Day 76 - Tuesday 14 March - Big Touring Day

Day 76

Tuesday

14 March 2017 –  Started book number 9 – Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey. This should be an interesting read as it is written by a West Australian author and set in Corrigan in WA. A movie has recently been released of this book.

 Cherrypool – Horsham – Dimboola – Jeparit – Rainbow – Patchewollock – Brim – Sheep Hills

Well that was a big day!

We started with Paul up early and wandering the river before we enjoyed the sun rising over the water as we packed up and made a move north. We were in to Horsham by 9.45, parked and wandering the town. I picked up new hard drives to replace the one that is stuffed, Paul got a much needed hair cut and we did some grocery shopping all before walking the streets to the info centre and gathering brochures about what to do in the area.

The main drag of Horsham and its branching arms are dotted with pubs. We counted four in the short distance of 100m. You’d not go a long way to find a place to get sloshed in this town.

With a pit stop into the sports store to buy a new Addidas jumper I spied on sale and then a final stop at Coles we packed the van and drove down to the Wimmera River to have our Subway lunch. On this previous weekend there was a fishing comp, we deliberately avoided the place knowing it would be packed, but today the riverfront was there just for us.

We enjoyed the view and the lovely weather before getting in the van and driving a further 30min to our intended destination, Dimboola on the banks of the Wimmera River. We had been told about this cheap caravan park by the crowd in Cavendish and it was certainly worth heading up here. The park was quiet and peaceful, just the way we like it and at $27 a night we can’t go wrong.

We set up for a couple of nights and then walked around the place checking out the cool fishing pontoon. Paul would be back later. The local sports ground is also next door, but unfortunately they have no outdoor basketball rings.

Once we had completed our lap, I plotted our course and we were off to check out some other towns and the art silo trail we had been told about at the info centre.

Our first town was Jeparit, the birthplace of Sir Robert Menzies. We didn’t stop in the town, but drove through the main street before continuing on to Rainbow. The town is named for the colourful wildflowers that grow on a crescent shape of land nearby. Here we did stop and look around further, taking in the art that adorns the walls of many of the old buildings and depicts the early settler life and the rainbows that have been placed at the entrance.

We continued North to a place called Patchewollock to check out the first of the art silo trail. Unfortunately a bull ant made its way into the car on route to this town and made a beeline for Paul’s thigh, biting him a number of times. He was busy slapping his leg as the car fishtailed down the road. Ahh!

Back to Patchewollock. This is the most northern point of the trail and is 2 hours from Horsham. The mural of a local man and a tree stands proud and tall overlooking the small main street. This mural trail is only new and is already bringing in the tourists, so it is a smart investment.

We turned the car around and retraced some of our steps, passing through Hopetoun and then Beulah before reaching Brim and the site of the next 30m tall silo painting that was launched in January. This time the painting was of four men in various stances almost as if they were surveying the land.

Continuing down Henty Hwy, we passed through Warracknabeal the birthplace of Nick Cave and on to Sheep Hills for the final silo mural, this time a connection to the local Aboriginal people and the most colourful one we saw. It really was stunning.

Each of the three silos has been painted to depict something about the town they are situated in. Three more silos are to be added by the middle of the year. I hope we get the opportunity to check them out at a later date as these ones were so impressive.

We completed our journey by heading back to Dimboola. We had been out fro four hours and driven 350km, like I said earlier, a big day. We were glad to return home and get dinner organised, yabbies and red fin perch, yum yum.

After dinner, Paul went off fishing, while I set up the new hard drive, sorted the pics and then went and took some more around the river. It was a warm evening, so the air con was cranked in the van.

Paul didn’t catch anything, in fact he didn’t get a bite which was disappointing.

We hung out in the van reading before Paul told me there were possums outside. A mother was sitting on the bin lid carrying her young while another one ran past by leg scaring the bejesus out of me. I tried to take photos but I think all I succeeded in doing was blinding the poor things. Will need to use my tripod next time. Paul left me to go to the loo and the third possum tried to come up to me, fearing what it might do all I did was back away saying go away before I retreated back inside.

Paul returned to tell me the same possum had come up to him so he stopped to pat it like a cat. Ok maybe I will be braver tomorrow, if they are around.

Looking at this map, we are only 123km from Bordertown in SA and when we were in Patchewollock we were 160km from Murray Downs in NSW.