An amble through Victoria’s Goldfields region. Day 4 Saturday 11/10/2025 Newstead, sun & cloud, warm 10 – 19 We have a totally lazy morning. Woody walks into town for bread. We sit about reading the paper paper and yacking. After … Continue reading Old Gold – Milling About
An amble through Victoria’s Goldfields region. Day 3 Friday 10/10/2025 Redesdale to Newstead, overcast with strong winds I stand in the shower looking up through the roof hatch to a bright blue sky. It is however short-lived as the clouds … Continue reading Old Gold – Household Marvels
Day 3 Saturday 12th January 2013 Bendigo – Castlemaine During the night a mild cool change blew a lovely breeze through the van. Woody is up early and off for a long walk. We have a leisurely breakfast then pack … Continue reading Oops a daisy!
Day 2 Tuesday 1/2/22, Castlemaine, cooler El Prado races into town to the Lyal Eales store. Any campers visiting Western Victoria could easily find themselves in a campers paradise in these stores which are dotted about the larger towns in this area. His camp chair has broken and he is in need of a part, he returns with the replacement part and a tube of Locktite to keep his nuts in order. We walk across the road to the historic Mill for coffee at Das Kaffeehaus. Instantly we wish we hadn’t already had breakfast as the meals look superb and … Continue reading To Great Western, Castlemaine
Not far from Castlemaine’s Forest Creek Diggings is the Pennyweight Flat Children’s Cemetery. There can be no more stark a reminder of how difficult life would have been for a gold mining family in the nineteenth century than this stark … Continue reading Pennyweight Flat Children’s Cemetery
The Forest Creek Gold Diggings between Castlemaine and Chewton, Vic has an informative walk to help visitors understand how gold was extracted in days gone by. Alluvial gold was first panned in the 1850’s in the creek here before the … Continue reading Forest Creek Gold Diggings
Now there’s a word that doesn’t come into daily use. Woody is used to hitting the brakes when I shout “What the hell is that?” But this bit of rock took us by surprise. We weren’t quite sure what it was but gee we’re glad we saw it. The plaque reads: Anticlinal Fold This fine exhibit was discovered when Lyttleton Street East was constructed in 1874. Saddle reefs occur in similar folds of the sandstones and slates on lower geological horizons. Continue reading Anticlinal Fold
Dating back to the 1860’s and designed by Baron Von Mueller (the designer of Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens) the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens give shady respite from the summer sun. Lake Joanna, excavated by inmates from the local gaol, is a centre … Continue reading Castlemaine Botanic Gardens
This morning I finished cleaning the van and hopefully found the last of the tiny pink prawn feelers that hide in grooves and corners just waiting to stink to high heaven. Yep we’re home and ready to go again, when the time and weather is right. With Christmas festivities fulfilled early this year we decided to embark on a Caravan Christmas. Having pleasant but hazy memories of what was to be forever deemed ‘Christmas at Sea’ back in ‘1980 something’ when we tied our trailable yacht to the Paynesville boat ramp jetty and set about cooking and feasting (in a … Continue reading A Caravan Christmas
Warburton’s Bridge is a pleasant camp ground tucked into the hills south of Castlemaine, Vic. There are well made concrete fire pits, those good ones with a hot plate that swings over the fire. There is a toilet as well. The first camp sites don’t have a view of the river as it is quite overgrown but it is only a short walk further into the camp ground for a paddle. When we stayed, there was phone reception from the hill behind the toilet. The best access on a good made road is from either Chewton or Guildford. The local … Continue reading Warburton’s Bridge
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