Horizons #6 and # 7.

Somewhere along the Lassiter Highway - a celebration of the red!

View of Kata Tjuta and Uluru (if you look closely) from the dune viewing area on the way to Kata Tjuta.

D is for Daylesford

Lovely Daylesford is a welcoming town, known for its artists and boutique shops. Jubilee Lake Camping Ground is very popular with (obviously) a lake, kiosk, canoe and paddle boat hire and helpful and friendly hosts. At Easter and other peak times, the 'overflow' areas are opened up and these boast generous sized sites with a toilet block and showers but not electricity. There is an easy walk around the lake and to the nearby mineral spring.

Jubilee Lake from the walk around the lake, looking back at the camp ground.

Unfortunately the lake surrounds are rampant with blackberries.  Did you know that these were brought from England to Australia by the founder of the Melbourne Botanical Gardens, von Meuller? He thought they were worthy immigrants because of their fruit and jam making properties. Landowners were advised to plant them along waterways to stop erosion and, of course, it didn't take them long to become a menace in our much milder climate. A major problem, is that the berries are delicious and enjoyed by many species of bird who then transport them in their gut before pooping them out in other places...in a capsule of fertiliser!

Another place to visit in Daylesford is the Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens which are on the hill behind the Convent Gallery (which is also a must, not only because of the art but the lovely food in their cafe). The gardens boast a tower with a winding stairway of 100 steps.

When I was there, the hothouse was blooming with tuberous begonias.

Thanks to the foresight of our forebears, there are well established trees many of which are massive.

 ..but it is always the detail that catches my eye.

Many stems of a very old camellia

Bark of a monkey puzzle tree.

Fans of Daylesford, will tell you there is much more to see in this Victorian country town.  I didn't even scratch the surface with this post. It is well worth a visit, as is the adjacent spa town of Hepburn Springs where you can take the waters, and indulge in a spa and a massage. 

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!

A is for Aysons Reserve

The people of the Pinpandoor Nation knew the area around the Campaspe River in northern Victoria, as Palooka. Now, any immigrant can camp at Aysons Reserve on the banks of the river, between Rochester and Elmore, and it's free. There are basic toilets, a dump point and a boat ramp.  Whatever else you want you have to bring. Campfires, complying with fire restrictions, are allowed. Fishing, swimming, yabbying, boating (small boats), canoeing and photography are popular. 

The prototype ensuite I used on this trip had a few drawbacks which I intend to remedy before I venture away again. The pictured set-up required me to climb in one side, crawl across the bed and out the other door to access my portapotty. 

Following a particularly convivial evening with friends around the campfire I had a weeny problem. Take my word, the first part of this manoeuvre was completed with absolute grace, elegance and efficiency. However, as I lowered myself down...I am not quite clear how... I  found I was sitting behind the toilet, with my legs around it, feet in the air, back resting hammock style in the side of the groaning tent and absolutely stuck. I was as helpless as a beetle on its back, a topsy-turvy turtle, or a 'tired and emotional' grandma with her legs around a portable toilet in a pop-up tent...which is much worse than either of the previous examples.  It took me some serious problem solving and several abortive attempts, but I did escape, with just a little gravel rash where it can't be seen.

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