the day! We saw Sam’s hat as we went down on the chair lift, causing another outpouring of grief!

We hit the road and headed down the beginning of the Murray Valley Highway. We managed to see 5 lots of Brumby dung on the road, but no Brumbies – Bugger! The road was magnificent and we stopped at one of the secluded camp areas for lunch with the boys doing the dishes in the crystal clear creek.

 

 About 75 kms were covered in 3 hours as Izzy worked hard in low 4wd to keep the 5 ton rig from gaining to much speed. We pulled up at a free camp area on the NSW side of the Murray River just outside of Towong. The boys and I had a swim and collected wood for our first camp fire. The frostbite of the day’s adventures had been forgotten as we warmed ourselves around the fire with the sounds of the Murray rushing over rounded stones as our sound track. Another great day!