Echuca Victoria

Thursday 15th August

Today we sad goodbye to our friends and crossed the Victorian boarder headed along the Murray Valley Hwy 215km to Echuca. We had booked in advance to the top tourist park Echuca Holiday Park which sits along the Murray River not far from the Port of Echuca. It's a park we have stayed at before we had children and loved that it was walking distance to town. The park had a stay for 4 pay for 3 special on and we also received our discount for being top tourist members. 

As A had a sleep on the way we went yo the well known Beechworth Bakery for a late lunch then over the river to Moama to the adventure playground for the afternoon

Friday 16th August

Today we took the boys on a paddle steamer. We headed to the Port for a 10.15am hour long cruise on PS 

Pevensey which was built in 1911 as a cargo ship. Adults were $23.50 and children

J at the wheel

Passing the Emylou

The Murray River

The Port of Echuca 

The afternoon was spent doing washing while A slept.

Saturday 17th August

Today we went to the Echuca framers market then walked around town before doing some food shopping and heading back to the caravan park. A quiet day as we all had come down with a nasty cold.

Sunday 18th August

Another quiet day with this nasty cold, the poor boys were coughing up green snot with blocked noses. No one slept well so we only went and had a look at the Port of Echuca and everyone had an afternoon sleep.

We had planned to head further along the Murray up to Swan Hill and Mildura but the cold had wiped us out and with top temperatures of 14 and 15 with rain, all we wanted to do was head home. We had house sitters in the house till the following weekend when we had planned to be home by. So we decided our next stop.....Geelong to see my parents and hang out in the warmth of their house. 

Howlong NSW

Monday 12th August

Today we left Wagga Wagga and headed to see another friend this time travelling 150km to Howlong on the Victoria / NSW boarder. Once again we hadn't booked in advance but gathered at this time of year there was plenty of room. We booked in for 3 nights at the Howlong Holiday Park and choose a site down the back as it was extremely wet. We arrived just before lunch and headed to the bakery with our friend and her family for lunch before A went to have his afternoon sleep and we headed to the house so the older boys could play. Was lovely to sit inside with the fire going and catch up.

Tuesday 13th August

Today we headed into Wodonga to do dome paperwork with the new car at VicRoads. We  Had planned to catch up with the boys again as they had an appointment in Wodonga. We spent mid morning at Scrambes play centre where the boys run off plenty of energy. The afternoon was spent relaxing and catching up at the house before a lovely roast dinner.

Wednesday 14th August

Today we went for a drive out to see Lake Hume just 10kms out of Albury. We were very lucky when we arrived as they were realising water from Lake Hume into the Murray River.

The mighty Murray river

Lake hume dam wall

Lake Hume

Once again we spent the afternoon at our friends house while A slept.

Next Stop.....Echuca

Wagga Wagga

Friday 9th August

Today we left Bathurst and headed 322km along the Olympic hwy to Wagga Wagga with a lunch stop in Cootamundra, the birth palace of Sir Donald Bradman. With such a big day we didn't have time to stop and explore the museum and headed onto to our destination of Wagga Wagga. One we shall have to put down as another thing to come back too.

 We hadn't booked into to anywhere and thought we would just see what the caravan parks where like and choose the Big 4 Easts Riverveiw Holiday Park. A nice little park with pebble sites, lovely enclosed camp kitchen and playground for the children and a pool. The lovely lady at reception let both children stay for free as well giving us our Big 4 me membership discount.

Saturday 10th August

Today we went and walked around the main shopping area to Wagga before spending the afternoon catching up with a friend and his family. The boys had a ball playing with their children which are of similar age.

Sunday 11th of August

Today we headed back up the Olympic hwy to Junee, only 44km. First stop the Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum, which is only one of a handful of working roundhouses in the Southern Hemisphere. Half is used as a museum the only half still reconditions and rebuild the trains. The boys thought they were in heaven so many trains.

The amazing model railway at the Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum

The boys watching the model trains go around

The roundhouse 

The Roundhouse turn table

J in the drivers seat

A in the drivers seat

Next Stop was the Junee Licorice And Chocolate Factory. We did a tour of the factory but as It was a Sunday we could only see the chocolate side operating but still found it very informative. After the tour our group played vertical licorice bowling. the aim of the game was to throw a ball of hard Licorice  up into the shoot and the other person had to catch as many pins as they could. J did a great job with the ball and I caught 3 pins which made us the winners

J with his prize

After our tour we had a beautiful lunch in the restaurant "Graze" at the factory before buying some liquorice and heading back to Wagga. A had a sleep in the car so we went and had a look at the free zoo at the Wagga Wagga botanical gardens.

A peacock seeing his feathers at the zoo

That concludes our stay here in Wagga.....Next Stop Howlong to once again catch up with friends.

Bathurst NSW

Wednesday 7th August

We left Dubbo and travelled the Mitchell Hwy 206km to Bathurst. A bit of a detour but A has a medical appointment in Syndey tomorrow and we thought it would be easier to leave the van here than to drag it down. We had booked in to the Big 4 Bathurst Panorama Holiday Park on a powered site for 2 nights. Nice park with a jumping pillow and hot showers. The park is on the highway but very little noise in the powered section. After we set up we took a drive around The famous Mount Panorama race track. 

Thursday 8th August

 Early morning start once again in freezing conditions (was -4 overnight). Today we headed into 194km to Sydney for a day trip for a medical appointment for A. On our way we saw snow just out of Lithgow and on our way home called into Katoomba to see the Three sisters. At 3pm in the afternoon -2 degrees according to elders weather. It was freezing

The Blue mountains area looked beautiful, a spot we would love to come back and explore perhaps when the weather is warmer. Sadly our stay here was for only a short time as we are on a schedule to get home. Next destination......Wagga Wagga

Dubbo NSW

Saturday 3rd August

We left Tamworth and headed to Dubbo via Werris Creek, Spring Ridge, Coolah and Dunedoo. This is a lot quicker than going via the Newell Hwy and all suitable for towing a caravan with bitumen road.

We had booked in advance to the Big 4 Dubbo Parklands for 3 nights but we ended up staying another night. Great caravan park with a jumping pillow, BMX track, solar heated pool, children's playground and movies every afternoon and a big plus for us a baby and toddler bathroom.

Sunday 4th August

Early rise this morning when the alarm went of at 6am. We had booked in to do the early morning walk At Taronga Western Plains Zoo ((Dubbo zoo). We had to be at the zoo at 6.45am for a 2 hour behind the scenes walk . Very reasonably price at $15 per adult, on top of the zoos entry fee price for a family ticket was $39.90 per adult and $19.95 per child 4-15years and allows 2 consecutive days entry to the Zoo. The early morning walk was well worth the early start to see the animals up so close in their overnight pens.

After the tour we explored the zoo on our own. The zoo is 6km around and can be either walked, cycled or driven around using your own car. Today we choose to hire bikes (you can bring your own but felt it was too far for J to ride). The bike and trailer was $25 and bike and caboose was $28 for the day. J and A wore they own helmets. 

First up was the Giraffe feeding. $5 per person to feed and what a great experience. We got to feed several carrots to them.

As we had that early morning tour we did not do any other animal encounters or talks but explored at our own pace. 

Monday 5th August

Back to the zoo we went to make the most of the free consecutive day. Today we explored on foot with A in the pram and got to see everything we missed yesterday. 

Tuesday 6th August

Today was a quiet day after 2 big days at the zoo. We walked around town in the morning doing some food shopping before coming back to the caravan park for lunch and to do our laundry. We had dinner at the RSL next door which offered 10% of your meals with your Big 4 membership.

Next Stop.... Bathurst