First Days – Sunday 15th and Monday 16th April, 2012

Well we finally departed after lunch on Sunday after a traumatic episode of plumbing failure in the caravan before we even drove out the drive.  Thank God for Craig Collins at Solar City Caravan Services. Once again it seems vans are prepared to last for the period of warranty and not much more and they need to look good! As Craig says van manufacturers should not be allowed to use silicone guns – they are not a fixit for everything as we have discovered.

However we left confident that we are right now which is the main thing. As we got to the top of Gordon Drive and turned right into Kialla Lakes Drive, those fateful words were uttered by Ian “now do we turn right or left!”. Goodness, have we not had this discussion every year. Beats me how we make it to the other side of the country, but we always do! So I made the decision, one of many I intend to make, having decided navigation can’t be so hard, to turn left.

Onwards through Murchison and ending up at the end of the day in Ararat! Those who know us will remember a not so memorable year we spent there when Ian was the Town Clerk. Well we stayed the night at Green Hill Lake which was great.

Today we explored during the morning and visited some old haunts including Ararat 800 Primary School which Kate will remember fondly as a very friendly place to start school. We also took a photo of our house which honestly has not fared so well. We found some interesting shops too and made a purchase of fabric (there goes that resolution!).

We also found a really interesting project in the window of one shop which was an enormous woven basket made by 100 school children from Ararat, Stawell and the wider regional community with the assistance of basket maker Cherree Densley. The theme behind the project was “We’re all in the same basket” and on the information sheet we were given there is a photo of a number of children sitting in the basket so you can get some idea of the size.

We also walked up to the top of the town and photographed the Edith Cavell Memorial Gardens which I should have done 26 years ago when we lived there, but there you go mum, this is for you. I’m proud to say my mum is related to this very fine nurse who was executed in 1915.

So on we went and we find ourselves now right on the S.A. border, cooking onions, apples and bananas (yes you can cook them!) because I’ll be damned if I’m giving them up at the quarantine station (again!).

Tomorrow we’re into S.A. and gaining half an hour too!