For the French – Happy Bastille Day today. On the way to Bendigo from Ballarat, went through a small town with an equally small shop on the highway which was showing the tricolour. As there was nothing else French around, figure it must have been a special occasion and it was. The Caravan park at Ballarat was owned by a family of 7 brothers, They were certainly able to fill me in on what they saw the trends to be. Has our first difficulty with the Tarago and van today when we checked into the park, very wet and slippery and no traction with the Tarago to pull either backwards or forwards. Learnt a few new choice words today.
Found out today that on Saturday the temperature was minus 6.7 degrees. Locals were telling us that this weather pattern was coming back to what it usually was after many years of unseasonable hot weather.
The net effect on this was that it made the vinyl on the Jayco very hard making it difficult to fold away. Took quite a bit of effort to fold up the beds and close the extensions. Once the sun came up, it was OK but try it with cold, wet fingers – it’s quite a challenge.
Continued on our fact finding tour and what is becoming apparent is that short day trips by metropolitan drivers have not been affected. It is the long distance journey and the small towns that rely on the trade that are suffering.
The policy I am developing will have to reflect the two worlds, as well as addressing the various components that make up road tourism. Spoke at length to a bus driver who has noticed less groups chartering owing to an increase in fuel costs. It takes $450 to fill his bus every two days.
The drought continues to follow us as most of the river beds are totally dry - no wonder the farmers are doing it so tough.
Tonight we are camped at Yea on the edge of the Victorian snowfields and the air is still and chilly but a lot better than the wind chill of previous days. Victorian school children are back at school today but still there are a lot of Melburnians coming home with young children. Probably a pupil free day.
Daylesford and Castlemaine are both picturesque little towns and very busy. Quite a contrast to some of the small country towns we saw in NSW. It really is like chalk and cheese.
Thankfully the winds and rain we have had to contend with seemed to have moved on so the cold, still air is much more manageable.
The thing I appreciate most with caravanning is that I don’t have to live out of a suitcase. See there are some bonuses and if I am really lazy even the bedclothes can stay in sight.
PHOTO top left: The rest station near Castlemaine.
PHOTO below: Pulling up at the Seymour Information Centre.
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