April 22, 2021. Melbourne to Milawa.
This short break was very much a family affair and built around another return trip to Yackandandah or Yack, as it is affectionately known.
Yack holds a very special place in the hearts of Thea’s family.
Her father, although born in Melbourne, spent much of his early childhood in Yack after his mother died when he was only 8 months old. He was then raised by his grandparents in this quaint country town.
Yackandandah was a former gold mining centre and has its origins in the 1850s. Immigrants from around the world flocked to this area when gold was discovered.
We had visited Yack at this time of year in the past and were taken by the spectacular display of Autumn colours.
We were certainly not disappointed this time as well.
Our first night’s stop on the way to Yack, was at Milawa, an area is known for its wineries and food.
We had booked into the Gamze Smokehouse and Restaurant for dinner, which was just 200 metres from our motel.
As the restaurant name suggests, there were lots of local cured meat on offer. We therefore started with the Charcuterie board.
We should have stopped there, as it was huge.
They even had Bridge Road Brewery Pale Ale, from Beechworth, on tap as well as many local wines.
Brown Brothers of Milawa (1889)
April 23, 2021. Milawa to Yackandandah.
It was only a short 50km drive to Yack, so we decided to visit some of the famous gourmet food manufacturers that are in the region.
After breakfast at the motel we went looking for a coffee and popped into Brown Brothers.
This celebrated winery, dating back to 1896, was at the forefront in the creation of the Milawa Gourmet Region.
Established in 1994, this food and wine area was the first to be developed in Australia.
As well as wine there are many other culinary delights manufactured in the region, such as mustards, cheeses, breads, olives and, as we discovered, smoked meats.
We did manage to do a bit of shopping before continuing our journey.
Another side trip on the road to Yack, was a stop in Myrtleford. There we walked through the Rotary Park, where we discovered the historic Log Tobacco Kiln that was built in 1957.
From the 1930s to the 1960s tobacco growing and curing was a major industry in this region. Much of the land was owned and worked by Italian immigrants.
It was then time for a walk and along the Ovens River.
We were accompanied by a group of young adults with disabilities. They were having a great outing and delighted in discovering a series of mosaics that had been created along the river walk.
In the heart of Myrtleford, we discovered Coffee Chakra. It was officially closed but they still managed to serve us.
It was both a coffee roaster and cafe so the brew was excellent.
Myrtleford seems to have become a haven for Australians of Indian heritage, as we saw many around the town. They were not just visiting but active in local business as well. In fact the barista, owner and coffee roaster at Coffee Chakra was of Indian origin but with a broad Aussie accent.
On the way out of town we visited The Big Tree. This giant Red River Gum is one of the largest of its kind in Victoria and over 200 years old.
That night there was a large group of 12 for dinner, which was at the Star Hotel.
The Star is also known as the Top Pub, being at the top of Yackandandah’s High Street. It was also very close to the motel where most of us were staying.
Yackandandah Creek
April 24, 2021. Yackandandah.
We all had a quiet day in Yack, punctuated by a group walk to Yackandandah Creek.
The main purpose was to visit the spot where the ashes of Thea’s father, mother and brother have been scattered.
That night it was dinner at the Yackandandah Hotel, or the Bottom Pub, which, understandably, is at the bottom of the High Street hill.
Lake Hume
April 25, 2021. Yackandandah.
It was Anzac Day and Yackandandah, like many country towns, had a parade.
High Street was blocked off and the local returned service men and women, as well as others wearing their relative’s medals marched up the hill. After them came the children of the town’s sporting groups, clubs and school.
All this was accompanied by a marching band.
It was a very short parade that lasted less than 10 minutes. There was then a wreath laying ceremony in the Memorial Park.
In the afternoon we drove to the Huon Reserve car park and did a return walk, along the Lake Hume and High Country Rail Trail to the Sandy Creek Rail Bridge.
Lake Hume, formerly Hume Reservoir, was constructed between 1919 and 1936 by damming the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River.
The dam has many purposes, such as flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, water supply and conservation.
There are hundreds of dead trees partly submerged in the lake, giving it the eerie feeling of a tree graveyard.
That night dinner was back at the Top Pub and being a Sunday night it was much quieter than it had been on Friday.
Friday seems to be the night that country people hit the town.
The grave of George Henry Backhaus (50 years) and John Henry Backhaus (42 years) Who died September 23, 1915
April 26, 2021. Yackandandah to Corryong.
This was our last morning in Yack, before the shortish drive to Corryong, where we would stay for two nights.
It was a day of ghost hunting for Thea as we meandered towards Corryong.
We stopped at Yabba Cemetery where George and John Backhaus are buried. Tragically these two brothers, great uncles of Thea, died in a house fire on September 23, 1915.
It was the strangest cemetery I have ever visited. Out in the middle of nowhere, we had to go through a farm gate then walk across paddock to get the cemetery entrance.
Once we reached Corryong I had some work to do and the best place was in the bar of the Corryong Hotel, which is where we were staying.
Well it did have good internet and a bench to put my computer on.
In town the Corryong Hotel/Motel is also known as the Bottom Pub. What is it with this top and bottom thing?
The food was ok and they did have Blowhard Pale Ale from Bright Brewery on tap.
As the kitchen closed at 8:30 so it was an early night, made even more interesting by the size of the room we were in.
You could barely swing a possum in there.
We found the best place to get out of each others way was to sit on the bed and watch TV.
Blue-tongue lizard on the dam wall
April 27, 2021. Corryong.
Breakfast at the motel wasn’t great but it was included in the cost of the room.
We then had a coffee at the Cafe Corryong Brew, which is next door to White Owl Coffee Roasters.
The coffee was great, that’s after giving the barista a few instructions as to the size and strength of what we wanted.
Today we were searching for the source of the mighty Murray River and not looking for ghosts.
That was until we discovered that the spring, which is the source, is in an inaccessible wilderness area
The weather was beautiful with a high of 23°C+ – time to drag out the shorts from the bottom of the bag.
We did stop at Bringenbrong, which crosses over the Murray River on the border between NSW and Victoria.
From there we drove into NSW and on to Khancoban Dam, where we walked across the dam wall. Halfway across we found a rather large blue-tongue lizard, sunning itself on the side of the road.
The views from the spillway of the Khancoban Pondage and the Swampy Plain River valley were spectacular.
Being in the heart of the Snowy Mountain Scheme we then drove the short distance to the Murray 1 Power Station.
This is just one of seven power stations, sixteen major dams, 145km of interconnected tunnels and 80 km of aqueducts in the Snowy Scheme.
Completed in 1974, it took 25 years to build and today is regarded as one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world.
It was then back to Corryong where we did a bit of local sightseeing.
The Man from Snowy River, a poem by Banjo Peterson, (1864-1941) is immortalised in a statue by the artist Brett Garling. The statue sits proudly next to the Corryong tourist information office.
The poem was first published in the Bulletin magazine on April 26, 1890 and is one of Australia’s most famous pieces.
It is believed that the The Man, is the legendary local stockman, Jack Riley, who migrated form Ireland to Australia, as a 13-year-old, in 1850.
Another local hero, this one of the canine variety, is Horrie the Wog Dog. His statue is in the memorial gardens, which is next to our favourite coffee shop, Cafe Corryong Brew.
It’s no coincidence that Horrie’s statue sits near the war memorial celebrating those locals who lost their lives in times of conflict.
Horrie, an Egyptian Terrier, was the unofficial mascot of the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion of the Second Australian Imperial Force. He was befriended by an Australian soldier, Private Jim Moody, while they were fighting in Egypt during the Second World War.
He served as an air sentry and was promoted to rank of corporal.
Horrie moved around with the Battalion and was finally smuggled back to Australia when Jim Moody was repatriated in 1942.
Due to Australia’s strict quarantine laws it’s believed that Horrie was put down in 1945. However there is an alternative story, that has become local legend, that Moody substituted another dog for Horrie and he lived on in Corryong.
Dinner was at the Corryong Hotel again as there wasn’t much else open.
That night it was a Super Moon or Pink Moon as it’s described in the northern hemisphere. This has nothing to do with the moon’s hue but the colour of the spring flowers that are found during this Spring moon event.
Murray Grey cattle in their original habitat
April 28, 2021. Corryong to Melbourne.
After another good coffee at the Cafe Corryong Brew, we set off on what was to be a long day’s drive home.
The first part was an exploration of the newly named Great River Road. This took us from Corryong through Towong, Walway and Jingellic to Lake Hume.
The scenery was spectacular as we drove west, with the Murray River coming and going on the right hand side.
We even came across the birthplace of the Murray Grey at Thologolong, as well as a small herd grazing on the roadside.
This iconic breed of cattle was discovered by accident in 1905 by the Sutherland family. It can now be found throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North America and Europe.
After the meandering drive along the Murray to Lake Hume it was then onto the Hume Highway and back to Melbourne
Bushfire relief drive: Take 2.
March 31st, 2021After the devastating bushfires in south eastern Australia last summer, we decided to visit some of the worst effected areas.
Not to gawk but to spend some money and give back something to these communities that had been so badly hit.
That was not to be.
Once the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic became obvious and we went into lockdown, no travel, even so close to home, was possible.
Now, twelve months on, we decided to deliver on our promise and make our bushfire relief drive.
March 16, 2021. Melbourne to Lakes Entrance.
Our first day away consisted of a rather longish drive to Lakes Entrance. This was broken with a coffee and lunch stop in Yarragon. This is a cute little ‘Coffee break town’ that’s just off the Princes Highway and set up for passing tourists, truckies and also the Gippsland Railway.
On the first night of our break, at the suggestion of the motel owner, we ate at the Kalimna Hotel.
We needed to get a taxi there as it was a long walk, up a steep road, heading out of town.
This was a basic pub with a stunning view over the lakes.
Having become used to getting craft beer in many pubs these days, it was rather disappointing to discover that Great Northern Bitter was the most exciting brew they had on offer.
Believe me, this is certainly not a beer to write home about.
Stony Creek Trestle Bridge (1916)
March 17, 2021. Lakes Entrance.
As we had two nights in Lakes Entrance, and the weather was fine, we decided to make this a day of walking.
Our adventure took us from the Log Crossing Picnic Area in Colquhuon State Forest to the Limestone Box Forest Track, then Armstrongs Track to the Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail and Tramway Walk.
The aftermath of the bushfires was evident, but the regrowth had done a wonderful job of restoring the bush tracks.
The original Mississippi Creek Tramway was developed in the 1900s and used until the 1930s. It transported granite from a quarry in the area to the developing Lakes Entrance township, fishing port and tourist area.
In 1870 the town was originally called Cunninghame but became Lakes Entrance in 1915.
After the walk we then drove along the Uncles and Old Colquhoun Roads to the Stony Creek Trestle Bridge.
Built in 1916, when the rail line from Melbourne to Bairnsdale was extended to Orbost, it is the largest bridge of its type in Victoria and listed as an historic site.
Built from ironbark and grey box timber, it is 247 metres long and 20 metres high and was in service for over 60 years. Badly damaged by bushfires in 1980 it was finally closed in 1987.
That night we had dinner at Sodafish, a floating seafood restaurant right in the middle of the harbour’s fishing fleet.
Again, this restaurant was booked at the suggestion of the owner’s of the Sandbar Motel.
Suburu on Wheelers Hill (699m) McKillops Road
March 18, 2021. Lakes Entrance to Marlo via McKillops Road (C611).
Today we decided to drive one of the; ‘Most hazardous and dangerous roads in Australia’ as it has been described by the website ‘dangerousroads.org’
The McKillops Road drive is 80km along a gravel road, in the Snowy River National Park. Yes there are many narrow sections, with blind corners but it certainly isn’t the hairiest drive I have ever encountered.
We would have thought twice about taking the road if it had been wet, as there are many tight corners with steep drop-offs to the side.
The AWD capabilities of the Subaru were very useful and at no time did I feel as though we were in any danger.
In fact our drive from Beacon, in New York State, back to Harlem, in New York City in November 2017 was the the worst drive I have ever done – and that was on a sealed road in the rain.
A man made feature of the McKillop’s Road drive, is McKillop’s Bridge. This is situated about half way along the C611, near the confluence of the Snowy and Deddick Rivers.
The bridge is made of welded-steel trusses with reinforced-concrete piers and was built over the Snowy River between 1931 and 1936.
It is 255 metres in length and originally constructed as a stock bridge.
From there we drove to Marlo where we were booked into the Marlo Hotel.
There isn’t much in Marlo and the hotel seems to be the go-to destination, as that night the restaurant was full.
Kookaburra at the Mallacoota Coastal Reserve Caravan Park
March 19, 2021. Marlo to Mallacoota via Cape Conran.
The clouds have increased and the skies are much darker. This is all part of a large weather front that is developing over NSW.
Today we were driving the rather short distance from Marlo to Mallacoota, with a diversion to Cape Conran.
We had a good breakfast and excellent coffee in Marlo at the Snowy River Tackle and Cafe complex. There you can get live worms for your bait and Avo on Toast for your breakfast.
Just out of Marlo we could see, what is described on the map as, the mouth of the Snowy River.
This now appears to be blocked by a sand bar, as no exit was visible.
Steph, Ev’s partner, has spent many holidays camping at Cape Conran with her family, so we decided to visit it ourselves.
The bushfires have certainly left their mark here and blackened trees can be seen almost reaching down to the water’s edge.
We then drove on to Mallacoota and, by total coincidence, checked into Bruce’s Waterside Units.
We were staying in the Captain’s Cabin, which was in fact an old school house.
The rain was threatening and we decided to go for an afternoon walk to discover the area before it got any worse.
Mallacoota is a haven for campers and fishermen, with much of the town taken up with caravan parks. Many of the campsites had boats parked next to the tents, vans and motorhomes.
It was in the Mallacoota Coastal Reserve Caravan Park that we discovers some wonderful Australian wildlife, in the form of two Kookaburras and a Koala.
They were every cooperative and I managed to get some good snaps.
That night we ate at the Mallacoota Hotel, which was just around the corner from the Captain’s Cabin.
The food was typically pub fair with a huge variety and well presented. I managed to find Balter XPA on tap. This was also available at Lakes Entrance and Marlo and a great improvement on the Great Northern Bitter that I had to endure on the first night.
Bushfire aftermath at Genoa Creek Falls
March 20, 2021. Mallacoota.
The rain has come.
The severe weather warnings for NSW have now moved south over the border into Victoria.
With the intermittent showers we decided that the best thing was to go for a drive around the Mallacoota area.
We discovered the Genoa River at Gipsy point on the Mallacoota Inlet.
This is an area for kayaks, fishermen and bird watchers.
No sooner had we arrived than a flock of swallows swooped down to where we were standing.
I believe that the swallow is one of the hardest birds to photograph. No sooner do they land than they take off again.
Here it was different, they seemed to want to be photographed. Maybe they had missed the tourists over the last twelve months or they were just tired and needed a break.
Anyway, they did settle long enough for me to change to a telephoto lens and get some shots.
It was then off to Genoa Creek Falls, an area that seems to have been particularly hard hit by the fires.
The falls are just off the Princes Highway, on a small, easy to miss track. After you park the car, there is a short walk and a flight of timber stairs leading down to the falls.
As a result of the bushfires, the stairs have been rebuilt and are now brand new. The bush around the falls is dotted with blackened tree trunks, fallen logs and singed bark hanging from the branches.
I imagine during the winter, or after heavy rain the falls might be rather spectacular, but the day we visited there was barely a trickle running over the large red boulders.
After our drive we returned to the Captain’s Cabin and then it started to pour down.
That night we returned to the Mallacoota Hotel for dinner, as we hadn’t managed to find anywhere better and the beer, wine and food was ok.
March 21, 2021. Mallacoota to Mirboo North.
There was more heavy rain overnight and now it has spread to Melbourne. It looks like a wet drive to Mirboo North.
The main reason we were visiting Mirboo North was to break the long return trip to Melbourne. It was a bonus that within this very small community is situated the Grand Ridge Brewery.
Being established in 1989, Grand Ridge is one of the oldest craft breweries in Australia.
As the website ‘craftypint.com’ puts it:
“The elder statesman of the Victorian microbrewery scene, Grand Ridge began offering full-flavoured ales to a nation of lager drinkers more than 20 years ago.”
This was an old article in Craftypint and in fact the brewery has been in operation since 1989. They therefore have been challenging beer drinker’s taste buds for over 30 years.
I had booked at the restaurant, not knowing how busy it might be on a Sunday night.
I shouldn’t have bothered.
There were only about six tables in a space that could hold far more. We went to the bar for a pre-dinner drink and that was even less crowded, with only on other person drinking there.
We had been told that the restaurant had recently been taken over by new owners. It had previously been run by the management of Grand Ridge. I think that the loss of trade during the pandemic and the lack of available staff since, had forced them to rationalise their business model.
The food was excellent as was the service and the beer that I started with. This was a West City Neipa 7.5%. The ‘Neipa’ stands for New England IPA and it is now made in the Grand Ridge Brewery.
Like so many good brew pubs, Grand Ridge provides their drinkers with a wide range beer styles. There were three sets of taps, each serving six brews.
We were staying at the aptly named 1st T Motel, which was right next to the Mirboo North Golf Club.
According to Google Maps it was meant to be a 20 minute walk from our motel to the brewery, but we took a short cut through the golf course, and did it in ten.
March 22, 2021. Mirboo North to Melbourne.
The motel provided us with breakfast, of sorts. This consisted of four slices of plain white bread with sachets of Vegemite, jam, honey and peanut butter. There was also a choice of Cornflakes, Rice Bubbles or Special K. Which meant that our entire breakfast was totally lacking in any nutritional value.
After a breakfast like that we needed a strong coffee, before the relatively short drive back to Melbourne.
We found that at Lamezleighs Cafe and Bar, which was on the main street of Mirboo North. The coffee was good but they did charge us for a mug when we had only ordered, and been served, a cup.
In a way I guess we were still putting money back into the community, but not the way we had intended.
The weather was still threatening but the rain did hold off.
It was a strange adventure, initiated by the devastating bushfires of 2020, postponed by the world wide COVID-19 pandemic and then interrupted by the ‘One-in-100-years’ floods in NSW.
It does seem that we are lurching from one disaster to another.
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