SATURDAY 30 JULY     HAMILTON TO HOME     350kms

With little packing up to do, we were able to give Couey a good walk and ball romp out on the grass.

Before leaving town, we drove to the Woolworths servo that John had sussed out when we were there yesterday. No issues going through with the van on the back.

Travelled the Hamilton Highway eastwards, past the scenic southern end of the Grampians and through the rejuvenated Dunkeld. The route was a very familiar one to us both, as John  taught at Mooralla for a year, way, way back. I knew the order of the towns and hamlets off by heart. Some of them had not changed much.

The route through central Ballarat before we reached the Western Highway was really tedious, not helped by late Saturday morning traffic. Some sort of a through route that bypassed the main part of the town was long overdue.

Stopped at a service centre near Ballan to eat our packed lunch.

I still don’t like crossing the reservoir at Pykes Creek! The road upgrades really have not made it any better, for me, Heights over water – bit of a phobia.

Apart from that, the Western Highway/Freeway was now so good. I recollect the “old days” when it took at least an hour from the outskirts of Ballarat, to Footscray.

We took the Western Ring Road, avoiding the crawl through Carlton that is the annoying “gap” between the freeways to the west and east. Good idea, in theory, but I came unstuck in practice, once the Ring Road ended at Greensborough, That was another place in Melbourne where one transitioned from a faster road – on the weekend, at least – to slower suburban roads. I got a bit confused with the navigating and we ended up on roller coaster back roads around Kangaroo Ground, eventually finding our way through to Warrandyte. The driver was not happy!

Reached home mid-afternoon. We put in a big unpacking effort and got most of it done, quite quickly.

Treated ourselves to a take away tea from the local Chinese. John enjoyed his lemon chicken, but my sweet and sour pork was overcooked and dry – disappointing.

Thus, another little expedition in the van ended. Only two weeks away – brief, by our standards. It definitely showed that mid-winter is not the greatest time for travels in southern Victoria.

FRIDAY 29 JULY     HAMILTON

First thing in the morning, I went to the park office and booked a second night. There was some sort of rather weird discount system applicable, because I paid only $30.60 for this night, after a $7.40 discount.

Chatted for a while with the park owner. He told me about a new caravan park chain that was about to start up – a really dog-friendly one. That sounded both interesting and overdue. It  annoyed me no end, that the other major park chain to which we once belonged, and used a lot, had a no dog policy. The reality was that there were increasing numbers of travellers with dogs and, to me, it made sound business sense to recognize this and cater for it.

He also mentioned that the Halls Gap to Dunkeld road had been closed for much of this year, due to landslips, and this had impacted badly on tourism to Hamilton, it being a convenient stop between Halls Gap and the coast.

Couey had a morning walk along the creek trail.

After John got going, we walked to the Woolworths complex. When I first moved to Hamilton, the commercial focus was in Gray Street, a block to the north, where the two old department stores and what passed for supermarket, were almost opposite each other. Then Coles set up not far from them. The Woolworths development happened after I left, but clearly, the main street was no longer central to commerce in the town.

John found a games shop there, too, so I waited with dog while he browsed in there.

After lunch back at the van, we went walking along the creek track, but the other way this time, under the highway overpass and towards Lake Hamilton.

From the creek path, I could just see the spires of St Mary’s Catholic Church up on its hill, and a glimpse of the top of the towered house that had been my home for a while.

I realized that, in a few months, it will be thirty years since I left Hamilton, after living there for thirteen years. No wonder the town had seemed altered!

More dog ball games on the grass near the park, then back to the van for the rest of the day.

Sausages and vegies and eggs for tea.

MONDAY 19 JANUARY   BALLARAT TO HAMILTON   180kms

John did not take any Warfarin today.

The pack up took us about two hours – longer than I’d anticipated. But we were not hurrying, and it included taking off the awning roof, folding it and putting it away.

The bikes were awkward to put up on the rack again – as they had been when finalizing the departure at home. After some thought, solved the problem of bits getting tangled up, I think, by facing them in opposite directions and so that the gear side on each was inwards.

John filled the rear most water tank on van, to try to reduce the ball weight of van.

The hitch up of Truck and van was much easier than I’d feared. I had been dreading trying to do that again, after our first effort! Tried to remember the sequence that Hardings had followed, and it was fine. Before we left, I did a very careful check around the rig, to try to make sure we’d remembered everything essential – like roof clipped down, propper legs wound up, jockey wheel put away, van windows closed, everything done up on the hitch. I turned the gas bottle off, too.

We had a cool and pleasant drive through Skipton to Hamilton. All very familiar roads to me, after 13 years of living in Hamilton. It was lovely to see the Grampians gradually appear in the distance and watch them grow larger as we got closer to Dunkeld.

I am so glad that last week’s heatwave was over, for our driving day. John’s leg hurt, though, all through the drive, from clutch work.

We went to the Lake Hamilton Caravan Park, booked in for a week, which cost $78. The park is rated 3 star and that seems about right. The people are nice and helpful and, because it is small, it seems quiet. There are no other vans near our allocated site.

Setting up the camp again seemed quite easy.

We have now towed the van all of 355 kms!

Our route from Ballarat to Hamilton

After lunch, drove around town, looking at what has changed, and much that was the same as I remembered, even though it is sixteen years since I was last here. Cruised slowly past both my former homes; the Tower House has been beautifully restored and looks good, with a higher fence. Good to see my garden there has been improved, but not too radically altered. The Skene Street cottage is not so well kept, looking neglected: the front garden, hydrangea row  and hedge have all gone and it looks really denuded at the front. Poor house!

We went to both bowls clubs, where John arranged games for tomorrow and Saturday at Grangeburn, and in a triples at the Hamilton club for later in the week.

I feel like I am in a time warp – quite strange, actually.

After tea – of cold roast chicken and salad – we went walking. Up past the lake, then up to the hospital area and on foot past the Tower House, where I could have a good sticky beak at it! They have put in shrubbery where the vegie garden was, the big old deciduous tree is still there – I remember the mountain of leaves every autumn! The feijoa, magnolia and crab apple have gone from the front and side, but the camellias are still there. It has a real cottage garden look, with the concreted paths now all paved instead. I am so happy that it looks so well cared for.

The Tower House as I remembered it

Back at van, tried to phone John’s friends, B and M, but it was engaged. Phoned K – he will forward our mail on Tuesday, c/o Post Office, so it should be here by Thursday. Left a phone message for John’s daughter R.

John fiddled about with the HF radio, which is yet another new learning experience to be mastered. He was not successful at making a Selcall.