Split Level Graves

January 10, 2017 Itching for Hitching

Yet another town possessing a mineral spa Blackwood, Vic is perched on a hilltop with rustic weatherboard cottages flanking the steep streets. The word flanking probably doesn’t quite describe the way the houses cling to blocks that drop steeply away to the Lerderderg River far below. This was once a mining area and the hills are criss-crossed with wooden water races. The crowning glory is the rambling old wooden pub. Across the road there is a ‘gourmet’ general store (we love our food with a passion in Victoria) and a post office. Higher up the hill is the church on … Continue reading Split Level Graves

The Characters You Meet, Vic2 Comments

Poor little critters

January 9, 2017January 3, 2017 Itching for Hitching

We get chatting to a butcher in the high country in Victoria. We tell him that we’re camped out at Skipworth Reserve on the upper reaches of the Goulburn River.” Catching any fish?” He says. “No” we sheepishly reply “we … Continue reading Poor little critters

Point of Interest, Vic2 Comments

The Pink Cliffs

January 5, 2017January 3, 2017 Itching for Hitching

Heathcote in Victoria is best known for the Cambrian soils that nourish its vines to produce fine reds. Lesser known now is the gold mining operations of the nineteenth century that caused the unusual erosion called The Pink Cliffs. You’ll … Continue reading The Pink Cliffs

Vic, Wildlife8 Comments

Sharing Breakfast

January 3, 2017December 26, 2016 Itching for Hitching

I can feel eyes watching me as I pour my cereal, there is a King Parrot hanging from the awning arm and peering in the door. Before I know it he is sitting on my hand eating raw oats and nuts, my breakfast, and chatting away happily. When breakfast is over he drops a calling card on my brand new camp chair and flies off. That’s gratitude for you. Continue reading Sharing Breakfast

The Pubs, Vic7 Comments

Railway Hotel, Castlemaine

January 2, 2017December 24, 2016 Itching for Hitching

In darkness and driving rain we find the single storey Railway Hotel 1875 in Gingell Street on the ‘other side of the tracks’ in Castlemaine. The bar is welcoming but our fellas have found a cosy corner in the dimly lit dining room near the fire. Low timber ceilings enhance the ambience. The menu is inspired yet still includes the ‘usual suspects’, fish and chips and of course parma. This is just the kind of pub that you dream of finding on a cold Victorian winter’s night. Continue reading Railway Hotel, Castlemaine

Places, Vic2 Comments

The Essence of Summer

January 1, 2017December 26, 2016 Itching for Hitching

Port Phillip Bay is large with a very narrow entrance called ‘The Rip’. It is the largest bay in the Southern Hemisphere. The City of Melbourne is situated on the Yarra River which feeds into the northern end of the … Continue reading The Essence of Summer

Caravan Parks, The Characters You Meet, Vic5 Comments

The Singer

December 29, 2016December 22, 2016 Itching for Hitching

The woman in the van beside us sings. She sings in the toilet, she sings in the van, she sings in the park. Her husband says that she sings in her sleep. I shouldn’t complain, she has a beautiful voice and she’s deliriously happy. …and with this view is it any wonder that she’s singing: Continue reading The Singer

Point of Interest, Vic10 Comments

Power’s Lookout

December 20, 2016December 15, 2016 Itching for Hitching

Harry Power was a bushranger and mentor to the legendary Ned Kelly. Transported to Australia in 1840 as a convict, Harry was to run foul of the law on many occasions before adopting the life of a bushranger. In contrast to his colourful life, he drowned at the age of 72 in the Murray River whilst fishing. Power’s hideout was located 300 metres above the King River in what is now the Alpine National Park. The lookout can be reached from the Mansfield Whitfield Road just south of the King Valley town of Whitfield in Victoria. For more information on … Continue reading Power’s Lookout

Vic, Wildlife20 Comments

Sometimes it pays to get out of bed

November 30, 2016 Itching for Hitching

We were camped at Anglesea on Victoria’s south west coast and the weather was unseasonally cool. I was so tempted to just roll over and go back to sleep but with only one day of the holiday left I dragged … Continue reading Sometimes it pays to get out of bed

Places, Vic10 Comments

Rutherglen, the wine town

November 18, 2016November 17, 2016 Itching for Hitching

Established in 1860 when gold was discovered. The name of Rutherglen was decided upon when a local publican offered to shout the bar if he could name the town after his hometown in Scotland. Wine making is the mainstay of this area now after having fought back from being wiped out by phylloxera. Famous for its fortifieds, sweet, sticky and unctuous they’re enough to warm a winters evening by the fire. So important is wine to this town that even the Information Centre has a licence to sell wine and a visit to pick up a few brochures can turn … Continue reading Rutherglen, the wine town