Mildura, the paddle steamer and the sand hills.

A trip to anywhere near the Murray River must of course be accompanied by a ride on a Paddle steamer. We arrived at the very scenic Buronga caravan park in Mildura on a 37 degree HOT day. We had just about melted on the way there so it was so nice to have a spot right near the river. Mildura itself is similar to towns like Geraldton or Bunbury but with older historic areas and of course paddle steamers. We cruised very slowly (max speed allowed is 4 knots on the Murray) for a mid day cruise. Thankfully it was a much cooler day. It was great to actually see and be part of the boats that were the lifeblood of the towns once upon a time. Very smooth and gentle. The Murray has different water levels and so to pass from one level to another the boat must pass through a lock system where it is locked into an area, water drained to decrease the level then the gate is opened and out goes the boat. I will try to show you in pictures so you can see the different levels. There is no sound greater on the Murray than the paddle steamers whistle as it toot toots to let you know it's there. The engine is of course run by steam and they say they use only box wood as it gives the best heat result.

After leaving Mildura we visited the Perry Sand hills at Wentworth. These Sandhills are out in the middle of nowhere and have been there for thousands of years. They have found ancient fossils underneath as the sands shift. The kids like to slide down the edges and they leave bits of cardboard around the place for that reason. I was of course tempted to slide down but didn't want to move the Sandhills. LoL...

I will leave you with a picture of. BIG LIZZIE, the invention to haul wool up the banks of the Murray but at 2 miles per hour was far too slow. Good idea though

Hope you like this Lizzy ha ha Talkies soon Xx Sonia and John

Larry Lobster

A little place called Kingston also has a large lobster called Larry (as does Dongarra in WA) It must be the name for large lobsters. Lol. Anyway he was quite a good looking fellow so thought you might like to see him

Talkies soon Xx Sonia and John

Gundagai

This lovely town is like a step back into time in some areas. The original town was built on the flat just the other side of the bridge but succumbed to floods of course so was then built on the hilly area. Just a few pictures of the bridges and train station which no longer operates. Notice the ticket machine still full of tickets.

Once again an iconic town and one we have sang about over the years.... By the way, If anyone one has a spare 4-500,000 The modern hospital building is up for sale. :) PS. This is the worlds largest rolling pin located in Wodonga (thrown in for your amazement ha ha) Talkies soon Xx Sonia and John

Etamoogah Pub

Whilst in Queensland, we came across a place called Aussie World. It was basically a fantastic huge kids play area with huge scary rides and water pools etc. but on the other side was the Etamoogah Pub (or should I say the exact replica). It was a great place and you couldn't help but stop to have a drink. Even had the animals there. No crazy rides for us though! Cheers!!

There was also a home made fudge shop and of course the vanilla fudge called out to me. ;) Delicious..... Talkies soon Xx Sonia and John

Ned Kelly Country - Glenrowan.

Welcome to Ned's country and home town. This place was definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far. We booked in at the very neat and comfy caravan park and spent 2 days looking around and seeing what Ned and his friends got up to. It was quite chilling to actually walk the sites around Ned's last stand at the inn. (The actual land where the inn stood is blocked off as the owner does not permit people on and despite encouragement does not wish to develop or foster people's interest in this site) Luckily there is the wonderful blacksmith shop next door and he is happy to chat about anything you wish to do with Ned or the town. He was there when a very old gun was discovered at the site the police were standing and also when the Time Team did their historical dig. Apparently the owner was well compensated for this. Walking through the town, you quickly realised they have built their trade all around Ned and his story and the stories of his gang are well told. We were able to watch a show that runs daily depicting the shoot out between the police and the gang. This is very well done with audience moving from room to room and then outside and into the inn where we got blasted with bullets and then set on fire. You felt as though it was really happening to you and I did let out a couple of swear words, that's for sure. The show even included poor Ned's hanging and his famous words. ................................. "Such is Life" ................................... His remains were eventually dug up at the prison where he was hanged (minus his head, it seems no one knows what happened to it) and given to his descendants who buried him at an unknown location.

Ned and I get up close and personal. Lol. To hear the story of Ned since childhood then actually get to see where it all happened is an amazing feeling. It makes you feel a bit sad once you here his story...