Bob at Walhalla

"It was a tough life. They were so isolated here. You know, there was this woman....Mac, MacDonald, no, Mac something, scottish anyway. She came out to Rosedale with her husband. He was a doctor but he died. So she got herself a dray and some bullocks and hauled potatoes from Rosedale to Walhalla. She'd sell 'em here because they nearly starved in the early days...they were so cut off. She must've been tough she had eight, or was it ten bullocks at hand? That means she drove them through the swamps on the other side of the range, then over into here! It's all true, I researched it.

She had a couple of sons. One became a doctor and the other one was a professor of something at Melbourne Uni. I met him...oh I can't remember when and he was quite old then. Probably gone now, but he confirmed the whole story."

[I checked the Rosedale and District Historical Society site and it has no mention of this resourceful woman and all the pioneers appear to have been only male. Thanks Bob, for herstory!]

C is for Walhalla

It was supposed to be 'C' for Cooper's Creek but it had been graded and was a quagmire. So then it was going to be 'C' for Chinese Gardens but as I drove through Walhalla, I found the North Gardens Reserve and I was a very happy camper! I did check out the Chinese Gardens a little further along the road, they charge a small fee but have toilets and a shower (but who needs showers?). There were toilets at North Gardens, free barbecues, fire pits and water with wrigglers in it. What more could you want?

Walhalla, one of Victoria's Gold Rush towns, prospered into the 1900s. Now a drowsy tourist hamlet with several remaining buildings, strung beside the creek which runs along the narrow valley but...

• Once land was at such a premium they had to build the fire station over the creek. 
• The hills were so denuded by the demands of mining and steam generated machinery, a flood once left six feet (almost 2 metres) of silt along the main street..an early environmental disaster. 
• Walhalla was the first country town in Victoria to have electricity, generated by steam, but the kingpins thought it was a just a fad and it was turned off.

Right to left: Bandstand, Star Hotel, Oddfellows Hall.

The museum and post office are both worth a visit. The former because of the large photos of the town during its heyday and the latter because it is in original condition. The spinster (aint that a lovely word) daughter of the last owners lived there until the end of last century. It is furnished just as she left it. You may also enjoy a ride on the restored train; a piece of infrastructure that came too late to the town to make a difference to its decline. The cemetery is fascinating, commemorating the short lives of many and the mapping the outbreaks of scarlet fever.

I swear the rug in the living room of the old post office residence was the same as one we had at home when I was a child!

Every room in the  residence had different wallpaper.

Why I loved it so much!

Firstly, there was a music group who welcomed other campers into their midst and played long into the night. It was so joyous and felt somehow pagan.

Fiddling in the dark.

The second reason I enjoyed my visit were the satin bowerbirds. The nervous, shimmering midnight-blue males and the braver, beautifully patterned women with dark sapphire eyes. (In the picture they look purple but they weren't). They were quite brazen, even helping themselves to food from my kitchen and leaving pooey footprints everywhere.

The third reason was Bob. But I will tell you about him in the next post. 

B for Buchan Caves Reserve

Situated in East Gippsland, Victoria the Buchan Cave Reserve is is sited along the creek and consists a well-groomed camp-ground, shaded by mature exotic trees (approx. $40 per night). There is a visitor centre with a static display explaining the geological and human history. The park sports excellent facilities for day trippers and is jointly managed by the state and the traditional owners, people of the Gunaikurnal Nation. Guided tours of the network of caves with spectacular limestone formations, are the main drawcard. Click here for some wonderful images. Several walks, all less than 5kms, take the visitor into the bushland with opportunities to see lyrebirds, Gippsland water dragons and more. 

I visited during the week school returned and was the solitary camper. The situation would have been quite different the week before.

In the evenings, once the two legged invaders went home, the locals came out to tidy up the lawn and enjoy the amenities.

Just be warned, If you are walking to the toilet block after sunset, a kangaroo bounding out of the dark, can give you quite a start!