Motor home diaries - 23rd January

ODO reading 767kms. Day 4

Another early start and we were away for 8.45am. Destination Shady Gully campsite in Mallacoota. We would follow the Princes Highway for most of the route.

After about an hour or so, we had the usual stop for a coffee and ciggie for mum in a place called Cann River. We had seen a sign for a market day today, which was all the more reason to stop – we love rummaging round markets…

We found the market easily enough in the centre of town – all 6 stalls. Got talking to an old girl who ran a touristy type of stall – very nice woman – she told us in great detail where she would be for the next 5-6 weeks. She had just become a great-granny but was still up for it. I bought Margaret an ashtray, which we would leave for Nicola for out her back after we left.

So, drove on to Bairnsdale which was a lovely wee town stopping for yet more coffee and a nosey. Past an interesting place called Nowa Nowa and called in for information. The lady told us to take a drive into Marlo where we could pause at 90 Mile Beach. Mind you we could only see about 2 of them.

Onwards to Cape Curran, which was a disappointing place, so we pressed on to Mallacoota. The site we had booked was 20kms off the main road through yet another National Forest. 3 kms from our destination we were stopped by the police and asked for a breath sample. Can you imagine! The first time in my life breathalysed, in the middle of a forest, in the middle of the day, in Australia! And I was sober…

It was on this road that we spotted the smoke from the bushfires hovering above the trees down below us in the valley. Scared the life out of M.

We found a site easily enough and parked up. The owner said the town was going about 1.1 kms away so we walked in. He also told us that if you call into the bar they will give you a courtesy lift home. We found the bar but it wasn’t very nice so we walked down to the harbour. There were quite a few pelicans swimming about on the water. A fella came over to the fish-cleaning table with his catch and we noticed as soon as he got there, the pelicans all swam up to the side, obviously waiting for their lunch. He threw the entrails in and they fed hungrily.

We had a meal here. M had pork with figs and sultanas a tad Algerian and I had prawn and mussel risotto – both gorgeous. Two puddings and a bottle of wine, the bill was $108.40.

We had noticed this Winnebago driving around lost looking. I thought he couldn’t find a site and was glad we had pre-booked ours. On our way back to the campsite we got slightly lost and encountered the Winnebago again. We stopped him as he came out of another campsite and advised him there were spare sites at our campground. Off he went and I thought he could have offered us a lift. About 5 mins later we met him again and he stopped saying he was lost. By this time, I knew where we were and told him we would give him directions again – but only if he gave us a lift! This he did and after we settled in we went looking for them. No sign of them – they must not have liked the site.

The site was busy being Australia Day weekend but there were one or two pitches left but he must have found it not to his taste.

In bed before 10.30 again in preparation for another early start.

$32 including power per night – a slightly over inflated price for what you got.