Farewell Mildura, We're Melbourne Bound

The park threw a party for Melbourne Cup, and we decided to go along.  Since I'm about 20 years younger than the majority of the party attendees I was a bit hesitant.  I needn't have been concerned though, as we soon met up with a fun group and spent the afternoon talking, laughing and indulging in some good red that we had bought at the winery earlier in the week.

Two of the couples had motorhomes that they live in full-time.  One had been on the road for the past 11 years, and the other for 13.  Neither had any regrets, other than wishing they had started earlier, and it was interesting talking to them about life on the road.

We were invited back to one couple's site that evening where we all enjoyed their fire and Mike provided some musical entertainment. 

Weary from the day, and feeling a bit worse for wear, we returned to our camper to be greeted by our hungry possum friends.  This time there were five of them and they came right up to us at the camper swirling around our legs.  One of them even mistook my toe for a bit of bread and gave me a nip!

All was forgiven in the end
.

In spite of feeling quite seedy the next morning we managed to make a trip to Wirraway, a local motorhome manufacturer.  They had come up in conversation the night before and we thought we'd have a look while we were in the area.  We hadn't rang in advance, but were hoping to have a chance to have a peek into one just to see what they were like.

We were pleasantly surprised when they gave us a tour of the facility and several motorhomes that were being built as well as some completed units.  We were impressed that they spent so much time with us, and we were given literature to mull over once we get home.

This afternoon we arrived in Wedderburn, a small Victorian goldrush town.  Upon arrival we met a lovely couple who are here gold prospecting, and spent the afternoon chatting with them.  They even showed us some of the gold they had found in the area.

Our holiday is drawing to a close, and we'll be home in just a few days!  It's nice though that we're not going straight home, and instead plan to spend some time with loved ones along the way.

Tomorrow we are off  to spend a couple of nights at Matt and Jill's house in Woodend.  We're excited about seeing them, especially little Tiana, whose birth at the end of May dictated our holiday departure date.  She's over five months old now, and would have changed so much since we saw her as a newborn!

From there we are off to Laura and Phil's place in Melbourne.  It seems like forever since we've seen them, and we can't wait to catch up.  We also have lots of lost cuddle time to make up for with Lyla (4) and Amelie who turned one year old in September, while we were away. 

I don't know if I'll have a chance to update during our visits.  I will if I can, but otherwise will check in again once we have settled in at home.

Mildura

We've had a few patches of sun today, but it's basically been the kind of weather that only ducks would enjoy.

An advantage of the lousy weather is that we're not out exploring as much so I have more time to keep up with the blog.  Of course the down side is that since we're not out exploring there's not a whole lot to update!

It took all my might to pry myself away from our camper this morning with it's cheapie Aldi heater which has been a lifesaver these past couple of days.  We thought about going to "Orange World" but the thought of  touring fruit orchards in the cold and rain didn't appeal, even with the lure of the giant orange. :) 

There are a few wineries around, but after yesterday's extended visit that was a no-go too.  We wound up doing lots of nothing and going to the movies to see "The Social Network" which we both enjoyed.

Last night was entertaining.  The rain had finally taken a pause so we ventured outside where we spotted a possum high up in a tree.  I made silly sounds and did whatever else I could think of to try and coax it closer, but no luck.  Then along came Dr. Dolittle, and as you can see below he proved once again to be true to his name.

Once the adult was comfortable with Mike a baby came closer too, and we fed them some bread.  We played with them for about an hour, and eventually another adult possum joined in and got a feed as well.

By this time it was after 11pm and we were about to head off to bed when some neighboring campers came out and joined in as well.  They wanted to know how we got them to come so close to us, and guessed that it must have taken us a very long time.  They obviously don't realize the powers of Dr. D.  I didn't share with them the fact that Mike had one of them crawling up his arm. 

Pretty amazing to see them hanging onto a branch by their tails!

The park actually encourages feeding of the local animals and if they're back tonight, I'll be ready with the bread, or perhaps a veggie or two.  They were sure quick to train me, but how can you resist that face?

Wet and Cold Broken Hill to Mildura

So, here we are back in Victoria where we are on.... (wait for it) .... Victoria (Eastern Daylight) time! Yay finally a time zone that makes sense! Now if only my body would stop running on WA time!

It was no use hoping for a break in the rain for pack-up as it bucketed all night and continued pouring in the morning as we got ready to leave. It also got cold and I went from wearing shorts and a singlet the day before to jeans, jumper and jacket. Actually, there was a short break in the rain - just after we had finished! If only we had waited another half hour before starting we may not have gotten quite so soaked. Oh well, it made the trip in the car feel even more cozy.

Speaking of the car trip, it didn't turn out to be so cozy after all.  We came around a bend on the Silver City Highway to find a backup of cars. Up ahead was a sedan that had been pulling a caravan and must have lost control on the wet road. The caravan was still attached to the car by chains and flipped over onto it's roof which had forced the back of the car up in the air.

The car and caravan were across the road blocking traffic in both directions. There were a bunch of people queued up behind the wreck (they couldn't get past with their caravans) who were helping to jack up the car so they could separate it from the van. We stopped to see if anyone was hurt or if we could help. Luckily the woman was okay and had help on site but they hadn't been able to get through to the authorities via phone or CB.

We were able to drive on the dirt shoulder and squeeze past the wreck with our camper. We warned cars coming in the other direction and when we came to the next fuel stop, about 40k down the highway, Mike got the attendant to ring the local police.

The whole thing was so upsetting to see. I found myself getting emotional, especially thinking how terrifying it must have been for the driver. Sheesh - I am clearly useless in a crisis. The woman wasn't hurt, and I don't know her, but I've found myself periodically thinking of her ever since. The thing is, if it was a couple or a family with a caravan of course I'd feel badly for them, but I'd assume that they had lost their holiday van. Awful, but the loss would amount to dollars and an aborted holiday. In this case, because it was a woman on her own I've managed to convince myself that she was probably a full-timer living in the van and has lost her home.

At least we haven't seen any locusts so far. It's just as well too, because if I remember my Passover story correctly the next plague is darkness. The cold and the rain are bad enough, thankyouverymuch. Darkness might just send me over the edge. It might be interesting to see the parting of the red sea though .. or the pink lake as the case may be.

We arrived in Mildura and set up our wet camper in the rain. We managed to get our large awning erected during a rain break so at least we have a dry area to sit outside. It pretty much poured all night. Today is a bit better. Still cold, but only occasional showers and we've seen a bit of sun. We're in a nice spot on the Murray River, which is fuller than I've ever seen it.

Mildura is in the midst of a food and jazz festival so we headed out to Trentham Winery to listen to some jazz and sample some food and wine.

It was a lovely afternoon and we left with a couple of souvenier glasses and a half dozen bottles of wine. 

The perfect antidote for a cold and gray afternoon.

Someone has clearly had too much!

We were planning on staying in Mildura for three nights, but as of now are undecided.  I don't think we dare head any further south than we have to.  Brrrr!!