Blog 23 - Healesville - Lakes Entrance - Sunday 9th - Wed 12th August 2015

"Ah there's a bin.” Moose says after I jokingly comment on the lovely view of a row of bins from the kitchen window, including how watching people put their rubbish in them, makes me feel part of the community.

Bonnie is unsettled she wants to sit in the car to make sure we are taking her with us. She keeps following every sound Moose makes outside while packing up.

Woori Yallock road is supposedly quite a main one but the bumps and grooves in it make it feel more like a goat track. It winds its way through farmland with tree covered mountains surrounding us. Trees overhang the road as we bump our way along to Pakenham where we will meet up with the freeway and hopefully a cafe

We drive through a few small towns including one called: Cockatoo which is a small town with the essentials like a post office, café and pub.  Houses are built into the hillside surrounded by trees. The next is Mt Burnett which is a small farming community. We are on a fairly straight road as we hit the outskirts of Pakenham. There are housing estates were orchards used to be and cows munching grass on a few paddocks in between estates. Turning onto Princes highway we see all the usual fast food outlets fighting for space followed by houses and more houses. Then the green fields open up again with small rolling hills in the background. A couple of right turns and moose has managed to avoid stopping for coffee again.

We turned off the freeway to stop for a stretch. Then moose sees a sign for toasted sandwiches.  Which he had read wrong as it was actually for the next turn off. This means we find ourselves on a narrow road unable to turn back. Eventually we find an equally narrow cross roads and do a tight u turn back towards the freeway. Moose gets out to check towing gear - it was ok. I took this opportunity to get out of the car and have my stretch. Now he's hunting down his cheese and ham sandwich.

A Little girl shows me how to juggle. And tells me she works here. She is saving for a car when she grows up. Has already got $152 dollars towards it. We talked of puppies and school and lots of everything including knock, knock jokes and how old Moose is. The verdict 65, she wouldn't take 55 as an answer cos he has old hands!!! Me …….she had no idea but thought I was younger than 50. Definitely a lot younger than Moose.  The "clean" joke book for kids was even brought out. All through this, Bonnie was getting cuddles and told how Tute she is. 

At the end of lunch we said our goodbyes. I gave her $2 to buy a Choc frog or something. Her eyes went like saucers as she said “thank you, I now have $154 towards my car” and ran inside to put it in her money box. We picked up fresh fruit and veg and headed off.

The next town we drive through is Yarragon. On the right side of the car is a long busy Main Street while on the left is a train track and farmland. Next town is Trafalgar which has houses built up on both sides of the road /railway. Most are old buildings with verandahs including a patchwork and quilting shop - lucky for Moose it’s Sunday and its closed. More farmland spreads out to the mountain ranges which look like they are covered with a thin blue film.

Coming into Latrobe Valley. Huge power stations stand out against the trees around them. There’s a huge mine too. “You want a stretch?” Moose asks. Wow I'm impressed. I answer that would be nice as my back and ankle are not happy today. "Okay, I'll have a quick power nap then" he pulls into a large truck parking spot behind a petrol station and promptly falls asleep. Bonnie and I have a walk then I annoy the shop assistant by buying a coffee, he would of much rather finish his private phone call.

Half a dozen large roundabouts and we find ourselves in the city of Sale, the Town centre goes forever. More driving and we cross the Avon River to Stratford which is a pretty country town. I spy a book shop and can't help comment on the fact every town seems to have a bookshop as opposed to WA where you really have to hunt them down. How cool is that! Next is Bairnsdale another big town. 4 lane Main Street with a Mc Donald's squeezed in between little shops photo
We continue crossing another river as we head out of town Bonnie sleeps through all these towns. There are two more beautiful wide rivers and some pretty little towns and we are nearly there.

We arrived at Lakes entrance at 4.30pm. We pulled over at a lookout to survey the pretty town below us, while we checked details of each caravan park on the phone. 

Bon used this opportunity to chew a stick

Across the road from our park

That's us on the Right

We found a park with just a road between us and the water with the bonus that we were the only van in so had our choice of sites.

Monday 10th August 2015 - Lakes entrance

I awake with no Moose in the bed. The TV is on low and the curtain pulled across to keep the light /sunshine out of the bedroom. This AMAZING. I lie on the bed just enjoying the fact I was not woke up. Sitting up I can see Moose’s legs (around the curtain) stretched out across the van resting against the kitchen drawers. Lying upon them is Bonnie's a lime Green blanket then the princess herself. To get out of the bedroom I climb over them both.  Bon didn't move. Well she yawned but didn't move. Once in the kitchen area she eyeballed me with one baggy eyebrow raised her big sad eyes saying: “please don't ask me to move”.
About half an hour later she had to put up with her mat being moved to near the heater vent as Moose was off for a paddle. I knew that call of the water would come. I have my usual thorn in my side, not only my bursitis but a bloody noisy chainsaw lumber jack has started up somewhere nearby.

Never take for granted having a shower long enough to condition your hair. I feel like a new woman. Moose is still paddling, Bonnie is chilling on the soft grass outside, chewing her bone.

Later I walked Bonnie across the road to be in position to take a photo of Moose paddling. It was perfect timing as he was heading back around the bend in the river in front of us. While he went for a shower I had the joy of going to the laundry to catch up on some clothes washing. Then it was time to put my studio up - annex.

Moose made the sewing studio cosy while I made toasted sandwiches and Carmel lattes. Plus made the amazing discovery that the grill has 3 heights which solves our problem of how to melt the cheese on our toasties.

My view on my walk home.

I had popped into town for a look around and had a good laugh when the local newsagent had its own 80s style disco going. I was singing along to Boney M’s Rasputin which impressed the guy behind the counter. He was going to turn the volume down but as I was obviously enjoying it as much as he was the volume went up instead. The guy says he spends all his time and money chasing up these gems. I found a dress shop, some op shops and the craft shop so had a few bags to carry home which was pleasant as my path was all along  the water front. 

Moose was happily sitting watching tv while I shopped. He walked Bon to meet me as I neared home. I cleared my purchases away and tried out a couple of new stitches from my "free form crochet book" then put dinner on. A quiet evening of blogging and Telly ensured.

It’s midnight. Rain taps steadily on the roof, moose snores and Bonnie well Bonnie sleeps like the dead. I guess I should head off to bed.

Tuesday 11th August 2015. Lakes entrance
Even moose slept in today. It was 9.45 before we moved and that was to sit and read in the dining area. At 11 we walked into town with Bonnie. Had lunch then moose and Bonnie continued on to check out the surf club while I dropped into a shop where I had seen a felted jacket yesterday but it had been closed. Not only was it open and the jacket still in the window - it was my size AND it had been discounted to half price. Win win win. I walked home picking up some bits and pieces, bumping into Moose and a very wet Bonnie near the park. She'd been swimming.

It was time to sew. Moose had a power nap and Bonnie dried off. Energy revived Moose headed out for a paddle while Bonnie and I stayed by the heater in my studio. There is much crap Xmas gift creating going on.

I have to give moose credit for his mission to find a good bakery. He headed to bed at about ten, I thought he was reading his book which is on his phone but no, from under the covers his voice rumbles. I ask what he had said “there’s a day trip from here, about 150km return to the high country. Lots to look at particularly an old bakery which is still in action known for its scones jam and cream.”

The heat has slowly disappeared as the heater is on a timer, so I am off to bed. Still am not used to Vic time it's 12.44 but my brain knows it's only 10.45 in Perth
Night

Wednesday 12th August 2015

We have been away six weeks which is about halfway through our 3 month adventure and we are really getting into the rhythm of no rush to do things. The sun is shining and it's warm enough to go out without a jacket.

We had a slow morning of reading, well it started as reading then I seen an email from the dept of culture. In it was an invitation for artists to enter the wearable art competition for the stretch festival in 2016. The brain kicked into gear. Sketches have been made and shopping list started. While moose focused on the dust/vent problem in the van. This was done while resting his eyes. A saunter with Bonnie to the tourist bureau / visitor centre to see if we are missing anything, passing "the boat shed cafe" on the way. A quick chat with a very tired Tomas in Edinburgh then drop into the cafe in the way back to the van for lunch.

Bonnie put on her leash/run outside, happy watching the world go by. Moose finalizes his dust bursting idea and I step in to my studio at 12.30 pm for an afternoon of sewing. After dinner we hunted down the movies which strangely shares a building with the squash courts. We ordered our tickets, our coffee, malteasers, Pringles and juice for Moose. Moose pulls out his wallet to pay only to discover, they don't have eftpos and we don't have cash. I am left as a deposit while Moose goes for cash – he did come back. It was a little off putting when movie was quiet you could hear the grunts and groans from the squash courts

Dust busting Moose & Designer Moz signing off x