Thursday 20 & Friday 21 September 2018

We are up at 5.30am to double check the van, which we loaded last night with all our wares.  Cherrie watered her precious vegetable garden and attended to last minute garden chores.  As planned, at 9.30am we took off

and met our travelling companions at the bottom of the driveway.  Off we go in convoy, down Wattamolla Road and up through Kangaroo Valley.  In a sign of things to come, we stop after 50 minutes for coffee, at the excellent Exeter General Store.  We meet up again at Jugiong for lunch and then make our way to

which of course means TOWN OF MANY CROWS TOWN OF MANY CROWS in the local indigenous language.  But to get to the town of many crows we had to pass through

which means town of few teeth.

We check into the caravan park at

which of course means beach of many crows, and is apparently a famous inland beach.  At least amongst the crows.  Perhaps not the most saloubrious caravan park but the check in woman offered some very good culinary advice when we asked about a butcher who might provide us with some tasty hand made sausages for dinner.  “Try the Vegemite and Cheese sausages” she said.  Without even a hint of irony.  In a stroke of luck the butcher was closed and so Woolworths Pork & Fennel sausos did the trick.

The camp site was cosy

but we were all exhausted and retired at 8.30pm.  Cherrie and I slept quite well considering, but suffice to say a dash to KMart as we departed the Crows to purchase a mattrass topper will, we hope, ensure that we sleep even better tonight.

An early morning walk revealed the aforementioned beach in all its glory

We head towards SWAN Hill in a leisurely manner and have an uneventful drive.  The amount of road kill is troubling – more than any of us have ever seen and we can only assume that the drought may have something to do with this.  Either that, or perhaps Tony Abbott is to blame?  It is heartening to see a number of large hay trucks on the road,  delivering to the stricken farmers.

We do spot lots of emus

and a goanna to rival a croc

We stop in Jerilderie for a wander and spy a wonderful water tower

and a mixed business

We are now by the mighty Murray in

with sweet little house boats passing by

Di’s cooking up a curry on the camp (and I mean offence to my friends by that term) stove so I’d better make tracks.  As it were.  Tomorrow to Mildura and lunch at Stefanos.  Yum.