Day 114 - Friday 21 April - Clouded in

Day 114

Friday

21 April 2017 –

Bright – Mount Beauty - Porepunkah

Rain. It started as a light splatter during the night and by the time we got up at 8.30am it was well set in. We readied our selves for the day ahead. I attempted to gain access to the internet, but it hadn’t returned after it dropped out last night, sooooo frustrating.

We dressed warm, threw what we needed into the car and made our way into Bright. We deviated off the main road to head up Tower Hill Road to the lookout. The road was like a goat track, but the little car took it in it’s stride, making it to the top of a steep incline where we had views over the Oven Valley and township of Bright below. The mountains before us steeped in the cotton clouds, clinging to low areas and the dips and folds of the land.

We made our way into Bright, stopping first at Woolies for a quick shop and then parking behind the Bright Chocolate shop. We made our way into the store, perusing their chocolate treats and being stunned at the ridiculous prices, 75gm for $10! We opted for hot chocolate instead which was priced competitively, however it was not a pinch on the Margaret River hot choc.

We left the warmth of the store to wander along the Oven River checking out the water flowing past and then it was up to the Bright Brewery for the 11am opening. We greeted cheerfully by the staff. Paul was given a quick rundown and a tasting paddle and we set about completing the review. The head brewer, Richard came out to chat to us and we were videoed him for the site. Paul was then treated to another tasting paddle of a further 6 brews.

We opted to each lunch at the Brewery, Paul going for the fresh caught, whole, river trout while I had the angus burger. Both meals were huge and delicious. Once we had finished we made our way to pay, but were told everything was on them BONUS. Happily fed and watered we were on our way.

Our next destination was Sweet Water Brewing just out of Mount Beauty in Tawong South. The drive from Bright to there is about 27km, but it is up and around a mountain, so more twisties. It was a great drive and I could tell Paul was riding it in his head.

There were two lookouts to stop at along the way that we did.  There were great views to Mount Bogong and the valley below where the township of Mount Beauty lay in front of a large lake. Mountains ringed the town, with the ski area of Falls Creek off to the right. The cloud was again lying low and covering the skyline in a grey fluffy blanket it was also bringing the temperature down.

We navigated down the other side and into the township of Tawong South, finding the brewery on the main road. We pulled in to the small establishment and Paul was given a tasting paddle of 5 brews. The paddle was made out of an old snow ski, a fitting reflection of the high country location.

The main brewer was called and came in to have a chat with Paul, it was good of him to make the effort and we enjoyed the time we had at the brewery.  

When Paul had finished his tasting and writing of notes, we made our way into Mount Beauty. We stopped along side the lake to take in the views of the mountain. We also checked out the very groovy playground with its raindrop slide, a piece of art.

Our return journey saw the weather return. We wound our way back up to the lookout, this time passing through the cloud, which at times, impeded our view of the road. We passed the many chestnut farms, with their yellowing trees and it had me singing in my head the old Christmas classic “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” and humming the rest cause I don’t know the other words.

Returning through Bright, I enjoyed the avenues of trees in their autumn clothes. Many bearing sequined, yellow leaves that fluttered in the breeze, some escaping like yellow butterflies flitting from one spot to the next as they fell to the floor to join the 70’s carpet materialising below.

Instead of going straight back to the van, we did a quick drive through the town site of Porepunkah, not much to see there, a school and a pub and then stopped on the other side of the Oven River to our park. The Riverside Park made a beautiful place to stop, the trees lining the bank exploding in colours that I couldn’t resist photographing. Paul was straight to the river to find the fishing spots, only to be disappointed that the spot he deemed the best was under a no fishing sign.

We dodged the rain as we walked the edge of the bank and then returned to the car for protection from the rain and the cold temps. We passed back over the bridge and on to our van. We unloaded our shopping and then took our things to the camp kitchen where we could watch the news as we did our work for the evening.

We chatted to some fellow campers looking for respite from their tent. Yuck! By 6.30pm Paul was getting hungry so we said our goodbyes and ran across the lawn to the dry van. Paul set the little heater on and before long we were stripping off the layers and sweating as we sat down to our very simple soup and egg dinner.

I went about my computer bits, annoyed that the internet was still not up and running. When you pay $45 a night for a caravan park you expect net access, I guess I am more disappointed as it was working so well yesterday. Hopefully tomorrow it will be up and running.
Brad rang at 8.30pm for a chat and catch up which was great. Soon after though it was time to start thinking about bed.