Day 2 Saturday 4/5/2024 Avoca to St. Arnaud, light cloud 6 – 20

It was 6 degrees overnight and quite mild. The drive up to St. Arnaud is through pleasant sheep country which merges into hungry, dry gold country. VeeWee notices steam coming from the Iveco’s engine, but being a Saturday there is nowhere open to get it checked out.

The caravan park is the only one in town, perfectly perched on a hill, the site of the old Lord Nelson gold mine The Caravan Park is neat and tidy and it has been upgraded since we were last here, but that was in 2014 on Priscilla’s shakedown trip.

The main Napier Street is busy, probably because it is a Saturday. Flanked with grand old buildings, grapevines are strung from the veranda posts, the leaves of which and those of the street trees are glowing in their autumn glory.

When I stop to photograph an old bank with many elaborate tall chimneys, an older gentleman explains that it was originally the London Chartered Bank. Built in 1889, legend has it that the builder’s son fell to his death whilst working on those chimneys.

We learn that the town hall was built in 1869 in quite grand proportions to encourage business to the town. A case of build it and they will come. Apparently, the residents enjoyed the opening celebrations so much that the dancing continued until 6:00am the next morning. I wonder if my great-grandparents were among those energetic foottappers. We wander about admiring the buildings, the cottages, the Queen Mary Gardens, and the wonderful mix of trees that aren’t so common these days. Poor VeeWee cops a lecture about the Irish Strawberry tree, one grew in my primary school yard, and Medlar trees, my grandmother had one of those growing beside the apple packing shed and the rough brown fruit tasted like an old leather boot, but mushy. Pretty tree though. We find Scots church and the Mechanics Institute that later was to become a bra factory. We also learn the origins of the town’s rather unusual name. When plentiful gold was discovered here in 1855 the powers that be were so ecstatic that they wanted the town to be called New Bendigo but the residents had other ideas. They called it St Arnaud in honour of the Crimean War French marshal Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud.

After lunch, I explore our surroundings and the remnants of the Lord Nelson gold mine. The mine dam became a community swimming pool in the 1940’s and still has that mid-century atmosphere. The Pioneer Park nearby was designed by the legendary landscape architect Edna Walling. Beyond is a modern sporting complex with trotting (pacing) track, football and cricket ground, and a licensed club.

We have happy hour in the camp kitchen and savour the warm autumn evening.

Accom $35.00, Kms 60 (another big one!)