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 Topic: Aussie Cols Xmas Hols (Pt 2)
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21/3/2021 at 4:53am
Location: Melbourne Australia
Outfit: Windsor Rapid Off Road Van + tents
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Hi everyone,
After leaving the Murray, our first stop was for a cuppa at the junction of the Mitta Mitta River and the southern arm of the Hume Weir. It is also where the Murray Valley Highway and the Omeo Highway intersects, and towards Omeo was where we were headed next.
Heading south the road crosses the Mitta Mitta River on a number of occasions, at one such crossing I spied this scene so quickly stopped the van and took these pics.
We were heading for a camp spot on the Snowy Creek south of the town of Mitta Mitta, I was hopeful that the area had survived the previous years bushfires and that we could find a spot for the van.
When we arrived I parked the van beside the track and we walked onto the bridge that crosses the creek to check the spot out, taking these pics at the time.
We reckon we’d hit the jack pot, we positioned the van and then set about enjoying our new surroundings. I was so excited I took the first pic before we had even fully set the van up!!
The next day we went for a drive up into the Alpine National Park.
We joined the bitumen near the Dartmouth Dam, as we were driving along Jen spied a sign on the side of the road that mentioned some historic graves. A quick youie and once again we were on a bush track, a few ks later we approached the graves.
For generations there was a local folklore that two children were buried below Hodders Spur, opposite where the current town of Dartmouth is. It wasn’t till the 2003 bushfires that the graves were uncovered, the local community decided to research the family and commemorate their lives.
In 1861 Allan Hodder married Elizabeth Ardille in Beechworth, they then moved into the area, they worked a mining lease as well as running a general store beside the Mitta Mitta River. In the mid 1870s they moved into Mitta Mitta itself running the general store there until 1883 when sadly Allan passed away, Elizabeth with Allan had nine children, tough tough times.
Allan Hodder aged 4 months dying in 1864 and his sister Elizabeth who was born in 1865, dying just after birth.
It was great to come across these graves and pay tribute to some real pioneers that helped settle a once very remote region in the state.
We noticed some water beyond the graves so made our way through the scrub to investigate.
It looked inviting so we made our way down to the water.
Further to our right we saw a barrier of some sort, so after another scramble and bush bash we came out near this.
Jen showing her concern for my safety Ha!
Later I found out that it was the out let for the Dartmouth Dam, the continuation of the Mitta Mitta River. When completed in 1978 the Dam had a capacity of 4 million megalitres making it the largest water storage in Victoria.
The current town of Dartmouth was established in 1973 as a construction camp for workers during the construction of the Dam. The town was named after the Dart River, now east of, and cut off by the Dam, the river was presumably named after the Dart River in England.
The original township of Dartmouth was at the junction of the Dart and Mitta Mitta Rivers, about nine ks upstream of the new towns location via a bridle track. In 1870 the town was established to provide provisions to gold miners operating along the lower and upper parts of the Dart River. The old town had a butcher shop, hotel, cemetery, general store, and school.
The main goldfield were described in 1884 as having five steam crushing mills for the ore, there are three heritage listed gold battery sites around Dartmouth.
Some old machinery was on display, this is the Larsen Creek Crusher Battery, it was used mainly at the White Quartz Reef and a few other spots between 1891 and 1939.
Just part of a water wheel that was used to drive/power the battery at Larsens Creek, would have been a big bugger in its day!
We spent three nights at this delightful spot, the clarity of the Snowy Creeks water is what is normal for most creeks and rivers in the high country. Luckily its catchment was unaffected by last years fires.
The view as we sat at our van beside the creek..
After leaving there, we spent a night beside the Tambo River just south of Omeo, we had planned to spend a few nights on the Mitta Mitta River but the putrid colour of the water due to the fires, wasn’t very enticing. The Tambo was also effected but not to the same degree.
The turn off and the track to where we camped for that night.
Our camp and a couple of pics of the river nearby.
Just prior to lighting our fire that evening, I noticed a Xmas Beetle struggling in the cold ashes of a previous fire. I lifted it out and placed him/her on a rock, for a portrait pic before it was encouraged to be on its way.
Further downstream a number of tributaries entered the Tambo, they came from more fire effected areas, its water became more polluted/coloured. It was sad to see, for many shallow sections had been filled in with sediments and you could see along its banks how the riverside vegetation had been changed/smothered etc.
Our next camp was on the shores of Lake Wellington, part of the Gippsland Lakes system. When we arrived, there was a fairly strong on shore breeze which chopped up the water a bit. The lake has usually a bit of colour to it as a number of rivers enter them before finally reaching the sea at Lakes Entrance, bringing with them natural tannins, but this year they also brought the sediments etc from those fires.
Next morning all was calm, and we were soon chillin and relaxing.
The reason we had headed for here was that our daughter Kristie was to join us for the last week of our trip. She was catching the train down from Melbourne to Sale which wasn’t far from where we were.
Here are a few pics of some of the trees along the track that takes us to our camp and beyond, it runs roughly parallel to the lakes shores, such lovely country.
Near the entrance to the track is this tree, pretty sure it’s a Eucalyptus Ficifolia.
The day arrived for us to head into Sale to pick up Kristie from the station. Not far from the new station some of the old historic infrastructure from the old train station area had been preserved for prosperity.
We took an indirect route back to camp as I wanted to show the girls some relatively new artwork in the town of Briagolong. Simon White (the artist) had been employed to capture some of the towns and surrounding areas history, to help bring visitors to the town.
This long mural is just so well done.
Male Galah on the left with the female on the right!!
A number of the towns historic buildings and scenes had been painted on some bare walls.
The towns general store had had a make over as well.
For a fairly remote insignificant place, it really has some history. These buildings date from the early 1870s.
And the schools original bell.
One more of Simon’s murals, it depicts a sensational water hole that is located on Freestone Creek about 10 ks out of town. A quarry on the Creek started around 1866, its attractive stone was used for buildings in Sale, Stratford and Briagolong. The stone was free to anyone who could extract it, that’s how the creek got its name.
And that’s where we were headed next. Blue Pool is one of the states most beautiful swimming holes, that’s not just Big Col saying that, every year it gets voted in the top five in the state.
And why did it get its name, I guess with scenes such as these it is pretty obvious.
Did you see Jen waving hello to you all?
Kristie had only been with us a couple of hours and I reckon already she’s thinking, Boy the oldies set a cracking pace, “I thought this was going to be a relaxing weeks holiday” were probably her thoughts.
The creek continues on its way.
No chance of that with me calling the shots, time to get back to camp. More of our trip will be shown shortly.
Col and Jen.
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The worst day above ground, is a whole lot better than the best one under it. Live life to the fullest while you can.
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