Echuca

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

 

We were even serenaded

Under the wharf

Our paddle steamer

Sigrid's hat?

A quick cat nap

Pretending it is still warm

The Murray River Flag

The wharf

Just hanging in there

Highway bridge

House boats

Keeping an eye out for snags

PS Emmylou

Map of the river, not intestines!

We had a cold, but sunny start to the day – in fact, it was the same all day.  We still had a stiff head wind again today and they are starting to get a bit monotonous.  Watching the fuel gauge drop has become more exciting than watching the microwave go round!

The road today was a definite improvement on the previous few days, not as bumpy and even wider – and very, very flat.  The first half of the journey to Echuca was through salt bush plains; absolutely nothing except salt bush and the occasional low scrubby bush.  The second half was through irrigated farm lands, which were very lush and green with wheat and canola crops, as well as beef, dairy and sheep farms.  The road from Hay to Echuca was known as the Long Paddock, where stock was constantly moved during drought conditions.

We are staying at A Shady River Caravan Park, on the northern side of the Murray River (Moama, actually).  It is a large, bushland setting park with about 90% of the sites occupied by caravans left on site permanently.  We are on a corner drive-thru site surrounded by large gum trees – Himself is not too happy about the large dead branch overhanging us.  However, the amenities are very modern, absolutely spotless and the kitchen would look good in my house.

After having lunch at a local bakery, we discovered that Beechworth Bakery also have an outlet in Echuca – grrr.  Tomorrow …  Most of the afternoon was spent in the historic port complex, with a coach ride just to get us in the right mood for history.  Then it was on board the paddle steamer PS Pevensey, which was the paddle steamer used in the television series All The Rivers Run, starring Sigrid Thornton and John Waters.  We paddled down the Murray River for half an hour, passing many house boats just waiting for the school holidays to start on Saturday, before returning to the wharf.  We spent some time inspecting the timber mill and the new discovery centre, with a quick look at the wood turning (mmmm, seen better quality) on our way back to our vehicle.

A visit to the supermarket turned into a lovely surprise – Bakers Delight and Lennards Chicken.  All happy now …