Porepunkah | This Adventurous Age

February 10, 2022
by wendyviney Leave a comment

2011 Travels May 4

WEDNESDAY 4 MAY POREPUNKAH

John had volunteered to do the early morning routine with Couey today, so I could sleep in. Nice of him. However, he needed to ask about things a couple of times, and was in and out of the van several times, so there was actually no hope of me staying asleep! I got up before they were back from the morning walk.

Son’s birthday. I sent him a text.

It was a lovely day, after yesterday’s rain had freshened up the place.

We drove into Bright and parked down behind the Visitor Centre, near the Ovens River.

Then walked across the nearby bridge and turned onto the Canyon walking track.

**from tourism information – route of Canyon Walk**

The Canyon is just that – where the river has cut a narrow little course through rock. It is neither all that deep, nor all that long, but made for an interesting walk, having seen historic gold mining activity.

**Information board about** **historic gold mining in the area**

Some of the sluice channels cut by miners remained.

**The canyon section of the walk; southern track visible to left**

M opted to do the full Canyon circuit, which returned her to Bright via the somewhat rugged track along the southern side of the Canyon. John and I opted to continue on to where the former railway bridge crosses the Ovens, and walk back to town along the Rail Trail. This was longer, but easier going.

John had Couey off lead for some of the time. She did really well, moving out in front of us a little way, but always watching us, and then running back to the last person to “check” them, before going back to the front. Interesting to see the herding instinct coming out, and being applied to people.

John needed to rest a couple of times on the walk. It really stretched him. We probably did bout 5kms.

**Thoughtfully provided seats on the footbridge across the Ovens River**

Encountered a man about to set out on a bike ride with a group of school children, from out of town. He commented on our “Smithfield” dog – rather a common error as they both have bob tails. After a bit of a chat about dogs and what we were doing, he invited us to go camp on his cattle property, down towards Cheshunt. He thought he knew the other John and his wife. It was an interesting offer, but I explained that we were planning to follow the Murray downstream.

Met back up with M in town and had a Subway lunch. I went to a gourmet butcher shop and bought some meat and sausages.

Back to camp. Couey was worn out and slept all afternoon. I read, and sewed. John napped.

Later, new neighbours moved onto site. Another test for dog. She watched them arrive and set up, but didn’t bark or growl. She really is so good.

John had been thinking about our plans again. Never a good sign. Now, after catching up with the other John, he had decided we should go straight to Broken Hill. His younger daughter had recently moved there for work, and he wanted to visit her. Seemed work was going to take her to Sydney for several days, in twelve days’ time and John wanted to visit before then. He seemed to think we could comfortably get there in one or two days, clearly having no idea of the distances involved – and not wanting to hear any different!

This would put paid to the idea of a slow meander along the Murray, or staying longer in Bright, which I’d have liked. So, it looked like my pleasant holiday would be ending in a couple of days. I was not enthusiastic about the visiting idea. Based on past experiences, daughter would be busy and would have little time to spend with John. It would not be long before there was some sort of angry clash between them, and that would end the visit!

I made spicy marinated pork strips for tea, with potato and zucchini. M shared the marinade with me and we cooked the pork on the BBQ in the camp kitchen.

Phoned son and had a very pleasant chat with him. John phoned his namesake; there was some stuffing around about a possible meeting, but then John handed over to me. We arranged to meet in Myrtleford tomorrow, for lunch. That got neatly around John’s idea of moving camp to Beechworth.

John phoned daughter. No answer, so he left a message. She often did not answer her phone if she did not feel like talking to him.

February 8, 2022
by wendyviney Leave a comment

2011 Travels May 3

TUESDAY 3 MAY POREPUNKAH

The morning started at 6.40am for dog and me.

John was up a bit earlier than in recent days.

I’d hoped to do the Canyon Walk from Bright today, but John’s leg was playing up a bit. Since the main vein got filled up with blood clots in February, he has issues with pain and tiredness in it. The specialist told him at the time that solidified clot material had permanently narrowed the vein. Too graphic?

John wanted to make sure his leg was “saved” for bowls this afternoon, so I did the washing instead of doing a big walk in the morning. But after that was done and hung out, we did take dog across the swing bridge and for a walk on the track beyond it.

**Footbridge over Ovens River near the caravan park**

After John had gone off to bowls, there was some cloud build up, so I picked the washing in and draped it around the van to finish drying.

M, dog and I went for a walk across the bridge and to the cafe at Porepunkah. The big cloud build up had continued, and there was some thunder while we were walking. It did not appear to bother the dog – thank you, puppy school! After having coffees, we walked – fairly quickly back to camp, thinking ourselves lucky to get back dry.

The rain set in later in the afternoon and continued into the night.

John put the ends onto the annexe to keep the area a bit drier. But the rain made things feel damp, and wet Couey’s outside bed, before we realized.

Tea was chicken thighs simmered in a jar of green curry sauce – a very mild one – with rice. The jar of simmer sauce was too big for us so M used some of it for her tea.

Again, early to bed for me, and John watching TV and on his laptop till later. I had been having some trouble sleeping, due to increasing pain in my injured shoulder, so felt tired much of the time.

February 6, 2022
by wendyviney Leave a comment

2011 Travels May 2

MONDAY 2 MAY POREPUNKAH

There was definitely a morning routine developing with dog: up early and ready for morning walk with me.

After breakfast, John helped M change a tyre that had gone flat on the Troopy. Then we drove into Bright. M took the tyre in for repair – it turned out to be a worn tube, so she had to buy a new one of those.

Went to the Information Centre which was well set up and had a lot of information and things for sale – lots of browsing. John sat outside with dog. Then to the Bright Brewery. No live entertainment today, but M and John sampled the beers. I had a coffee.

Walked around the town for a while. I was looking for the Post Office, to mail a birthday card to son.

Bright had a number of interesting seeming shops. We couldn’t really go browsing in these, because of dog, but it was quite pleasant just walking around. Couey got better every time we took her around people.

Went to Woolworths. John and dog stayed in the car while M and I got various supplies.

Back to the van for a very late lunch.

Took dog for a little walk along the riverside track. Then it was time for happy hour at our van.

Tea was soup, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, potato, tomato. That was a meal that John really enjoyed.

I had an early night. John watched TV until later. Apparently, he came back from his final trip to the bathroom, to find Couey on the bed beside me, with her head on his pillow! Fast learner that one.

February 4, 2022
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2011 Travels May 1

SUNDAY 1 MAY POREPUNKAH

Dog was up and about early, again, so I took her off walking, so John could sleep in, in peace.

After breakfast, we went off driving again, this time to Mystic Mountain, just to the south of Bright. The para gliders yesterday had intrigued John and he wanted to see where they launched from. We followed directions given in some tourist propaganda we’d picked up at the park office.

The designated minor sealed road turned into an unsealed dirt one, with lots of hairpin bends, and quite severe drops to one side. Not my favourite sort of road. At the top was a launch area – a big, cleared, pad with synthetic grass, leading to a steep drop off.

**Launch area on top of Mystic Mountain**

The outlook from here was pretty good. It was, after all, high up, in order for gliders to catch updrafts and currents that swirled amongst the ranges. Logging tracks in the forests were obvious. I suspected the track we’d come up had started its life as a logging track too.

**Recently logged sections on mountains behind Bright**

Unfortunately, also obvious were recently logged areas – a real landscape scar. Still, we need timber and if that is gained from pine plantations rather than native forests, I can cope……

**Bright and the Ovens Valley from Mystic Mountain**

A man arrived not long after us. He assessed the flying conditions as “marginal”. John chatted with him for a while. M and I walked further along, to look at different view angles. He didn’t launch his glider off whilst we were there. Pity – it would have been interesting to watch.

Clearly, dog did not like it when John and I were separated by some distance. She whined and complained. I presumed her pack instincts were kicking in, and she wanted said pack in one place – close!

We set off back down the “hairy” mountain, but detoured along a similar track to get to Huggins Lookout – lower down and closer to Bright.

From that Lookout, there were good views over the town.

M and I had plans for this afternoon – to visit the Bright Brewery and listen to the live entertainment that would be on there. However, John had other ideas, having spotted the bowls club on our drives around town. He checked it out and discovered there was a game at 1pm today. So, after a quick lunch, he was away.

M and I went walking. Just along from the caravan park there was a little suspension bridge across the river. We took that – Couey wasn’t too sure about it at first, but trusted us, in the end. We intersected with the Rail Trail and followed that, towards Bright, as far as the 3km marker, past the pretty golf club. Then we backtracked to Porepunkah village. At the Rail Trail Cafe, we sat and had coffees. Couey had a bowl of water. I like places that think of dogs.

From there, we crossed on an old bridge, now pedestrian only, and followed the riverside track back to the park. It was a very pleasant, reasonably long walk that I thoroughly enjoyed.

When we got back, John was home from bowls, which had finished unusually early. He’d enjoyed himself and played well. Those two facts were probably linked!

We sat round chatting for the rest of the afternoon, talking about what we might do, after here. The original idea was – if the dog behaved acceptably – to mooch west along the Murray, until we felt it was time to go home. M might then head further on by herself – maybe up to Birdsville. Rutherglen was an attractive first place by the Murray to base ourselves for a few days, M and I thought.

Now, John had the idea that he would like to go and stay at Beechworth for a few days, from Friday next. That would be pleasant enough.

Several years ago, John met a fellow traveller namesake in the remote reaches of the Kimberley. That John hailed from these parts, having grown up in Beechworth, where my John’s parents hailed from, and was some sort of cousin. We had kept in touch. They now lived at Cheshunt. My John wanted to meet up again, to discuss some family history stuff that daughter had told him about. Hence the Beechworth idea. He couldn’t seem to grasp that Cheshunt is actually a considerable distance from Beechworth!

Had soup for tea, and the pasta I’d bought yesterday. I made a tomato and caper sauce to go with it – very nice.

After tea, while watching TV, John ate a lot of the walnuts bought yesterday. I am not sure of the limit of how many walnuts are good for people and how many are too many?

February 2, 2022
by wendyviney Leave a comment

2011 Travels April 30

SATURDAY 30 APRIL POREPUNKAH

The dog woke up just before 7am. John had not tied her to the table leg, so she bounced up to us and onto the bed, doing that “Aren’t you glad to see me?” act. I got up and gave her breakfast and took her for a walk; dog might be a morning creature, but John isn’t. We walked for about half an hour along a trail beside the Ovens River – very pretty. Dog stayed firmly on the lead as I didn’t want to risk her running off in an unfamiliar area.

When we got back, I made a coffee and sat outside. Couey seemed content to be tethered to the van – as long as I was in reach. She surveyed the caravan park activity around us, with interest, but quite calmly. Very encouraging. M appeared, and that did elicit some excitement; she and dog are already firm friends.

Eventually John got going. After breakfast, we walked along the riverside track to the Porepunkah shops, where I bought a paper. On the way back, I stopped at the site of a couple I “knew” from a caravanning forum site – had known they were camped here for a period of weeks. Made myself known to them. It was nice to finally meet up in person and we chatted briefly.

The townships of Bright and Porepunkah, only a few kms apart, are located beside the Ovens River, in a valley surrounded by ranges. In this part of the State, settlements and farms follow the little creek and river valleys. The surrounding hillsides are covered by a mix of native forest and plantation pine trees.

The annual Nut Festival was happening this weekend, at Wandiligong, so we drove there. “Wandi” is an interesting, historic village, the location of a minor gold rush back in the 1860’s. This has left its legacy in old buildings and other structures associated with those times. These days there are orchards in the valley, and chestnuts, walnuts and hazelnuts flourish.

We found lots of cars parked in the narrow main street. Figuring they knew what to do, we parked also, and followed a small stream of people walking, eventually getting to the park where the events were – and where there was lots of parking available! How do these herd movements start?

The festival was fairly small and rather disappointing. There were some produce and nut stalls, some food, some live entertainment. Half an hour saw us having been right round the stalls and with really nothing else to do there. One of us had to hold the dog, on her lead, and that really wasn’t conducive to browsing. But she behaved quite well, rather bewildered and a bit scared by all the people – and other dogs.

I bought a kilo of walnuts, in shells, and some home made pasta. John bought a chorizo sausage for his dinner tonight.

On the way back from Wandiligong, we stopped for a few minutes on the roadside, to watch para gliders landing in the adjacent paddock. The area is a centre for this sport, and hang gliding too. The idea of jumping from a great height in the hope of defying the laws of gravity, definitely held no appeal for me.

Went to a supermarket to buy a cask of water, as I’d found the tap supply very heavily chlorinated. There are few things worse than chlorinated coffee. As this was to be a relatively short trip, John had not bothered to refresh the van’s tank water. Bought some ciabatta rolls too.

The autumn colours in the district were wonderful, as was the crisp, fresh, air.

It was back to the van for a late lunch, after which we sat round reading the paper.

I’d asked the acquaintance couple to our camp for happy hour. M was there too. It was pleasant chatting to them about our respective travels, although it got rather chilly sitting outside, which put a natural end to proceedings.

Tea was soup, followed by sausages in bread rolls. I had a couple of lamb and rosemary sausages, from the freezer, John had the one he bought earlier.

John watched football on TV. I intended to read, in bed, but quickly fell asleep, despite the TV noise.

January 31, 2022
by wendyviney Leave a comment

2011 Travels April 29

FRIDAY 29 APRIL HOME TO POREPUNKAH 301kms

We were up early. John still had a lot of his packing to do. Somehow, a lot had been left till the last minute. Yesterday, he’d mowed the lawns, and the exertion had left him quite breathless – bit of a worry.

Dog seemed to know something was afoot – she wanted to stay really close. Over the past couple of months, it had become evident that she had separation anxiety. This had manifested first in a pup training session when the trainer had us each leave our dog with her, then walk around a corner out of sight. It is the only time I have ever heard a dog properly scream! She was really upset. At home, she’d carried on and tried to climb the fences, if we both went out. We’d eventually solved that problem by spreading her rawhide bone with peanut butter and giving her that as we were leaving. Being a cattle dog, stomach took precedence over all else. So, us going out no longer worried her too much.

The van hitch up went smoothly. I thought we might be a bit out of practice. We were to meet up with friend M at our destination. This would be her first outing with the Troopy newly converted to a poptop camper.

Left home at 11am, on a lovely autumn day. Driving was pleasant, through Yea, Bonnie Doon, Benalla, Milawa, and thence to Porepunkah. It felt so good to be on the road, with the van, again.

The first Truck travel of any distance with the dog went fairly well. She had never been enthusiastic about car travel, unlike a lot of dogs. She would jump in alright, and accept being harnessed up, but then would bark and be agitated, until we started moving. Then she just wanted to get right down on the floor, or as close to it as her harness would allow, and stay there for the duration. Once we stopped, up she popped, and the barking routine started again, until she was let out. This pattern had developed over any short drives we’d done at home, like down to the Lake for a walk, and nothing we tried could alter the performance, even food.

Stopped in a pull-in area by the toilets at Bonnie Doon, where there was a little picnic area with a couple of tables. I’d packed lunch rolls before we left. Dog handled the nearby people and traffic alright, just wanted to stay by us.

Stopped just out of Milawa, by the roadside, because we thought dog might need a toilet stop and drink. This time, she was really scared; being on the roadside, traffic was passing close by. She panicked and got out of her harness. Luckily I managed to grab her before she did something crazy, like run on the road. More acclimatizing to this sort of thing needed!

I had booked us into an ensuite site at the dog friendly Porepunkah Pines Caravan Park. It was a pleasant park, not too large. There was frontage to the Ovens River and lots of large trees in autumn colours, shedding their leaves. Our en suite was very nice. $308 for the week, less $20.80 discount.

When we stopped in the Park, Couey, of course, was agitating loudly to get out, so I rope tied her to a nearby seat, while we backed the van in and unhitched. She was pretty good while we did that, then tethered her to the back bumper while we set up the van. Behaviour good. She seemed to be accepting of passing people, there were the occasional little barks at passing dogs.

M arrived after us, surprising, because we’d expected her to be earlier and faster than us. The site she had been allocated was too small – she had an annexe at the back of the Troopy and there was no room to put that out. She was moved to a bigger site; it was not all that level, but she was happy enough. The Park was quite full, so there were not many options. Her setting up was a bit slow – a new process.

When all was done, we got together at our van for an extended happy hour. I gave her some of the cauliflower and bacon soup brought with me, and some coleslaw, towards her tea. We had cold cooked chicken maryland pieces, brought from home for tea, too.

There was a large group of people of overseas origins staying in the cabins and congregating in the camp kitchen/BBQ area, which made it difficult for anyone else to access the barbeques or sink.

Dog was good sitting outside with us at happy hour, then inside when we went in for TV watching – John’s Carlton team was playing football. There were several forays outside during the evening, in case dog needed same. While we were watching TV, she slept on the floor at the bed end of the van. When we went to bed, she made no fuss about being transferred to under the table, and slept there throughout the night.

The night was chilly, but it was great to be out in the lovely fresh air again.

So far, so good, and so much better than our only van foray with Birdy.

This Adventurous Age

Adventures travelling and working around Australia.

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