DAY ONE
So it is going to be a big couple of days as we try to get to the mountains,(you know the big one the Victorian alps) as quick as possible. Day 1 starts with a 4.30am rise and I have been warned that there will be no stopping for photos and I can put my camera in the back and leave it there, Packed and in the car and gone by about 5.00am good start,
the man then tells me we need to put air in the shockies we only get to Kemp Beach, for those not in the know about 1 km from home and everyone out again, now there is a bit to be said about men, and this is one thing they seem to forget all the time, (keep your women happy) so when my man mentioned we now need air in the tires I am thinking cool BP it’s on the way out of town I can get a coffee, BUT where does my man head, yep! MOBIL, not a coffee machine in site there, when he turned the corner heading in their direction, I with my what the hell are you doing voice said “Where the heck are you going” “Mobil” he reckons, “why” with that what are you on about tone, “BP has coffee”. Well the penny that just hit him in the head near knocked him out, as we drove into BP me with my smiling face and Ed with his where are the air pumps, I am out and off to get coffee,
There is no stopping we arrive to get Lisa’s cupboard at Caramel’s about 2.00pm we have had a good run, That is about to come to a sudden end, Note to self do not travel south the Gold Coast on the same day 35000 teenage kids are doing the same thing, 4 hours it took to get to Byron Bay, highlight of the trip listening to the truckers on the uhf picking out the cool girls in cars, as we travelled at about 5km per hours for 80 ks.
Arrived at Lisa’s about 7.30pm with four happy little faces smiling out the window, big hugs from all, makes me melt when they look up and call, “ hello Becky” and push past to Grandad, there just so cute they fall in his arms and get big cuddles,
Dinner wood fire pizza and a red, god I love holidays not saying another thing about that let you imagination run amuck,
Day 2
Laying in bed look up in time to see a little face standing at the door waving, “morning” and she disappears, took some happy snaps, woofed down some breakfast, in the car big wave and off to Sydney,
Well I now know why dogs stick their heads out the window, they are really just yelling let me out of this car I am over it. Another 9 hours in the car and we are in Sydney, thank god we have done the long bit of our trip, now Ed he is a smart man after we arrive at Lane Cove National Park and set up our camp thinks we should grab the cameras and head down to the river and take a few shots, see he knows I am happiest with a camera in my hand, we well I spent the afternoon playing with light as in sparkled through the trees, after the sun set we dragged our bones back up the hill, I grabbed a wine while Ed cooked up a BBQ diner sat under the stars, I looked at Ed and said “I might go to bed” he looks back weird “It only 7.00pm” right better have another wine then that’s a bit early. Now I feel like we are on holidays.
Squiggle Gum there so pretty
I really like the way the light played.
Day 3
Like the other two except today we layed in a bit, reckon I will make a coffee, up and at it again, pack her all up, shower …… and shave, Ed fed the locals some apple,
all in the car and of to Canberra, as luck would have Margaret and Mike had just returned from Europe and where still in the theme of things so it was red wine cheese cold meats and crusty rolls for lunch.
Now the fun stuff begins, Oh sorry visiting Relly’s is fun as well not just as much as taking photos in the high country, you see I work myself into a tail spin about this kind of thing. Another 2 hours down the road and we are setting up camp
beside the prettiest river filled with rainbow trout bouncing out of the river to catch something flying by, Ed did assure me you can’t catch these with your bear hands that I had been watching too much of Bear Grills on telly, I had also wondered why no one was swimming cause it was the middle of November, “go walk in there Ed reckons” so I did, idiot, frig holy crap the only thing missing was an Ice berg couldn't’t feel my toes for nearly an hour, note to self don’t do stupid crap Ed suggests,
Day 4
So begins the lonely life of a photographer, alarm goes off at 5.00am, which is 4am if you live in queensland and god damn it's cold, down to the river for sunrise, did I mention it is really cold 3 degrees. And I am wet shoes and jeans all wet, and the tripod is so freezing I can't handle it,
the sun comes up grab the shots scream home back into bed to warm up under two dooners and blanket takes a good hour. Ed is no fun really hates it when you put cold feet on him I am such a bitch. LOL.
Today we are going to Falls Creek to camp, takes us all day to get there, we stop to look at everything on the way.
We have also agreed that we are very good at picking the worst rest areas for lunch you can bet there will be a better one just up the road, we do it every time, as we sit on the end of a log cause some goose put the BBQ table in the sun.
As we climb the mountain I am starting to get a little excited, You know what! we saw brumbies real live ones a stallion and 2 mares I can cross that of the list, MAN I was so excited, I really get sick of Ed telling me I have to wait till the car stops before I get out, he is no fun.
We arrived at the camp grounds at about 5 pm but its day light saving down here so the sun doesn’t go down till 8 pm so we toddled around and set up camp we are the only ones here the whole camping area to ourselves on top of the mountains,
we are surrounded by little purple and yellow flowers and snow gums. Turning the radio up really loud and running around naked every time someone pulls into the camping area seems to be working they pull back out and leave again. Flies why in god’s name do all the flies in the world live in Victoria it must drive them nuts. Fly spray my friends they have invented it you need to use it, Ed made me a hot shower and I am a happy girl, first time we have camped without a supplied shower, we are now one step closer to the great outdoors. A couple of wines and dinner and alarm set, bed.
Day 5
Alarm goes off at 5.pm I bounce of bed, well see that’s a lie I drag my bones out cause its cold and dark but I have just sat in a car for 3 days to take pictures of Wallace Hut, so off I go Ed just stands there looking hoping I come back in one piece. Really thinking thank god that’s gone peace and quite at last. The sun is rising if I miss this I will not be happy any more, hot shower or not. 7k drive followed by a 700m sprint down the hill, sprint if you believe that you don’t know me no sprinting is coming out of this body unless someone yells fire, even then I doubt it, get there just as the sun puts its head over the horizon , It all happens in 10 mins and it’s over.
I can go home and back to bed, 700m sprint downhill now turns into a 700m crawl back up, note to all people going to Wallace Hut today there is no toilet paper I flogged it there is none at our camp grounds sorry about that, now I feel like a proper highland petty theft Ned that’s the new name, At camp the great man is still in bed I am standing at the end of it with a big smile “got you a present” standing there with my new flogged toot rolls. He’s not even asking,
So we pack some lunch and of we set off for the day, see I really don’t care what we do between sunrise to sunset I just need those 2 hours to work a little magic. I am living with an idiot, so we get to the top of Mount Mc Kay and where does the bright one head, Oh! Straight over the side of the mountain, why! You ask oh he is going to get me a bottle of snow, god you gotta love him, comes back with a bottle of snow, smile from ear to ear, then he is off over the other side of the mountain he goes again and then in true 21st century style rings me, lord knows why I can hear him yelling from where I am, “ come down where he is waving” he has found a large patch snow, lucky I need to work off breakfast, so we play take a few happy snaps and drag our butts back up the mountain.
Today we found snowy river creeks, waterfalls,(with the national park exercise regiment built in 700m up hill) cabins all down hill which means going back is a workout thanks to National Parks Australia cause they really could put the damn car park right there near the cabin,
and our brumbies again, there stars our brumbies and stand around to get their pictures taken, I am standing there thinking can ya do some brumby stuff, rear or bit or something eating grass is not going to cut it. Right so there not playing the wild horse thing and we move on. Sunset time and I am really over the beautiful blue sky thing give me the mongrel sky any time. Nope not my day, got a couple of shots and its dinner time, Note to self next time you shower check to see if the water is hot, that goes down as a superman shower, faster than the speed of light. Ed made a huge fire warm as toast needed to be after the shower. Dinner was the famous sausages (well that’s what the sign in the front of the shop said). Ed’s a sucker for sausages, still trying to work out what they are famous for, really, it was not for the taste, maybe it was for the fact you can burn the crap out of them and still eat them. Tomorrow I am sleeping in cause I am really tired.
Day 6
So I was sleeping in but I woke up anyway, I not just gunna lie here so up I get, stuck my head out the door and good god there is storm clouds. No one is up at 5.00am on the highlands so no one will know that I went in my pjs to take photos cause the sun was nearly up, I am so just going, shoes and jumpers and I am in the car and gone. Rabbits had I mentioned the rabbits, lucky they killed all the foxes cause now there are millions of rabbits, not as many as the flies but still a lot, and when I am in a hurry they really need to not run on the road, I don’t kill animals and playing dodge with the stupid bunny at 5.00am in the morning is not good for my nerves, about 5ks up the road and there is the spot, A rock and purple flowers, OH! It is awesome a great sunrise, see I should never sleep in, today was my lucky day, I danced my happy jig I knew it was a good morning,
got home about 8.00 and parked down the hill doesn’t seem to be much movement in our camp, holidays or not only 13 year old kids need that much sleep, and it’s still snoring, I just sit there and wait typing this,
half hour and a voice from the deep“ You out there”, “yep”.
Today we are going to Mount Hoffam piece of crap windy hole, yep won’t need to go back there, we did stop by a little town called Omeo, I just love it when kids in little towns serve you. “Can I have a short black coffee” I ask, “No problems” he reckons, first he grabs the wrong cup, ok so now I know it’s going to be a bun fight (cause I am in a bakery), so he fills it right to the top, and I know I am not drinking it, turns to hand it to me I am looking at him “nope that is a long black”, he reckons “oh! I will tip some out “, “no you need to start again” I am telling him,
“but that will cost you for another coffee” he tries to tell me, “listen to me I am not paying for another coffee, I didn’t order what you just made, now you need to make me the right coffee, if you didn’t know how to make it you should ask me, I drink it”, boss turns up seems I am now getting my coffee, lesson to all, don’t mess with my coffee or camera. In saying all this Omeo is a very cute little town and I would like to go back again. There are times when tourist attractions just shouldn’t be but hey you never know if you don’t go, so of into this Chinese mine site we go, me starting on the choc fudge slice from Omeo “this is horrible” I explain to Ed, “let me try” he reckons, takes a bit and hands it back not saying anything, now everyone knows I have a problem with food, so at this stage I think if I keep it I will eat it, crap or not, so I pitch it out the window, Well hell! you should have seen the look on Ed's face, man, you would have thought I had pitch out a full block of Cadbury, lord he went on forever, so I assured him I would pick it up on the way back but heck now he doesn’t want it, just can’t please some people.
So we pass a sign that said Mount Kosciusko so in we turn and after 10 mins looking at the sign trying to work out which lump was the Great Mountain of Aussie, a guy gets out of his car and reckons it’s that one over there in the mist, lucky he helped I would still be there, but that’s crossed off the list I’ve seen it now. Off to Mt Hoffam about Mt Hoffam not going back there probably looks better when its white, but now it’s just a cold windy hole, took to pictures got back in the car, took 10 mins to push the door open against the windy, and I have Ed telling me I am a sook.
Now we head down to Bright what a truly pretty little town that is. We head off to the info center miss the turn off around the block we go again, get back to the info center and miss it again, geezz I got me a bright one hear, lucky we are in Bright he reckons, so back we go around the block again, so now I have seen all of Bright 53 times. A deer farm,” look ED a deer farm”, by the look I guess where are not going to the deer farm, We head back to Falls Creek to do the sun set, and there are our mares no stallion but there are the girls Ed grabs a couple of shots. I am wondering where the man went probably off poaching someone else misses. The sun doesn’t seem to set so well on the highlands and it is cold with that done we head home,
Now I warned the butcher after last time about tough meat, note to me don’t do it again, well I made a curry korma. Curry and wood fired toast sounds fine for camping food, 2 hours it stew for but do you think you could eat it, no, not a hope, we sucked out the juice and through it at rabbits damn near killed a couple, not that I would, though I do like a bit of rabbit.
Day 7
So up I get again at 5.00am and off down the road today is the last morning for me to get the sunrise. I reckon I will go back where I was yesterday and move around a little today I am setting up the laptop to make sure I get it right. At this stage the highland people must think I am a little nuts, (Ed does), I am sitting on top of the in a bed of purple flowers thinking I love my life, there is a giant storm brewing out the back of me, and a sunrise that I just can’t seem to do justice there is 7 layers of mountains in front of me and I am only getting 3 the light is not as unbelievable as yesterday but I am sitting there thinking I am the only one watching this and it’s special and now just show me some light it happens for only about five minutes and it’s all over,
time to head back to camp, Ed will be up and packing, Oh! There is my stallion on the side of the road, turns out my star is a chicken shit without his women and high tails it out of their as I pull up, he's not so tough after all, back at camp Ed’s got that only been up 10 mins stagger going on, I pull up “not been up long hey” I reckon, with that don’t know what you’re talking about look “yep hours” he is so lying. A bit of breaky and packing up today and heading to Craig’s Hut, (How life can go from wonderful to sucks you wait and see).
We are on the road by about 8.30am which I might add is really good. Now we are right into gourmet food trails, they really want people to do these trails or they wouldn’t advertise them so well, first stop the local cherry van, then the Milawa Cheese factory, YUM we pull up at the front door, won’t need lunch after this town, OH! taste testing gods greatest invention, you just have to love people that have cheese for $40.00 a kg and then they just give it to you, Nice, with our arms full and the car loaded off to the mustard factory, walked just in time to see some idiot grab a mouthful of hot English mustard, near wet myself watching him dance around the floor while it burnt the hair out of his nose. FOOL, I also love free entertainment and this is priceless, with more arm fulls and full bellies we head back to the car, short conversation about weather we should go to Brown Brothers 200 yards back down the road, we opt for straight for Craig’s Hut, In to Mansfield petrol, bread and coffee off up the hill to Mount Sterling and there on the post road closed to Craig’s Hut see told you life sucks, 6 years I have been waiting to get back here and now some idiot closed the road, what is that, so I never believe things that aren’t going my way I ringing and she telling the sign is right, now you know I am just a little pissed, NOT, I am really not happy if I had a dummy it would be spat 100m, Ed bravely suggest we could go into Melbourne early and go to Eucha on Monday I agree, paddle streamers are fun, so now I am looking for somewhere to stay happy with the paddle steamer idea, I remember this caravan park down the road that had the best bird life and cause I am not one to miss an opportunity off we set, passed a smoke house that is going to get the once over in the morning. Got my bag of birdseed from reception and I am set for the morning.
Day 8
I don’t know why I got up so early but it’s way too dark, so I sit in the camp kitchen and type here, now I have to tell you this place is set on a dam and it’s a bit low this morning cause if there is one thing I like after camping it’s a shower, wash the hair and warm up and just stand there and soak till the dirt is gone, used a good 3000 litres. There is with no doubt there's a lot of birds in this park, last time we had king parrots, they arrived and on cue this morning when they turned up we got a little excited snapped away for half an hour, then we had to packed up I really have trouble doing this,
I can’t wait till I am old enough to just drive around and look at stuff you know the grey haired people. Today we are going to drive through Marysville and see how they are getting on these days, well screw you Australian Government you need to get your butts up there and get these people’s lives but on track, 18 months later and the main street is not even rebuilt, I was so wild, how dare we leave people like this they didn’t ask for a wild fire to run them over, and it needs to be put back how it was all cute and all, the little chocolate shop just had a front fence, the servo had two bowsers and no shop, it was very sad.
So into Melbourne we go and there at the door where two cute little faces come in Becky and Grandad, had a ton of fun took a mountain of photos, So then the man says we need to go collect some parts for a car, that's just great I am thinking, come to Melbourne and now we are going for parts, right!, so I am sitting in the car waiting for the parts and my man to come back, I start to think I wonder where we are, out swings the map a bit of dective work and I have the suburb, and just up the road is Brighton beach, Ok! that needs a look at and then there is St Kilda pier and that will need a look at as well, Ed bounces back in the car, “Do you know where we are” I start to say, “No tell me” he says back with that, here we go, Brighton Beach is so pretty it has these cute little bath boxes. Today these little boxes have a monster storm brewing in the background, so down to the beach we head, taking photos in all my glory, I look up just in time to see Ed not even looking in the right direction I am wondering what he’s up to, looking up the beach further I can see the attraction it’s blonde and in bikini’s and coming our way, “your suppose to be taking pictures of the houses” looking straight at him, “I am going to just wait a little,” then as this blonde beach babe walks in front of the camera he snaps and snaps, looking at him I reckon “what are you doing”, foreground interest he starts, “well you wouldn’t want to miss that would you”, “guess you wouldn’t”. Then he starts “she really wanted her picture taken she walked right pass me” he starts “whatever” back at him. (It will come back to bit him). Old people should not wear togs like life savers, it should be the law and that is all I am saying about that. It’s just not right and it is, Nope, I am not saying anymore.
Of to St Kilda Pier and the storm has really built up right over the city, we walk all the way to the end of the pier and back snapping the whole way some amazing stuff, Ed assures me that other people are allowed on the pier and it is not just mine, would be easier if the name was Ken Duncan and they just shut things for me but they don’t, you have to stare them out till they get the idea, I had thought that hitting them with my tripod and pushing people in the water might work but Ed wouldn’t help he is such a none joiner, back at the car we throw the camera gear in the car and then go for a walk around the baths just as we are walking past the health spa Ed reckons “look at that tool” I think the word was, I didn’t really hear, there was a body to be prayed to, thanks god for that moment. Back to reality it's raining back to the car and home.
Spent 4 days in Melbourne did the markets and the city, took a lot of photos of the kids, took on a strong respect for people taking baby photos, man I struggled with that, little kids I love them but babies thats another story.
and so then it rained and rained and rained, we got home just, chasing closing roads all the way up the coast, looking back I loved the mountains, might head back when there covered in snow.
