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Nomading - Tarwin Lower to Porpunkah - 8 - 11 March 2020

We had packed the van on Saturday preparing for our departure on the Sunday so when we got up and dressed on the Sunday we only had a few last minute items to pack. We left home about 10.00 am, picked up a coffee at our local coffee shop and then we were on our way.

We had decided to stop at Yea Bakery for lunch before leaving home in the morning, it is just over half way to our destination and we had stopped here before on another trip and had enjoyed the food. We had a pie each and Robb had an apple turnover, we shared a pot of tea. Once again we were pleased with the food, I love a pie but am a bit fussy and the one I had today fulfilled all my desires. The pastry was good, there was meat in the pie, not just gravy, and it was hot, I don't like a pie that isn't hot. Robb said the apple turnover was good and the service here is top notch, very friendly and efficient.

Back in the car for our next leg of the trip and we arrived at our first destination, Porepunkah Caravan Park around 4.45 pm very tired because we had been to a show in Tarwin the night before and didn't get home until 12.00 at night and then we had to drive all day. We set up, we have this down pat now so it only takes us about 20 minutes before sitting down with a wine and beer. This park had been recommended to us so we thought we would give it a go. We phoned when leaving Yea through the day to see if we could get a site as it was the Sunday of the labour day weekend and there was a festival on in Bright. We received a good reaction and were told there would be a site available for us so we booked that while we could. When we arrived we were greeted and welcomed to the park. We worked out where we were going and we were advised to settle in and we could fix up payment later. Service was very friendly, the site is excellent with lots of cover from trees. The park has lots of activities on hand for children and adults and the owners are very accommodating, what more could you ask for. We didn't go anywhere that night, we cooked steak for dinner and we were in bed quite early.

The next morning we slept in and took our time getting up and then went in search of a coffee shop where I wanted to go through the tourist information we were given at the caravan park to plan our day. We stopped at the information centre in Bright where we found the Riverdeck cafe out the back that overlooked the park. Coffee was good but we like a jumbo cup and the biggest they had was a large, never happy with that, and service was good and friendly. We sat inside because there were so many people there we couldn't find a table outside. It was a very busy weekend in Bright and speaking to one of the locals they said this was the biggest weekend in the eight years of the festival, maybe there were a lot of people out supporting the businesses affected by the fires, good to see.

We decided to drive to Harrietville for our first adventure. Harrietville in only 22 kms away and is an historic gold mining town and it had been suggested to us that we visited the museum there but unfortunately we couldn't find it. Before arriving in Harrietville we stopped at the Trout Farm to have a bit of a look, Robb wasn't sure if he wanted a fish or not but on arriving we watched the people already fishing and they weren't catching much so we decided to have a walk around the park which was very pretty. We had a quick chat to the two brothers who ran the park and bought pate in the shop before driving into Harrietville. We stopped at the Harrietville bakery to pick up bread and a couple of cakes for lunch and then drove through the town to have a look. On the way back we stopped at the Snowline Hotel for a beer. They weren't open when we first arrived so we sat outside admiring the view for 10 minutes and when they did open we bought a couple of pale ales and sat at the tables outside as it was a beautiful day.

We then drove back to Porepunkah for lunch and to sort ourselves out a bit, we stopped on the way at a roadside stop and picked up some peaches and then we had to stop at Woolies on the way back to pick up a couple of items we needed. After lunch we sat around for awhile deciding whether or not we wanted to go out again but then decided to make a couple of quick stops as it was still early. We thought we would visit the park in Bright to have a bit of a look. It is a great area with swimming in the river and a splash park for children and lots of picnic area, there was quite a crowd there as there was all over Bright but this would be a popular area for families. We then drove to Wandiligong in search of the apple farm which we eventually found outside the town. There is a fresh produce shop here, mainly focused on apples but also with a good variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, gift items and hampers, and the usual sauces and jams. Robb bought a walnut and honey ice cream cup, they make their own ice cream and apparently the licorice flavour had won a major award this year. Robb enjoyed the one he had. We left here and drove back to the van where we had a few jobs to take care of before sitting down for a drink. Robb cooked a lamb roast for dinner, I think it will probably be another early night tonight.

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