Day 1 Tuesday 9/5/2023, Melbourne to Yackandandah, chilly intermittent rain

It has rained on and off in Melbourne for several days and an early cold snap has brought snow to the ranges. At least the skiers are happy.

For us it’s a nervous morning. We worry about how the new (to us) car will tow. With El Prado’s passing it’s the first winter in many years without him and Elle and we all miss his boundless excitement. Our effervescent Elle is currently trawling the internet for a motor home.

VeeWee is already at Yackandandah with a payload of racing trophies for her brother who lives on the Gold Coast. The rest of our caravan club mob are also in residence for the May muster. We’re a little late because Woody has a cardiologist appointment. How many people park their caravan outside their specialist’s rooms?

On the road, our chains need some adjustment, the ice box needs to be further forward in the car and is a little heavy. I suggest taking some beer out, but that idea is flatly rejected.

Eastlink is busy and misty with road spray and drizzle. The GPS gets the flick as she keeps on insisting that we do a U turn and go through the heart of the city. Our ears are tuned to every sound outside the car and every beep within. It seems to take two of us to perform all the tasks needed. “Where the bloody hell is that demister? Quick, turn the fan down!” “I would if I could find the switch!” It’s a relief to turn off to Lilydale and even better when we take Victoria Road north towards Yarra Glen.

Now that we’re on country roads we turn the GPS back on to get used to her idiosyncrasies, after all we do know where we’re going. She’s very polite and we like the way she shows intersections in the corner of the driver’s dashboard but we still can’t work out why she suddenly takes over the whole screen leaving the driver with no idea of their speed. That’s quite a feature! But it’s the turns that baffle me: There’s Turn Left, Turn Half Left huh?, Move left, and…Take the 2nd Half Left….what happened to the first?

It’s 11 degrees at Yarra Glen and still wet. Being the almanac and navigator I’m flipping between car functions and phone. “Don’t worry, the radar says it’s fine in Yea so it should be dry after we cross the Divide (Great Dividing Range, weather is always better north of the Divide according to Melbourne folk). We’re still on edge and now we have potholes to contend with, big fat potholes disguised with water. One of which causes such a thump that we’re soon out of the car looking for damage. On the CB even the truckies are complaining about the conditions.

We pull into Yea, and of course it’s still raining. We quickly grab some lunch and break our new rule of not eating in the car! That didn’t last long, but it’s too wet. Now the car smells of sausage rolls. At Yarck the weather clears to a delightful day. And our thoughts quickly change to counting dead wombats. At Bonnie Doon the Eildon Weir is very high. We swap drivers and after Swanpool the road improves though I do have to straddle a flattened fox that tickles the Touareg’s undercarriage. It’s a pleasant drive up the Hume highway and a sunny 17.5 degrees.

Turning off into the Ovens Valley is a treat, at Tarrawingee the gardens are a picture but a mere entree to Beechworth with its avenues of red and gold. Autumn is the best time to be in this region. The ground is a little wet in the Yackandandah caravan park but we have a pleasant spot backing onto the gurgling Yackandandah Creek. By the time we get set up happy hour in the rustic camp kitchen is in full swing and we have about 8 new members, there are close to 40 of us here.

We throw some chicken wings in the air fryer and have an early night.

Accom: $38.00

Fuel: $55.70

Towing: 182kms

Dead wombats: 3