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| Autumn Colours, Bright, Victoria |
1. Happy Campers – Bright Big 4
Caravan Park
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| Colours at the Caravan Park |
From the expletives, it appeared the
rain-lashed grey nomads repeatedly jacknifing their massive van into
the bushes around their campsite as thunder rumbled thorough the
night were NOT “Livin' the Dream” their van proclaimed. Although
their inadvertent behavioural benchmark reinforced the pact between
Pilchard and I.
'If I ever …' Pilchard began, but I
knew how this story ended. Unlike the hapless travellers cursing
their way through the wanton destruction of several fine shrubs
before they gave up and departed, we'd so far avoided setting up on
an unfamiliar site in the rain and dark. BUT … I knew what to do
if it ever happened. I tuned back in as Pilchard concluded with his
usual instruction - '… just shoot me'!
The caravan park was an unlikely spot
for our adventures in and around North-eastern Victoria's Bright to
begin. But strangely appropriate! Our wicked and unkind laugh over
the night's misadventures was accompanied by the spectacular colours
of the ever present falling leaves – magically whisked away each
day by the caravan park cleaning fairy!
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| Snow Clouds near Falls Creek, Victorian Alps |
But Bright and surrounds aren't just
about the annual Autumn Leaves festival. In between adventures, the
two local bakeries are worth
many several
a visit – but be warned! If there are any country Victorian towns
without at least one fine bakery, I'm yet to find them …
2. Altitude, Alps and an Aussie
record – Falls Creek
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| Rocky Valley Lake, highest body of water in Australia |
If heights scare you rigid, try to
avoid sitting on the drop-off side of the car on the steep and
winding roads up into Victoria's High Country – at the very least,
don't look down! That way you might even enjoy climbing the range –
first through the ironbark forests where Superb Lyrebird could make
an appearance; then into stands of endemic species Alpine Ash;
followed by the stark and ghostly remains of the 2003 bushfire that
burned out millions of high country hectares; and finally into the
sparse Alpine vegetation above the tree line.
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| Snowing at Falls Creek! |
And there, above the tiny village of
Falls Creek precariously perched on the side of the mountain range is
Australia's highest body of water –
Rocky
Valley Lake. As the snow began to fall – Yes,
SNOW! – the signs about snow-chains and the orange road markers
suddenly made sense … and the Outback seemed far, far away to this
Aussie traveller who'd only ever seen snow twice before!
While I've experienced sub-zero
temperatures before, 0
º C
is the coldest
maximum temperature I've EVER lived
through!
3. Going Nuts - Wandiligong
As we lurched from Bakery to Berry
farm; Indian/Italian to Sri-Lankan/Aussie pub cuisine; hot chocolate
to champagne, the whole trip seemed to be turning into a deliciously
tragic over-eating marathon.
I couldn't have squeezed in the local pub's 'Alpine
Breakfast' (whatever in hell that was) eaten under a 'heated
umbrella' (whatever in hell that meant) for quids (whatever in hell
they are).
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| Listening to the band, Wandiligong Nut Festival |
So indulging in hot roasted chestnuts,
hot chocolate and dutch pancakes smothered in maple syrup, lemon and
icing sugar at the annual
Wandiligong
Nut Festival was true to type. The local April sun
was so pleasantly warm I can't imagine why the
Dragon
classic wasn't titled 'April Sun in Wandiligong' –
but it didn't stop us singing along with the excellent cover band.
Aussie classic anthem
Downunder,
sounding absolutely NOTHING like
the
Kookaburra song, had Melbourne Yuppies – all
haircut and GQ country weekend – kicking back with grey nomads,
locals and travellers.
And while I'm no singer, listening to that
mixed crowd singing along to 'Eagle Rock' was one of the most tragic
music experiences of my life ...
4. Save Our Souls – Beechworth
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| Beechworth's version of Ned Kelly |
Once we'd finished up at the Beechworth
bakery, we were ready to give our full attention to yet another town
with links to bushranger Ned Kelly. While I loathe the word
'precinct', it really is the easiest way to describe the section of
the town set aside for such things as the gaol with its fabulous
Crime Scene gift shop (Hey, D! I haven't forgotten your birthday
prez!), the courthouse and holding cells, early fire-fighting
equipment displays, the inevitable statues of NK – and the
self-proclaimed
busiest
Morse Code Telegraph station in the world!!
I'm not sure how many other contenders
there are, if any, but surely the Morsecodians wouldn't make this
kind of claim lightly. Would they??
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| Morse Code Telegraph Station, Beechworth, Victoria |
Starting at a mere AUD $5 (although
it's probably worth more than that in many other currencies at
present) sending a message in Morse code to anyone in the world has
never been so easy. You KNOW you want to!!
5. Undercover – Bogong Village
While I'm not afraid of lizards, I have
no desire to prove it by picking them up and playing with them.
Just as well.
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| Lake Guy, Bogong Village, Victorian Alps |
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| Tunnel under the Dam wall, Lake Guy |
I thought the scaly reptilian head I
spotted peering up at me through the grass at the side of the walking
track round Lake Guy at Bogong Village was a lizard. I called
Pilchard over as it looked a little different to the usual skinks
scuttling about in the sun. Then it moved backwards. Uh-oh.
Lizards aren't able to move backwards which meant it was –
AAAARRRGGGHHHH! A snake!! Red-bellied black, according to Pilchard.
I was miles away by then, so I can't confirm his identification.
Don't even think about looking for a
photo …
Along with random and unexpected
wildlife, the lake circumnavigation involves beautiful scenery, a
magnificent lunch setting, Steve Parrish-like photographic
opportunities – and a somewhat disconcerting walk through a tunnel
under the dam wall. Just as well the snake didn't appear in the
tunnel - nowhere to run or hide down there!!
6. On top of the world – the
Buffalo's Horn
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| The road to the Horn, from the Horn lookout, Mt Buffalo National Park |
It's a little known fact that altitude
sickness can kick in from as low as 1700 metres above sea level.
That's the only explanation I can find
for the dizziness, shortness of breath and constant need to stop and
rest as I climbed the track to the summit of the Horn – at 1723
metres, the highest point of the
Mt
Buffalo National Park, a monolith that looms behind
Bright. Or in front of it, if you prefer.
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| Proof - we BOTH climbed the Horn! |
Then again, the vertiginous sheer drops
and cold buffeting winds could have caused it too. But I'm sticking
with altitude sickness – because the Horn is the highest lookout to
which I've actually climbed (from the carpark below, not from sea
level).
And just as well we climbed it when we
did – rolling mist was already obscuring the view when we reached
the hiker's hut of yesteryear. Tragically no St Bernards carrying
restorative brandy casks appeared through the fog to offer
assistance. But the bakery lunch we'd had the forethought to bring
didn't last long ...
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| Shelter at the Horn, Mt Buffalo National Park, Victoria |
7. Lookout!!
After a couple of days in the Victorian
high country, staggering views from unbelievably scenic lookouts
became commonplace.
But no matter how commonplace, they
never become ho-hum.
A few of my favourites:
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| En Route to Mt Hotham, Victorian Alps, Australia |
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| Tourists admiring Mt Bogong, highest mountain in Victoria |
And Australia's highest mountain, Mt
Kosciuszko obscured by cloud and this tenacious traveller who just
WOULD NOT MOVE!!!!
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| NEARLY Mt Kosciuszko! |
The life-changing message - 'We are all
reptilians and the aliens are stealing our souls' – was an
incongruous addition to the spectacularly scenic landscape of Lake
Buffalo. But perhaps it's a cryptic message of courage – if we are
indeed all reptilians, then there's no reason to fear snakes, right?
And if the aliens are stealing our souls, then it probably doesn't
really matter if I fall from a great height, does it?!
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| Lake Buffalo, in the shadow of Mt Buffalo, Victoria |
I had no idea our Victorian Alpine
country adventure would be so much fun it'd make battling my twin
fears of snakes and heights such a pleasure! But now I DO know, I'll be back for more!
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