6 October 2012 - Echuca Holiday Park, Victoria

We woke to rain this morning which only became more persistent during the course of the morning. Having received news just two days ago regarding the scheduling of family events, thus enabling us to be more organised with our immediate plans, we set off into town inspired by an advertisement seen in yesterday’s Herald Sun. Flight Centre were advertising return flights to New Zealand for a mere $304, obviously a price too good to miss, so with this torn from the newspaper, we marched into the local office full of hope. The special relates to flights during about March next year, quite outside our requirements, however the very large and helpful tour agent was able to procure flights at an acceptable price. We are now committed to actual dates and will arrange all future travel between now and 8 December with a view to arriving in Sydney close to that date. Surety at last!

Yesterday we had been given free coffee vouchers for the Beechworth Bakery, obviously a branch of that in Beechworth where we had purchased such excellent bread earlier in the year. After wandering up and down the main streets of Echuca under the covered verandah areas, we made our way to this bakery, well patronised and offering the same excellent variety of bread along with cakes named Muddy Murray, biscuits in the shape of paddle steamers and a mass of other decadent delights. We sat with our loaf of “96 hour sourdough” and drank our bottomless cups of filtered coffee, Chris’s favourite style of the beverage, and chatted with a family who had travelled up from Shepparton for the day’s excitement at the Port.

Paddle steamers along the banks of the Murray River

Back at the caravan park we hunkered down with the heater blazing and set to sending off emails to announce our long awaited decision and to start making arrangements about such matters as storage for the rig in Sydney.

We sat around most of the afternoon, peeking out the windows from time to time when the rain was not pounding upon the roof, wondering if it had passed, and then at about 4.30 pm we set off for a walk toward the historical wharf to gauge the state of the world of Echuca. As we walked along the flood banks above the moored paddle steamers, through the mud, we noted the erosion on the far bank, that in New South Wales and wondered how much of a flood would do the same to the more formalised structures on the southern banks here in Victoria.

A few days ago we had learned that the actual state border lies on the high water mark on the southern bank of the Murray River which means practically that one should carry a  New South Wales fishing licence to fish for Murray Cod, perch or carp unless you are firmly standing on the southern banks or unless you are under or over aged. Alas, we do not qualify as either. 

 We wandered along part of the historical wharf precinct with a few others who had ventured out to check the weather, but did not feel the approaching ambiance and anticipation of the planned festivity. The Australian actor, John Waters, is to compere the festivities of the evening and one might have expected the gathering of the crowds, however those few we saw wrapped in their raincoats and woolly hats looked as hesitant as us and I suspect the whole well-orchestrated event will turn into a fizzer. We decided that despite the minute band of blue sky, the gathering dark clouds seemed a whole lot more decisive, so we decided to head back to camp and miss the whole event. As I type this I can hear the plaintive cry from one of the paddle steamers sailing by but quite frankly, I suspect the audience is miniscule or even non-existent.

We have booked another night and will hopefully be able to give Echuca our full attention tomorrow without worrying about such silly matters as the weather.