Places, Vic

When Plans Go Astray

Melbourne, Summer 2024

We tend not to go away over the summer holiday season as it is a busy time for families. Though we do like to spend our Christmas in country towns. This year, however, commitments and crazy weather have thrown every plan to the wind.

We had hoped to spend Xmas up in the goldfields area around St Arnaud with our mate VeeWee but had to cancel our booking. When Xmas came around, we breathed a sigh of relief as the weather worsened, and St Arnaud flooded. It certainly was miserable weather and not suited to being in the caravan. Even the ducks were over it.

Last week there was sunshine and a gap in the calendar, so we packed the van and were all set to go to Rochester for a few quiet days by the river. The little town has been suffering because of last year’s floods and they were begging tourists to come and spend a few bucks. With all our food in the fridge on the van and ready to go in the morning, we decided that dinner should be fish and chips at the beach. We certainly weren’t expecting an alert to come through for ‘life-threatening’ floods across the state. The Rochester Caravan Park manager was in the process of moving customers from lawns to slab sites. Down came the rain and she rang to tell us that they were now evacuating as the river was rising. We’ve now unpacked the van and the weather is glorious once more, but still coastal resorts are busy, and the rest of the state is mopping up one hell of a mess. Whilst we remain itching for hitching, I’ll keep you posted on the goings on around Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, and let’s hope we’ve seen the last of flooding rain for a while.

‘Texas Milk Bar’ – Carlisle St, East St Kilda

14 thoughts on “When Plans Go Astray”

      1. Yep! We were fine, thanks. Think we are on higher ground out here than to the north and east. I am noticing that, in these severe rain events, we do not seem to get as much as the official total. Yet, when it is a gentle, normal sort of rain event, we get more. Go figure.

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    1. Oh that’s wonderful news. He’ll have memories to last a lifetime. If he’s on a 457 visa, they have to do x amount of weeks in the outback and the same in a city. It’s a great scheme, we’ve met so many young folk in country pubs with grins from ear to ear.

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      1. That’s not his visa. I’m sorry to say my grandson’s a real Townie. I hope he’ll get some experiences that convince him otherwise. But so far … all good.

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