A last minute change of plans due to
recent heavy rains had me ducking and weaving through central
Victoria to reach my first day's destination, Ouyen. That had a
couple of favourable outcomes. I was able to easily visit Trentham
Falls, the longest single-drop
falls in Victoria (no match for Niagara, obviously!) which, a
recent news item had informed me, were flowing beautifully. Indeed
they were!
Afterwards, early lunch in Kyneton and
the best foccacia I've had since I don't know when. Their mediocre
coffee was forgiven.
The other lovely thing came later in
the afternoon but perhaps (no perhaps about it!) that wasn't exactly good
for me. Birchip is on my return route but now I went through there on
the outward journey too. Naturally, I couldn't pass the award winning
bakery without sampling one of its famous vanilla slices! I'll be
back for more.
En route to St Arnaud, the verges were
filled with flowers, the daisies of my childhood daisy chains -
crowns, necklaces, bangles, ear-rings - and other daisies of some sort
that were a riot of colour. Plus the odd clump of fresias and other
“pretty flowers” (i.e. I have no idea what they were!)
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| Memories of daisy chains |
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| Stunning! |
Although there was no water on the
road, there was plenty everywhere else – in ditches, channels and
depressions at the side of the road, and every dam was full. I've
never seen anything like it, not to mention how green the countryside
was – unseen before now.
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| Lush green crops, golden canola in the distance - and rain that held off! |
As I drove along there was one lovely
feel-good moment. Approaching a cross-road in the middle of nowhere,
I noticed a farm vehicle off to my right. To be on the safe side,
even though I had right of way, I slowed down. The farmer and I
reached the intersection at the same time. He gave me a wave to
acknowledge my slowing down - and boosted my spirits which were
already high.
St Arnaud was the “stretch my legs
and loo stop” break. I'm now particularly conscious of leg stretch
stops. Long hours in the car without regular breaks can be just as
conducive to a DVT as can a long flight. A librarian at the public
library (where I have visited before) showed me to the loo via a door
normally forbidden to the public. I must have looked old and
desperate!
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| St Arnaud streetscape - How to block an unused door |
Then for a
walk up and down the main street when lo and behold, amongst all the beautiful old buildings, I stumbled upon
the Bible Museum. Looking in the window, I was caught when the woman
who spotted me came outside to drag me in. It's run by a mother and
daughter who are obviously into the Bible – but no attempt at
preaching. Their interest seemed to be historical as much as anything
else. There were some old and interesting items there but also many
facsimile copies of various codexes and even of the St John's Abbey bible, a modern day illuminated text. I love illuminated
texts!
Leaving as quickly as I decently could,
it was on to Birchip for the vanilla slice, eaten at a pavement table
in view of the town's other claim to fame, the Mallee Bull!
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| Birchip's Mallee Bull |
Another news item alerted me to the
newfound fame of Sea Lake. Apparently you can see your reflection, or
the reflection of the stars of the night sky in Lake Tyrell, just
outside the town. Chinese visitors are flocking there supposedly. I
stopped to look – presumably at the wrong point of the lake's shore
or the wrong time of day, since all I could see was murky water and
mud nearby and the more distant algae-induced pink effect. Plenty of saltbush though! If I were a Chinese tourist I'd have been
feeling well and truly dudded!
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| The vaguely pink Lake Tyrell from the viewing platform |
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| More saltbush than you could possibly want! |
Then on to Ouyen before the shadows
lengthened any further, bringing the risk of kangaroos on the road.
Lovely old hotel on the outside, anything but on the inside. It's
famed cuisine was nothing more than marginally above average pub
grub. Say no more!
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| Hotel Victoria, Ouyen, in the morning sunlight |