Carol in Oz - Yarrawonga / Orange

Carol and I had a trip to the Blue Mountains planned, beginning with an exciting stopover on the way at an isolated sheep station near Hay in New South Wales.  We were really looking forward to our visit and tour of the station and shearing sheds. They have a 25 kilometre dirt road to reach the property and it isnt accessible in wet weather.  A couple of days before we saw that rain was predicted and the owners of the station emailed to warn us we may not be able to reach them by road.  Friday afternoon the lady called to say it was stormy and we would have to cancel.  What a disappointment!

It was a bit of a rush to find alternative accommodation on the weekend of the Melbourne Cup. We got the last available unit at the resort in Mulwala. After a pleasant day out visiting the olive farm just out of Yarrawonga (buying some salad dressings and delicious olives) and The Big Strawberry near Cobram (pancakes for lunch and strawberry picking) we had a wild storm late afternoon. The rain pelted down making rivers through the resort and there was violent thunder and lightening.

Once it settled down we went to Club Mulwala for dinner and put $10 in the pokies.  Carol battled the young families for space in the pool and spa.

Monday we drove from Yarrawonga/ Mulwala to Orange which took about 6hrs. We stopped for lunch in a park at West Wyalong - boiled egg sandwiches. We enjoyed a coffee at a little cafe and headed on our way again.

This was all new territory for me. We drove on very long, straight roads in the middle of nowhere.  The scenery changed constantly from huge flat fields of wheat and occasional grain storage facilities to stock paddocks and then more undulating countryside dotted with huge gums. There had been a huge amount of rain and the roadside for much of the way was awash with water. The ducks looked happy!

The town of Forbes was a pretty place but such a long way from anywhere.  Reaching Orange was a pleasant surprise. It is surrounded by green hills after driving through such dry countryside. The town is lovely and bigger than I expected.

We stayed in motel rooms in a vineyard just out of Orange.  We had stunning views from our balconies.  We had debated whether to have dinner in town or to buy salad and tinned tuna to make our own dinner.  We were so glad we opted for the latter. It was lovely overlooking the view while we had dinner and then our fresh strawberries with yoghurt.