Christmas forced us to take a break in our building project and not a moment too soon as the builder mentality was rubbing off on us. Ian had started whistling and calling me Mate and we have begun to refer to every break as a Smoko even though neither of us smoke!
We had been invited to Zoe and Shaun's new house for Christmas and decided we could spare about ten days and make a little holiday of it. 
First stop was Lake Illawara to visit our friends Tim and Virginia who took us to Shellharbour Village for a curry. One thing I really miss about England is the easy availability of an Indian meal, I don't care if it is in an Indian restaurant or just a curry in a box from Tesco's it is always the thing I ask my sister Gill for first when I visit. We don't have them around where we live so it was a real treat and Shellharbour Village was a splendid, busy little place full of restaurants, cafes and shops on a beautiful stretch of coastline. 

The next day was the 23rd December and we were due to arrive at Zoe's on Christmas Eve so needed to do some serious mileage and get ourselves well into Victoria for our next stop so we aimed for Benalla, taking the direct (if a bit boring) route straight down the Hume Highway for about 8 hours.

 Our rig rolled into Benalla at around 6pm and headed for the showground as it was easy and a bit late to mess around looking for somewhere to stop. The showground was a bit of a disappointment as it was $12 to stay there for no power or water and only the mens' toilets were open. It was very near a fish and chip shop though and, as we wandered over to get our chips we started to realise that Benalla was a very interesting town. There is a Ned Kelly trail through the town which takes in a shop where Ned hid after giving his guards the slip when appearing in court. The courthouse itself is a beautiful building with the cell on the outside where Kelly was held, this and the neighbouring houses have all been carefully restored. There was so much to see we resolved to stop on our way back.
The showground backed on to the church and we woke on Christmas Eve to the sound of carols, a very pleasant way to get into the Christmas spirit as we set off for Berwick.
After a great Christmas with Zoe, Shaun and his family, we trundled back to Benalla for another look. We had done a bit of research this time and discovered there was a free camp for self contained vehicles at the recreation ground on the banks of Benalla Lake.

 It was a fabulous spot with King Parrots, frogs, bats and countless water birds within a few minutes walk of the town centre. There was an art gallery and the town had definite artistic leanings, with interesting sculptures including a terrific sort of folly for children to play in and an annual mural painting competition for local artists, some of the murals were outstanding, we were very glad we made time to explore Benalla further.
Our journey had to be inland because Christmas is the big holiday season in Australia and everyone heads for the coast so it would have been virtually impossible to find any spots to stop along the coast road, so we headed to the Victoria/New South Wales border where the twin towns of Yarrawonga and Mulwalla sit opposite each other on either side of the Murray River.

 Wikicamps had told us there were several free camps on both sides along this stretch and, although they were busy, we managed to find a spot where we set up, kicked off our shoes and watched holidaymakers playing with their jet skis and inflatable toys in the river.
Although it was great to chill we thought we should get going again the following morning and headed further north past towns with amusing names like Howlong and Burrumbuttock (I really must try to grow up) to a town called The Rock.
Basically, The Rock was shut, we checked again the next morning and, apart from one supermarket, it still appeared pretty closed. It did have a fantastic free camp at the recreation ground, immaculate facilities, hot showers for a gold coin donation so we stayed one night but there was nothing to keep us after that so we hit the road again. 
This time our journey took us through Cootamundra, the birthplace of one of Ian's (and all of Australia's) heroes, Sir Don Bradman. Considering Sir Don only lived in Cootamundra until he was 3 years old they had made a pretty good job of turning his house into a fascinating little museum where Ian was in hog heaven as I am sure you can imagine. 

 With the excitement of the graduation over we started to wend our way back home from Melbourne. Our first stop was Rutherglen, a wine region which is much smaller than the Hunter or Yarra Valleys and specialises in port. It is a very pretty place and we did a bit of tasting before heading off on our way again. 

After Rutherglen we decided to put a few kilometres under our belts as we needed to get home to see how our builders were getting on, so we pressed on until we reached Taralga where we had read that we could camp free behind the Taralga Hotel. Unfortunately this was dud information as the hotel was under new management and no longer letting people camp there. All was not lost however as there was a showground only minutes away from the town centre. Now I am always writing about how quiet showgrounds are and how nothing ever seems to take place in them but this trip has proved me wrong.

 First there were the book and wine events in Bathurst and then Taralga Showground was hosting a charity horse ride. People and horses had come from all over New South Wales to take part in the cross country gallop and were all settling in for a big party before they bedded down for the night. They were pretty much all in the country Australia uniform of cowboy hat, striped shirt and moleskins and they boot scooted the night away to Achy Breaky Heart etc. 
We had chosen Taralga because we wanted to visit Wombeyan Caves which looked sensational on the website and they did not disappoint. There was a nice, easy walkway and plenty of information stops and when we emerged kangaroos were lounging about on the grass, a very good stop, highly recommended. 

 Back in Taralga, we popped into the Historical Society Museum which was full of the usual fascinating bits of history found in country towns. It had some interesting outbuildings which one of the volunteers took us for a tour of on a golf cart, I hope it was not because we were looking old! 

We were itching to see how much our builders had accomplished while we were away and were pleased there had been quite a bit of progress, they had reached the point where we could now join in and help out.

 We were very excited about this at the time but now, several weeks later we have been hard at it and are completely knackered, not least with the relentless 7.15am starts every day, we had got used to no longer living by the alarm clock. I think the end is in sight though and have put a couple of before and after pictures on here to show how busy we have been.

 We took the opportunity to explore the local area while we were staying in Jingellic so headed for Corryong. The road to Corryong winds along the banks of the Murray River offering panoramic views of incredibly green fields with a backdrop of distant, snowcapped mountains. I had never seen snow in Australia before so was delighted. 

We stopped off in Tintaldra and had a look at the Historic General Store which has been beautifully restored and has the original little bakery out the back with a view over the Murray to die for. 

Corryong itself was a very smart little town with references to Banjo Patterson's famous poem 'The Man From Snowy River' everywhere we  turned. Once we had picked our way through the Man From Snowy River statues, tea towels, stubby holders, hats, t-shirts and so on we were ready to look at the splendid little museum in the centre of town. The museum houses an eclectic mix of local historic material and has a marvelous collection of old buildings which have been located in the back garden. The buildings include a school, bank, police station, cottage and the usual barn full of old farm tools. My sister Gill was with us on this trip and she said one of the things she remembered about travelling in Australia in the past was that, everywhere she went, there was always a barn proudly displaying old farming equipment. 

The following morning we set off for our next scheduled stop, Marysville. As we drove in we noticed how new and smart the town looked and found out the reason when we got to the visitor centre. Marysville was one of the towns almost completely wiped out in the bushfires of Black Saturday, 7th February 2009 when 34 residents were killed and around 90% of the town's buildings were destroyed. The townspeople appear to have a very positive attitude about the rebuilding and they have certainly created an attractive town.

 We decided to stop at a free camp in the middle of the forest at Anderson Mill (as you do when you have just read about appalling bushfires). The camping area was in a clearing surrounded by huge, towering Mountain Ash trees and it was beautiful with King Parrots touting for scraps and only a couple of other caravans there, probably because the track in towing a caravan was not for the faint hearted, but that meant it was very peaceful. 

It was only a short drive from Marysville into Melbourne and we had a wonderful time at Zoe's graduation. She missed her first one in the UK because she moved to Australia as soon as she finished at the University of East Anglia so it was fantastic to have a second opportunity, this time at Monash University, to see her pick up her masters. 

 Having visitors has given us an excuse to get back on the road again and ignore our responsibilities at home, specifically The Grand Design going on downstairs. I am sure the builder was glad to see the back of us too as we set off on a road trip designed to take in Zoe's graduation in Melbourne.
We left in pouring rain and drove along the beautiful Golden Highway towards Bathurst where we hoped to spend a couple of nights. It was all a bit damp but still pretty as we passed first the huge open cut mines, then the vineyards and finally incredibly expensive horse country where some of the biggest names in Australian horse racing have their studs. The showground was where we were headed in Bathurst. I have mentioned before that we often stay at showgrounds because they are a cheap and convenient option with the caravan and always pretty quiet. As we rolled into the showground it was clear something was going on there, in all the times we have stayed in them we have never seen anything much happening at a showground but this was different, there were cars everywhere and people queuing for a wine tasting evening. Now wine is one of my favourite things but the entrance fee was a bit steep at $40 per head so we made do with the grog we had in the van. 
When we woke the next morning we found that the wine tasting paraphernalia had been cleared away and replaced with an absolutely enormous book sale, this changeover must all have been performed by elves overnight because we didn't hear any of it. Along with wine, books are my other favourite thing so the Bathurst Showground was really delivering the goods. We purchased a huge box of books and went off to see the splendid sights of Bathurst including Mount Panorama Racing Circuit and Museum and, another Big Thing to add to my list The Big Gold Panner.
We had a schedule to stick to so had to get some miles under our belts to get to our next planned stop, Jingellic on the NSW/Victoria border. There was plenty of time to enjoy the drive though and we decided to stop in Cowra to see the Japanese Garden recommended by our friends Tim and Virginia. Well, what a recommendation, it was sensational!
 Cowra was the location of a prisoner of war camp in the Second World War where 1104 Japanese POWs attempted an escape in 1944. The Cowra Breakout had a tragic outcome as over 200 of the escaped Japanese soldiers were killed along with four Australian soldiers. 
The gardens were beautiful, very calm and peaceful and immaculate with not a blade of grass out of place. Dogs were allowed on the lead and there was a very pleasant cafe at the foot of the hill, an excellent place to recharge the batteries.
Cowra itself was a very attractive town and we could have stayed for much longer but wanted to reach Jingellic in reasonable time so headed off again with a brief stop at Holbrook so I could take a quick photo of The Big Submarine.  I don't know whether it really counts as a Big Thing because it is a real submarine and Big Things are supposed to be larger than life. Anyway, it was big so it gets ticked off my list.

 Jingellic was as gorgeous as ever when we arrived. We stay at the free campground behind the pub on the banks of the Murray River. The pub provides 24 hour toilets and sells $4 tokens for excellent hot showers. We settled in with dinner and a few drinks at the pub, well it seemed rude not to.

 It's more a case of Rabbitts Confined to Barracks than Rabbitts on the Road at the moment because the Grand Design is finally properly under way. After weeks and weeks of shovelling sand to raise the level under the house the concrete guys turned up and removed all the sand we had toiled over adding plus much more before preparing the area for the concrete pad to be poured. 

I had naively assumed that they just came one day and put down some steel reinforcement then poured the next day. Not so at our house! After about four days of them leveling and digging a massive delivery of polystyrene pods turned up followed by an, equally huge, quantity of steel and bags and bags of plastic do-dads and accessories to join everything together. Several more days passed while this lot was put in place before the day of the big pour arrived.

 We sat and twiddled our thumbs while three whole cement lorries full were pumped down under the house. Being a concrete contractor must be stressful, especially on pouring day because once the pour starts, it cannot be stopped until the whole job is finished. So there were about eight guys running around down there with various flattening, smoothing and vibrating tools while another couple manned the pump and another one leaned on his concrete lorry, smoking.  At one point the cement lorries were queued down the street and all we could do was peep down from upstairs as even offering a cup of tea would be getting in the way. We were exhausted when it was all over, watching and worrying was far worse than all the physical work we have been doing. 

Once it was over, things really began to take shape. The builder arrived and within a day of him starting, the back of the house was ready for windows and starting to look like a proper building. Now, after a week, we actually have some rooms too! 
Luckily the concreting was over by the time a group of visitors arrived although they did have to put up with the hammering, sawing and early starts from the builders.

 The building situation was a bit unfortunate but the wildlife came out in force to make up for it. We were able to show our guests birds, whales and six koalas during their stay! 

 Temora deserved more than the two day stop we had allowed for as there was plenty to see and do, but we were on a tight schedule so needed to press on. Before we left we headed to Ariah Park, an historic village nearby which has been restored to its original glory. It was beautiful with a double row of peppercorn trees down the centre of the high street, originally planted as shade for the horses. The buildings all had information plaques explaining their history and the street was lined with brightly coloured, restored petrol bowsers, they advertise the place with the line 'Wowsers, Bowsers and Peppercorns'. Pretty as it was, Ariah Park was really just a tourist attraction. None of the shops actually traded any more but were just display items and there was only one cafe and a hairdresser which appeared to be in business. 

From Temora we were planning to spend the next night in Echuca, over the Victorian border about four and a half hours away. The journey was delightful through some gorgeous countryside and splendid little towns. The best of these was Coolamon which, unlike Ariah Park, was restored but up and running as a functioning town. The Up To Date Store had been closed up for around 50 years but was now being used as a museum and community space and was fantastic. The original gravity driven cash system still operated and the gentleman running the place was very happy to demonstrate by sending one of the little cash containers on its journey to the old accounts office. There were photos of the original shop and staff, it was a wonderful place. 

 As if that wasn't enough, an ex fire fighter had set up his own museum in the old fire station. He had an unbelievable collection of firefighters uniforms from around the world, including Russia, Japan, Romania and all kinds of unexpected places! The shops were smart and open and there were a number of excellent cafes, I would highly recommend this as a stop and we will definitely be coming back. 

Back on the road past fields with emus wandering amongst rapeseed, through Koonoomoo, home to The Big Strawberry, Grong Grong (A Small Caring Town) and over Turn Back Jimmy Creek and onto Echuca. We had read that there was free camping at Rotary Park so went to check it out. It was fabulous on the banks of the river and with fire pits and a terrific model railway, no toilets so only suitable for self contained campers but, that is us so just the ticket.

 Next morning we trotted into town to have a look at the paddle steamers Echuca is famous for. It is a lovely place but one of those towns where you are enticed into the historic dock area by cafes and old artisan shops, woodturners, weavers and so on but any views of the Murray and the paddle steamers were kept hidden so you had to pay to get to have a peep. Eventually we found a way to see a bit of river and some boats but it was a challenge. Shame really because it was a nice place but that sort of meanness puts you off going back. 

The rest of the trip was taken up with seeing Zoe and Shaun's lovely new house in Berwick then flying back at top speed via another night in sub zero Gunning to get home in time for the arrival of our concretors. It was only 21 degrees when we got home but felt really hot and humid after the chilly week we just had.

 Winter feels like it has dragged on a bit this year. Usually it warms up in August but, although we have had some t-shirt days, it has remained cool in the evenings right up until the end of the month so, what better thing to do than prolong it by going somewhere colder for a week?

We had been invited down to Melbourne for Fathers' Day and to have our first look at Zoe and Shaun's new house. As usual, we decided to make a trip of it but there was no time to prepare because we were working right up to the last moment on our extension so we just threw warm clothes into the caravan and headed off down south.

Our first stop, as usual, was Gunning. This is a great place to spend the first night of a trip because it is about a four and a half hour drive from us and gets us well past Sydney while also giving us time to stop and correct all the things we have got wrong in our hurry to leave, like forgetting to put on the big wing mirrors and so on. Gunning is an RV friendly town, the camping is all free and it is only a couple of minutes off the motorway. We usually stay at the showground but this time tried the free caravan park on the banks of the river where campers have 24 hour use of the public swimming pool toilets. It was excellent and even nearer to the pub for dinner than the showground. 

Although we have stopped in Gunning a number of times, it has never been at this time of year. The town is quite close to Canberra and I have heard plenty of people complaining about how cold Canberra can be but I hadn't really put two and two together. Well it was freezing overnight (minus 3 actually) and several of the little plant cuttings I had brought down for Zoë's new garden froze to death! Minus temperatures were a first for me in Australia, it doesn't get below about 10 degrees where we live.

 Back on the road, we made good headway to our next destination Temora. The Hume Highway took us through the 

Yass Valley where the road was lined on both sides with yellow wattle and rolling hills scattered with sheep and new lambs. 

As we turned off along the Burley Griffin Way (named after the designer of Canberra, Griffith and other towns) there were even more sheep but now joined by lots of alpacas. 

After crossing Banjo Patterson Bridge we passed through Binalong (pop 450), which was a glorious little town full of wisteria covered houses, then Harden which boasts it is

The Centre of the Best Wheat Growing Land in Australia.

The villages along the way all looked quite prosperous and bore the, now familiar, amusing

descriptions on their signs - Wallandbeen, winner of Fire Safe Village Award 2001 etc.

We rolled into Temora at about lunchtime and went to look at the free camping in the railway

Station car park. It was very nicely kept but the trains run all night apparently so we decided

to cough up the $15 a night to stay at the showground. 

The plan was to stay in Temora for two nights as we had been told there was plenty to see and we were particularly 

keen to visit the aircraft museum. The town itself was beautiful with original mirrored shop fronts and some

wonderful art deco buildings. Temora advertises itself as The Friendly Town and they are not kidding! Everyone smiled and said g'day, cars stopped if we were so much as looking at a crossing and one lady pulled over in her car to ask if we needed any help finding our way around.

 Temora is proud to be a centre of horse trotting and we were delighted to wake up (freezing again) to see horses and riders on trotting practice in our showground, what a treat!

The aircraft museum was small but very interesting because all the aircraft there still fly. They take a plane or two up most weekends so the locals are treated to the sight of a Spitfire or Gypsy Moth in the skies above them on a regular basis.