brungle creek
Saddened at the thought that this was our last leg of our Victorian adventure but excited to be celebrating a birthday on the road, little did we know that we had some challenges to overcome first!
So let's briefly paint the picture of where we took off from Echuca. It turned out, that last meal that we had at a local restaurant gave us all food poisoning, well everyone except for our youngest warrior who didn't eat anything else for dinner except for some hot chips. It was brutal. We contemplated staying another night in Echuca to let our bodies rest but a mixture of painkillers and oral dehydration solutions led us to believe that we were fit as a fiddle and that we could truck on. Well so we thought. 30mins into the drive, Rob looked worst for wear so I took over the driving with heat packs resting on all of my muscles. With Rob's birthday the next day, I was determined to get to Byramine Homestead Brewery and Cider House to buy him some apple cider. We made it, just! Rob was well rested so went inside to stock up on some bevvies while our eldest warrior and myself headed to the van to rest. Rob jumped back into the driver's seat as we hit the road again determined to finish the 3.5hr drive to Brungle Creek. We made it 10mins before our eldest warrior was sick which then started a dominoes effect with me. Here we were laying on the nature strip outside someone's house while Rob was cleaning out the car and our youngest warrior not knowing what to do or think. We all looked at each other and decided that we couldn't push on any further and that we needed to find somewhere to stay, possibly somewhere close to a hospital.
NRMA Yarrawonga Mulwala Holiday Park had availability and an ensuite site! No lie, an extra toilet and shower was necessary. We used what little energy we had left to check-in and were delighted to hear that we also had access to a free washing machine and dryer as part of our booking! Thank you universe! After a shower and soak in a bath, we left our youngest warrior with the tv remote and ABC Kids while the 3 of us rested our heads. Blow and behold, 4hrs passed and we woke to him making a peanut butter wrap for dinner! We sat with him while he ate and then we all headed to bed for a good nights sleep. 18hrs of rest! What a way to spend a birthday eve!
NRMA Yarrawonga Mulwala Holiday Park had availability and an ensuite site! No lie, an extra toilet and shower was necessary. We used what little energy we had left to check-in and were delighted to hear that we also had access to a free washing machine and dryer as part of our booking! Thank you universe! After a shower and soak in a bath, we left our youngest warrior with the tv remote and ABC Kids while the 3 of us rested our heads. Blow and behold, 4hrs passed and we woke to him making a peanut butter wrap for dinner! We sat with him while he ate and then we all headed to bed for a good nights sleep. 18hrs of rest! What a way to spend a birthday eve!
We woke the next morning with more settled insides except our muscles were pretty tender, ate some plain toast and started to prepare for the last leg of the trip. We had a ‘quick’ look at what used to be a state forest across the road before they chopped it all down and filled it with water to make a lake. Every couple of years, they drain the lake to help clear up the algae and that’s the sight we were fortunate to see. After venturing out into the depths of the river banks via submerged logs, our youngest warrior thought that he could defy gravity and run like a basilisk lizard across the sinking mud back to the boat ramp. Well as you can see, his plan dramatically ended with him quickly sinking into the river bed like quick sand! After a well calculated extraction and almost losing a boot, he made it safely back to shore and with just enough time for an emergency shower before check out! That ensuite was worth every dollar!
Shaking off all of the yuckies from the past 24hrs, we finally made it to our stunning campsite that we found on Hipcamp. Brooklyn Springs Farm Escape, on Wiradjuri Country, was exactly what we all needed. The host Brooke was amazing! She really did take care of us by giving us a site by the creek. This property is fully off-grid so bring your own water and be sure to have a diesel heater if you’re planning on visiting in the cooler months as the temperature dropped very quickly after the sun went down. We even woke to frost in the morning!
Shaking off all of the yuckies from the past 24hrs, we finally made it to our stunning campsite that we found on Hipcamp. Brooklyn Springs Farm Escape, on Wiradjuri Country, was exactly what we all needed. The host Brooke was amazing! She really did take care of us by giving us a site by the creek. This property is fully off-grid so bring your own water and be sure to have a diesel heater if you’re planning on visiting in the cooler months as the temperature dropped very quickly after the sun went down. We even woke to frost in the morning!
We finally celebrated Rob's birthday doing what he loves best, being off-grid with his tribe by a campfire, drinking rum, eating his most favourite foods for happy hour and smoking meat for dinner in our Ooni pizza oven. The man we can rely on to finish our dinners, fix broken parts, build epic bases, constantly check solar panel charges, tell hours of train stories and give the biggest comforting hugs. He is our campfire knowledge holder, trusty lumberjack and legend of smoked meats. Just some of the many reasons we love him to bits!
So this is how we spent our last night and morning of our Victorian holiday. The sunset on the Great Dividing Range was stunning! The moment of exhale we were looking for after a sickly few days. Our warriors spent hours exploring the river bed and building bases. The cattle and sheep strolled on by and we saw sheep dogs in action. We lit the fire early to watch the stars shine and the buck moon rise. We stayed in our pjs until it was time to leave after a late checkout. What a way to finish a two week adventure! After 2.5 thousand kilometers and fourteen days of driving on all different terrains and through a range of weather conditions, it was time to park up the caravan and let her rest before our next adventure.
Peace & love,
Peace & love,