Is Spring really here at last?

 

Look at that sky! The mighty Murray is full and flowing in all its glory. There has been so much rain in the last few weeks the banks have been breached and much of the forest is inundated with water. You can just about hear the red gums breathing a sigh of relief.  We have crossed over it a few times to play golf at Corowa, in fact we have signed up as Country Members of the club. Its only 10 mins away, 40mins from Wangaratta, and a beautiful course; close to the river and features many fabulous trees lining the fairways. Check out the girth of this one. The first time we played, we met up with the couple playing ahead of us. Turns out I used to play pennant with Ruth at Cobram and their son was in Eric's class at the local school. Small world. 

We fitted in a few more rides but had to dodge the pretty regular showers. The rail trail in the last post has this clever signage at the railway station in town. You'll note how flat the rail trail is, that's just how I like my cycling. On the Saturday morning we returned to look at a house in Wangaratta that we were quite interested in buying. We went away thinking that was the one, until we consulted the flood and inundation overlays of the town maps and decided it was just too much of a risk. 

In the meantime we also met the owner of another house-sit option in Glenrowan West. It is a house in bushland, completely off-grid and with just one dog to care for. We instantly liked the place and the owner, so will be taking on that commitment from Oct 5. Just one downfall, the driveway is steep. I don't think I will be able to ride up it! Fancy taking this on just as we begin our Great Cycle Challenge (more about that later). 

While it has been raining we have kept ourselves happy one way or another. Eric has been cooking up a storm and even I have been found in the kitchen using the excess fruit in the garden to create Boozy Oranges and Blood Orange Marmalade. I've also knitted (its been 20 yrs - should have chosen an easier pattern first up) and painted rocks. This one should bring a smile to a child's face. And I know just the child. 

On the Thursday we packed and cleaned up. We fed the animals for the last time and gave the chickens their final run in the yard. There are 2 less than when we started but I'm sure that wasn't any fault of ours!  They're dead and buried. The count for dogs and cat's was correct. We drove the van to the property in Glenrowan West and left it there, returning to Yve and John's place in Wangaratta, less than 30mins away, for the next few days. 

Over the next few days we took the opportunity to visit Winton Wetlands near Benalla. The deliberate flooding of the Mokoan Swamp in 1971 created Lake Mokoan developed for both economic and recreational purposes. It created a large water storage that was expected to irrigate thousands of hectares of agriculture while also providing for avid water-sports fans. The flooding destroyed 1000's of hectares of farming land and killed around 200,000 river red gums. Unfortunately, the lake failed as an effective water storage and was decommissioned so that in 2010 the site was reformed into the Winton Wetlands Reserve. The Reserve has nearly 4000Ha of wetlands surrounded by almost 5000Ha of red gum and box grassy

woodlands and grazing land. This makes it a haven for birds, walkers, cyclists and stargazers. After a coffee in the cafe we wandered along the lovely Lotjpatj Natjan Danak, a short walk with displays of cultural works that represent Yorta Yorta Ancestors, their totems, customs and special places. Then we dropped into the nearby Benalla Art Gallery for lunch at a lovely table overlooking the river and had a browse. 

The next day Yve and John joined us on the Sunrise Walk in the Warby Ranges but this time we took a loop that followed the fence line and lead to an old quarry which provided a great view of the Ovens Plain and the mountains beyond. This image was not actually taken from that spot, on that venture, but gives you the idea. There are more and more wildflowers coming out and we really enjoyed the sun's rays poking out between intermittent clouds. 

On Monday we took the opportunity to drive to Melbourne to catch up with family. We stayed with Judy and Roger in Sandringham so managed a walk along the coastline. It was blustery and the bay was choppy but the tea tree was in flower so apparently the snapper is at its sweetest. Rog and Eric got some golf in and we also enjoyed a visit from both my brother Col and Jude's children Jas and Bec. Once we begin at the glenrowan house we will be dog sitting until Dec 20 so our trips away are limited.

We returned to Wangaratta on Friday. High priority for Saturday 1st Oct was to complete the first leg of the Great Cycle Challenge where our team of 6 are riding to raise money for research into childhood cancer. I did this month-long challenge last year and decided to encourage a team to participate this year. Anything for motivation to get me over the line! Four of the team rode out to Oxley and enjoyed a cuppa in the sunshine before returning home for lunch (27kms). Our other team members live in Garfield and Point Lonsdale and I see they have logged kms today too. In fact they've left us for dead. 

Later in the day our friends Michael and Heather from Ballina turned up in Wangaratta with their caravan. This is the couple we travelled with through Outback Qld last yr. We all enjoyed dinner together back at the King River Cafe in Oxley. The next day Heather joined us on a walk through the property at Glenrowan West where we will be moving on Wednesday. It is so coincidental that the Birdlife Ovens and Murray Group had arranged a walk there; a great opportunity for us to meet the neighbours and walk over the whole area. We didn't see many birds, the group was huge and there was a lot of talk, but still we enjoyed the outing. 

After a bike ride with John we had a quick 9 holes of golf at Jubilee and became members of the club. Then we had to skedaddle back to town to meet up with Ian (of our Crisp St address) who has asked us to perform in a puppet show. Yve has been roped in too and he's on the lookout for more. The target audience of early-primary students will learn how climate change is impacting the animals at the billabong. We were lured in by the offer of local prosecco. This image is the setting for the play. How beautiful is that?

To complete a full day we had a bbq dinner around the firepit in John and Yve's backyard with Heather and Michael. They had spent the day at Winton Wetlands and following the silo art trail around Benalla. 

Tuesday was spent with Heather and Michael on a road trip which took us to Beechworth, Yackandandah, Myrtleford and home through Milawa. After coffee we visited the grounds of the Beechworth Courthouse and Eric gave us the history of Ned Kelly's trial since he had taken Grade 4 classes there several times while teaching in Cobram. He also knew all about the traditional Lolly Shoppe and Bakery.

After a stroll through the Chinese Gardens and a look at the lake we drove to Woolshed Falls where recent rain has got them pumping. 

Then we drove the winding Gorge Road through the bush to the historic park and along Spring Creek back to town.

By the time we arrived in Yackandandah everyone was ready for lunch and then we strolled the main street, poking our noses into several shops. We thought Beechworth was popular with cyclists, but its got nothing on the numbers we saw here! The drive continued on through Myrtleford and a final stop at the Milawa Cheese Factory where Heather found her pickled walnuts and we bought some bread and olive paste for Yve and John. Tomorrow Heather and Michael go on to Canberra and we move to Glenrowan West.