Step 25 Junee to Mildura (594 km's)

Wednesday 19th Jan


Big day on the road planned today so Di started the driving.

Suicide butterflies are still in full flight (well right up to the point where they splatter on the front of MM). Countryside is flat, very flat. But it does change, sometimes it's flat and dry other times it's dry and flat and so on. Very warm as well so it's air conditioning all the way. Surprisingly the road, which is quite narrow and one lane each way, has 110km per hour speed limit. Not surprisingly Di manages to keep pushing MM up to that limit all the way.
Proof readers note: will almost certainly appear here. YES THEY WILL!! Not just me planting the foot but the editor too!

Stopped in Hay for lunch and iced coffee. Hay is the birth place of John Pepper, father of Di's good friend Julie. This is not the same John Pepper who invented the technology behind the Cowra Breakout hologram presentation. Don't feel bad, it's a common mistake to make, but Professor John Pepper was definitely not Julie's dad.

Swapped drivers after lunch and arrived in Mildura around 4:30'ish.













Checked out the Apex Riverside Caravan Park but still a little wary of rivers at the moment and by the look of the picnic area probably quite prudent on our part.

Mildura's answer to the swim up bars you get in resorts
The swim up picnic table

Ended up at the Desert City Top Tourist Park and checked in for 2 nights. People on the site next to us said it is only half the park it used to be. Literally. Two brothers used to own it and one wanted to cash in his bit so they just put up a fence right down the middle and one half is now a vacant block waiting to be sold. But the good news is that means there are less people using the amenities block. They also have a holiday apartment complex next door and we have access to a very nice indoor pool and gym complex.
Fairly confident we won't be wearing out the gym equipment though.

Thursday 20th Jan
Late start to the day, again, MM sure is comfortable to sleep in.

Eventually drove in to town and had a lesuirely picnic lunch on the river bank.

Having saved on the budget with home made rolls we then made our way on up to Stefano's Coffee Shop for a rather yummy iced coffee.

Editors note: that's the Stefano famous for the Gondola on the Murray TV series, cook books, a 2 Hat restaurant in Mildura. Remember him now?  

After much deliberation we had also decided that some modifications were required for the brilliant fly screen door for MM so this afternoon it's off to Bunnings for the new parts. Cup hooks, that's the secret ingredient. Another test in the car park and it's all fixed. Seriously considering marketing this for other owners of whiz bang motor homes.

Editors note: For non-caravanners (like Di and I used to be 3 months ago). Whiz bang is the "affectionate" name other caravan park users have for motor homes with the big sliding side door on the side. Open - whiz thump. Close - whiz baaaaang.

One of the attractions we had intended checking out was the Longest bar in the Southern Hemisphere (or the World depending on which document you read), situated in the Working Mans Club here in Mildura. Unfortunately it was closed today. Well to be honest after more careful checking it would appear to have closed sometime in the late 1990's, so it wouldn't have helped if we had rushed to get here sooner.

After that disappointment couldn't face travelling tomorrow so we checked in for an extra night and Steve went for a swim in the park pool.

Friday 21st Jan

Lazy start to the day followed by a lazy finish to the afternoon.

Did manage a bit of reading and a wander over to the supermarket as well as setting up the printer for the first time on the trip so that we could print off Di's study documents.

Finished off the afternoon with a swim in the pool and a BBQ tea. Weather still good so managed to eat outside again.

So after a relaxing day we should be ready for travelling again tomorrow - honestly it's quite exhausting at times :-)