WAFFLING ON WEDNESDAY.

 Oh dear, I do have an apology to all those who commented on the Photo Hunt, as I didn't manage any replies, but a huge thanks to all. I've been a bit melancholy & muddle-headed, due to my ongoing back pain & bunged up ears.  I've had the ears seen to & although ears have been done, it's left one irritated & inflamed.  Next appointment is Monday for my back. 

Today I'm going to post about a couple of our local drives we've taken and a walk, with a few more posts to come over the next week, as I'm way behind & I do take my camera most places & find some great pics and some really wacky things too.

A WALK.

A short drive from home takes us to a reserve with walking track called Picnic Point.  The walk isn't anything spectacular, but just an enjoyable ramble & can be done safely with masks down as we generally don't see anybody.

Nasturtiums seem to have taken over just here, but do make a nice splash of colour.

A goat we see quite often on a long tether keeping some of the verge neat & tidy near a small row of                                                                                  properties.

More of the West Gippsland Burrowing Crayfish chimneys.  This year seems to have been a bumper year as they are popping up all over the place.

The first bit of the walk sort of took us via the road, but now we need to head further into the reserve and the turning point is near this lovely house which has a large dam. So much wind in October brought down many trees throughout Victoria and this one landed in their dam.

As we turned on the track, oh dear, another down & with no way round it we had to climb over.  We noticed as we drove past yesterday that it has been cleared.

                                                              An old car rusting in peace.

Arum lilies colonising at the base of an old gum which has been lopped of it's top, probably due to the dangerous habit they have of dropping branches.

                                                        Another very large gum along the track.

              Back to near where we'd parked the car with a sward of green near a small farm.

A DRIVE INTO THE FOREST SOURCING FIREWOOD.

Another day we took a drive out into a new to us area of forest where we can source firewood collection, but alas no luck on that front, though we did see plenty for me and my camera.

Along the road we noticed this wallaby, slowed down, I took this through the windscreen, then he hopped over the road in front of us and up the embankment.  You must be careful as they can be unpredictable as to when they'll make their move.

Spotted these 2 lovely kookaburras carved into the top of a felled tree in someone's front yard.

And these two shaggy highland cattle were watching us, as we watched them.  I do love these shaggy                                                                                  beasts.

                                          Another of our magnificent gums.  Look at it's girth.

AND...............this was the most amazing sight!!!

A bluebell wood in the middle of farming country, just out of the forest on a narrow gravel road.  I was completely gob-smacked.  Must admit that they aren't the pretty darker English bluebell, but the lighter Spanish variety.  Just the same, it was absolutely gorgeous.

                              Another view and yes I did take more snaps than these two.

                    The distant ranges make for stunning views up through here on a sunny day.

Although I was going to do another of our drives, I'll leave it till Friday as I'm both tired and needing to finish handsewing the binding on the other baby quilt whilst watching an episode the The Great British Sewing Bee.  After a very hot & muggy day of 30+ degrees, we've had a shower of rain and are expecting storms overnight & tomorrow.

Have a lovely Wednesday in the northern hemisphere, take care, stay safe & huggles from down under.

Susan.

HOLIDAY BREAK DAYS 2 & 3.

TUESDAY.

The day again arrived overcast and drizzly, but we packed some lunch & thermos and headed towards Loch Sport, somewhere we've not been to before.  Loch Sport is a holiday destination & not much else, a spit of land sandwiched between the Gippsland Lakes and Ninety Mile Beach.

Emus.

Along the way we spotted these and I took a photo from my window, due to it being very overgrown along the verge & I'd probably have disappeared into it, but DH braved getting out and................oh my...... the car filled with mosquitoes.  Hundreds of them, which we then swatted at, all the way to Loch Sport.

Finding a car park not far from the beach we parked up, ate our lunch, then with a break in the misty showers, we quickly walked down to the beach.  A few photos follow.

Walking against the wind.

Looking at the small sand-hills & bordering scrub. 

Another misty shower as I took this snap of the information board.

Looking down the track to the car park from the information board.

Turning back toward the sea.

More of the coastal ti-tree beside the car park.

We decided to head for the caravan taking another unexplored route along the coastal road beside Ninety Mile Beach.  First we had to cross a small inlet to take us back through town & I just had to snap this.................

Big Nessie & Little Nessie.
Somebody has an imagination.

Oh and this was the surprise of the day and I couldn't believe my eyes.  Pulled over quickly and at least got one good photo as she turned to look at us, then hopped away to follow her two companions.

Mum with her joey in someone's front yard in Loch Sport.

Also spotted these two murals on private houses.

And a better photo of the emus, who had moved to a more open paddock.

Plus more of the coastal ti-tree and heath in both pink & white.

Finally driving along the coastal road, we discovered this..................

The last remains of the shipwreck Trinculo which you can read about on the board .

A small curly sponge I spotted beside the wreck.

After capturing the last photo, I was suddenly inundated with mosquitoes once again & made a quick retreat towards the track back to the car.   Luckily they didn't follow us and we could take the track at our leisure & more photo spotting for me.

Lichen covered trees.

                     A carpet of lime green moss.

WEDNESDAY.

Breakfast finished, we had already planned to have lunch at Port Albert on one of the days as a little luxury treat.  They have a great fish and chip shop, so off we went.  Murky weather once again and also very windy.  Taking another new to us road, we came upon the little locality of Tarraville, which boasts a handful of houses, an old school and church, so out with the camera once again.

The church, above & below.

The school, above and below.

I also spotted this beautiful derelict building and anyone who knows me well, must know that I can't resist these evocative structures.

Isn't it lovely?

Arrived in Port Albert to howling wind & much misty rain, so no decent photos.  I'll remedy that some day, but the fish & chips were lovely.  Headed for home along the South Gippsland Highway, where you pass through the small township of Alberton where I found a mural on the side of the Hotel on an earlier trip down this way.  Hence the clearer sky, as we'd had better weather back then early in the year.

Another lovely (although wet & windy) day was had, and discovering lots of new to us roads off main highways is something we delight in.  Not for everyone I know.

I'll catch up again hopefully tomorrow with the last bit of the trip, as I've lost count of all the things I've been going to post about over the last 2 months, namely some of our local walks & drives and lots of crafty bits.  Thanks for following & still commenting everyone.

Take care, stay safe & huggles.

Susan.

A MUCH NEEDED SMALL BREAK.

 Having not been away in our caravan since last November, we decided to go away for a few days in it, now that we have a little freedom here in regional Victoria.  DH booked 4 days at a caravan park in Yarram, on the South Gippsland Highway only a 2 to 3 hour drive south east from home.  This little outing of ours could also help the economy & our sanity.  In the last "unlockdown"😊, around July, we'd had a drive down that way & I'd already taken some photos that I'd not posted, so here we go with a photo heavy post of this small town and what it has to offer.  Our break will be spread over a few posts & I'm determined to get to grips with the new format of Blogger so I can keep this little diary going.

YARRAM.

                                                       The lovely old court house building.

                                                        Two churches I found really nice.

Now for the reason we went here after we'd heard about the MURALS, although we've both stayed & driven through in past years, before they were done.

This selection are all on outside walls.  There are many more inside ones, that we can't access due to restrictions, but one is in a cafe where they are allowed to seat up to ten people.  I was allowed in as they were about to close & most of the customers had left.

I really did think this was something else.  One day in the future we may be able to access the rest of them.  I also found a new to me............................

The lovely quilt shop that I could go into as long as I was masked and kept the appropriate distances.

That was great for my sewjo!

MONDAY AFTERNOON.

The day was not very fine with light misty rain & very windy, so DH had seen in the atlas a place called Jack Smith Lake & thought we should take a look.  His late brother's name was Jack Smith & it was sort of calling us for short trip to fill in the rest of the day.

After a short drive from town, we turned onto a somewhat very rough road & saw plenty of nature inspired photo opportunities for me.  Here are some although not the best due to the poor weather.

The sign for the lake & reserve, but no sign of the actual lake here, so off down the rutted road.

                                      From a distance we saw these kangaroos hopping away.

                                          Then we came across another group just ahead of us.

Finally the lake came into view, but the road was so bad we parked up and did a little walking before the rain set in again.

                                 Coastal ti tree seemed to be quite predominant in these areas.

                                                                A very nice row of trees.

                                                     One of our later flowering wattles.

   This what I've always called native clematis, but I should find out what it really is sometime.

Finally the lake.  As you can see the mountains in the distance are disappearing into low level cloud.

                                                          A view further down the lake.

                  On our way out of the reserve we spotted this bunny running in front of us.  

OK enough for today & I promise I will be back with more of our break this week, even though it rained for 3 days, with a much nicer day on Thursday, we made the most of our time.

Stay safe all, take care and huggles from Susan.