Monday November 5th 2012 Corowa

Oh blimey there was not a lot of sleep last night, it was hot and we were serenaded by Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits and Queen until 2:00am, and the woman next door with the Tony Abbott laugh. We have noticed that although the ‘residents’ are water skiers, very few are skiing they just sit around and drink all day, barely moving, whilst the kids go feral. At least the kids are getting some exercise.

I visit my frail uncle D who lives in Corowa and only recently lost his wife.  We all meet up for lunch at the motel, have a nanna nap then catch up again for a farewell BBQ dinner.

Tuesday November 6th 2012 Corowa to Melbourne

Time to pack up, we’re feeling depressed that the holiday is almost over, we pop out to the Corowa Chocolate Factory to get some delights and then drive on to Wangaratta which is only a short drive away. We are to meet my cousin for lunch, so we have coffee in town and have a look around first. We have lunch and a long chat with Cuz at the fabulously art deco Sydney Hotel , check out her vegetable garden then sadly hit the road for the last time at 2:50pm. It is a rather wet drive home and we arrive at 6:30pm

Towing Kms: 408Kms

Summary

Points of Interest

The spring flowers, especially the roses were lovely everywhere, even in Broken Hill.

We had great weather, apart from the last afternoon it really only rained seriously for an hour in Echuca.

The desert was amazing and filled with life.

We chose a perfect time to visit the Menindee Lakes, as there was plenty of water and masses of wildlife.

Lessons learned

Face Cleanser Wipes are invaluable both in the car and in the van.

We’ve finally learnt how to use our awning properly.

We need a new Anderson plug and the lead needs lengthening.

The van bra top edge needs repair before it causes damage from abrasion.

We must carry our logons and passwords to various blogs and social media sites.

Look out for not only kangaroos but suicidal emus, wild goats and lazy lizards.

Lesson to be shared

Most importantly, don’t stay in ‘weekender’ parks on long weekends unless you’re a fan of Queen songs sung badly.

Trip Statistics

Distance Travelled – 2840 kilometres.

Duration – 18 days

2021 Note: I had to laugh when looking back on the expenses for this trip as we spent a grand total of $5.80 on prescriptions. We were obviously much younger and needed fewer drugs to keep us going!