Day 4 Wednesday 16/2/22 Heyfield, warm 31 before a thunderstorm

Everyone else goes off early morning walking, how nice it is to have a peaceful sleep in. After breakfast we venture off again this time to buy toilet chemical. Caravanning seems to revolve around toilet requirements, doesn’t it? The wetland walk is pleasant, and the ducks are doing laps around their island.

Speaking of laps there’s quite a bit of aeroplane noise above our camp and from the graffiti-like flight paths on the Flight Radar app it looks like the pilots down at the Sale air force base are doing a bit of circle work.

The campground has a little book exchange table and I happen to pick up “My Family and Other Animals” by Gerald Durrell. The book that spawned the delightfully whimsical TV series “The Durrells”. Within minutes I’m transported to 1930’s Corfu with that eccentric but loveable family.

As the day warms up El & Elle Prado arrive, and we wander up to the Railway Hotel for a beer in air-conditioned comfort. We’ve eaten in this pub before but haven’t been into the bar. Someone has been very creative with the furniture as the stools and tables have been constructed from odd pieces of machinery, there’s a wheel under our table and a couple of bar stools made from Hills hoists (rotary clotheslines).

Our mates R&T ring, they’re camped down at Willow Grove in Rosedale, which is close but not Heyfield. Geez, this caper is like herding cats sometimes!

We cook crumbed cutlets from the Heyfield Butcher and sit outside under our awning until the forecasted summer thunderstorm sends us scurrying indoors. Mind you, the others had already pulled their awnings in in anticipation, so poor old Woody was left dashing about in the rain and looking like a wet T shirt competitor. Rather than get dressed he dives into bed.  I marvel at the Olympic downhill skiing on TV while the rain hammers on the roof. Then I realise that I forgot to close the bathroom hatch. Wet walls. Wet toilet. Wet floor. Soggy mat. And now wet knees. So what, it’s minus 30 in Beijing!

Accom: $4.50. The town has asked that we fill out a form showing what we spent while visiting, it’s surprising how quickly the purchases add up, a few loaves of bread, meat from the butcher, beers at the pub and a few bits and pieces at the supermarket. The freedom camp is certainly an asset to the town.