Day 24 - Lilydale to Corowa
We left Lilydale this morning not decided where we were going. Our first decision to go north to Yea was reached by a process of elimination - we didn't want to go west towards Melbourne, of east towards Gippsland as heavy rain is forecast. We easily decided not to take this road out of Lilydale as the Bushtracker is over 3m high. At 2.7m this is probably the lowest underpass we have seen.
Over coffee and hot chocolate at Yea we checked the 3 day forecast for several areas. We would like to drive to Dunedoo then take the Golden Highway to Newcastle. Thunderstorms and heavy rain are forecast for many towns along the way, and these are to be avoided when travelling in a caravan.
We decided to go to Corowa as we haven't been here before and it has great historical significance as the location for many conventions leading up to federation. Rain is forecast but nothing tragic is likely in the next few days. We followed the Maroondah Highway out of Yea passing through Molesworth and Yarck, both of which look interesting and have been added to our list of places to visit. At Merton we turned onto the Euroa-Mansfield Road C366. This was a very picturesque drive although the road is narrow and quite windy. The drought has affected the country north of Yea, changing to a straw-like colour from the green of outer Melbourne.
At Wangaratta we found the lovely PreVue Cafe beside the Ovens River. We had to park the caravan around the block so I dropped Anita off as she tires easily from her virus.
Once we left Wangaratta we followed route C375 in a northerly direction until we turned off to Wahgunya. We crossed the Murray River into Corowa NSW on the one lane John Foord Bridge. I later walked along the riverbank and under this bridge which has metal trusses and timber trellises. It is symbolic to federation as it linked the then colonies of New South Wales and Victoria.
We drove past the two caravan parks in town and decided to stay at the Ball Park Caravan Park - our van increased the number staying here to three. The photo only shows a fifth of the park.
It is a large park being redeveloped by the council, after a large number of permanent holiday site renters were evicted and ugly unauthorised structures were removed. There is still a lot to be done!
After setting up camp I left Anita resting and walked into town which was very quiet, even allowing it was Sunday afternoon. There are several historic buildings lining Sanger Street, many of which need restoration. Several of the pubs have closed down but the Royal seems to be the most prosperous.
Over coffee and hot chocolate at Yea we checked the 3 day forecast for several areas. We would like to drive to Dunedoo then take the Golden Highway to Newcastle. Thunderstorms and heavy rain are forecast for many towns along the way, and these are to be avoided when travelling in a caravan.
We decided to go to Corowa as we haven't been here before and it has great historical significance as the location for many conventions leading up to federation. Rain is forecast but nothing tragic is likely in the next few days. We followed the Maroondah Highway out of Yea passing through Molesworth and Yarck, both of which look interesting and have been added to our list of places to visit. At Merton we turned onto the Euroa-Mansfield Road C366. This was a very picturesque drive although the road is narrow and quite windy. The drought has affected the country north of Yea, changing to a straw-like colour from the green of outer Melbourne.
At Wangaratta we found the lovely PreVue Cafe beside the Ovens River. We had to park the caravan around the block so I dropped Anita off as she tires easily from her virus.
Once we left Wangaratta we followed route C375 in a northerly direction until we turned off to Wahgunya. We crossed the Murray River into Corowa NSW on the one lane John Foord Bridge. I later walked along the riverbank and under this bridge which has metal trusses and timber trellises. It is symbolic to federation as it linked the then colonies of New South Wales and Victoria.
We drove past the two caravan parks in town and decided to stay at the Ball Park Caravan Park - our van increased the number staying here to three. The photo only shows a fifth of the park.
It is a large park being redeveloped by the council, after a large number of permanent holiday site renters were evicted and ugly unauthorised structures were removed. There is still a lot to be done!
After setting up camp I left Anita resting and walked into town which was very quiet, even allowing it was Sunday afternoon. There are several historic buildings lining Sanger Street, many of which need restoration. Several of the pubs have closed down but the Royal seems to be the most prosperous.
