It is Melbourne that is supposed to experience all
four seasons in one day, but here along the Victoria – New South Wales border
it has certainly been happening over the past few weeks. We rose to greet a
dismal day and although the rain was not yet heavy, it was most unpleasant
packing up to leave.
We planned to only travel as far as Albury-Wodonga
today, a distance of about seventy five kilometres or so. As we drove eastwards
out of Yarawonga we noted the large numbers of relatively new homes and the on-going
development along the lakeshore. Obviously the population of Yarrawonga-Mulwala
will balloon out from the current number of about 7,700. It will become the
in-place to retire to or to raise children.
Rutherglen lies on the Murray Valley highway just forty seven kilometres east, promoted as a wine growing region. Along the way we passed
crops of bright yellow flowering canola and fenced paddocks of cattle and
sheep, which soon gave way to acres of grape vines. A big sign at the entrance
to Rutherglen states “Sydney has a great harbour but Rutherglen has a great
port.” The vintners here specialise in fortified wines, a beverage that does
nothing for gout sufferers hence we have not sampled any for some years. (Note
that it is not I who suffers gout, but am happy to adopt the diet requirements
for my husband’s sake.)
We stopped near the Information Centre because it
seemed to be the only place suitable to park, wandered in to the Centre housed
in a quaint old building manned by two equally quaint ladies, one of whom was
keen to give us a pass key to the gold stamper “just up the road” so we could
learn all about the gold industry of bygone years. Quite frankly both Chris and
I are all golded out. I told her we really were only passing through however were
entranced by this charming town and would pop back in if we decided to linger
long enough to enjoy such wonders. We wandered up the street to the newsagent
and back down the other side, admiring the wonderful old buildings, many built
in the 1890s and also took note of the bike trail industry that the town also
boasts. There are a number of cafes and antique shops in the main street and
you get the feeling that it is a popular spot for Melbournians to come to for a
cycling weekend. I took a brochure which details many of the cycle trails about
for future reference just in case we ever get around to buying bikes. However
seeing the bicycles lined up outside the Information Centre did encourage me to
consider the possibility of hiring sometime in the future. Today was not a day
to do so however, because while the weather had marginally improved, dry enough
to enjoy our brief walk up and down the town, the dark clouds were still
looking menacing.
Rutherglen has about 2,000 residents and lies
several kilometres away from the Murray River. The town reminds one of those
visited on the Kelly trail, and indeed it was one of the hangouts of that gang.
Had the weather been less inclement I might have suggested to Chris we stay a
day or two; it seems to have much more to offer than just a place to buy the
daily newspaper.
We pressed on the last forty five kilometres, the vines
once more giving way to dry stock farming. Low hills appeared to our south and
to the north, the valley was at last becoming a reality. We joined the Hume
Highway, the main route between Sydney and Melbourne and travelled on into
Wodonga.
Wodonga lies on the southern banks of the Murray
River in Victoria and across the river lies the sister city of Albury in New
South Wales; the former with a population of 38,000 and Albury with a
population of 53,000. We are back into seriously populated country.
We had found the Wodonga showgrounds advertising
powered sites in our old CMCA bible, and so tried ringing them to confirm they
were still in the business of accommodation. Chris’s cellphone battery was
almost flat so I dug mine out, and would you believe it? There was no Vodafone
reception ! If you have not heeded this advice before, I will repeat it here:
Do not bother with Vodafone here in Australia unless you stay within the state
capitals all the time. He plugged his phone into power and tried again only to
hear a very garbled incoherent message. We drove to the grounds adjacent to the
racecourse and found for ourselves a large board that explained that there was
no camping until further notice. Obviously the caravan park association is
alive and well in Wodonga!
Our second choice was this caravan park, found to be
the cheapest after our Family Parks discount last night when I had done some
homework on the net, and so here we are. We arrived in the rain, set up in the
rain and spent the greater part of the afternoon hunkered down with everything
shut tight and the electric heater blasting away. Hopefully the rain will have
passed by morning because we have a full schedule of to-dos during the four
days of our stay.
We have travelled by road almost exactly 1,000
kilometres from meeting the great Murray River at Wentworth to arriving here at
Albury-Wodonga, including our detour a little north to Deniliquin while the
river has run about 1,350 kilometres. Given the very winding nature of the
river in many places, I would have expected it to be far longer. Perhaps we
have tiki-toured about far more than I remember?
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