Mt Martha to Mildura

DAY 1 – MT MARTHA – MILDURA

How exciting!!  After five years of planning our big adventure – HANSEN TREK 2011 – has finally arrived!  So much excitement, so much preparation, so much trepidation!!  We are so looking forward to this amazing opportunity to spend time in each other’s company and create beautiful memories for and with each other.

Of course, life is always exciting when my husband is around.  Before leaving on the trip he did manage to destroy two jockey wheels, cut the 15 amp power lead and trip all the electricity to our home.  But as Scottie pointed out, three things had gone wrong so the trip had been disaster-proofed!!

Up early on the first day – a 5:30am start.  The kids were all so excited to be jumping out of bed.  Just as the toast was being consumed, the beautiful Scott and Gab arrived to farewell us!  What a lovely gesture at 6:15 in the morning!!  A couple of photos and one or two forgotten items later and we were on our way … to the United Servo on Racecourse Road!! Just for a last “fill up” before the diesel gets really expensive!!

It was great leaving so early in the morning.  Aside from no traffic, the sunrise was amazing.  It reminded us that without life’s clouds, you can’t really appreciate all the beauty!

We stopped in Charlton for lunch at 11:30am and were able to see St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary school, to which St. Macartan’s donated money and items after the recent flood.   It was great for the kids to be able to experience that this was a real place with real people.  Then on to Berriwilluk to see Jo Dean’s home town and the place of her first alcoholic drink!! 

Reached Mildura about 3:30pm and set up.  The caravan park was beautiful with the enormous River Gums over our heads with their beautiful grey, mottled trunks.  Had a kick of the footy and a good barbie for dinner. Our night time walk was so peaceful.  The beautiful Murray was so quiet, so still.  It was so strange to stand there and look at Victoria on the other side.  The kids loved seeing a cheeky possum who kept peeking out from behind a tree at us.   It was so nice just to go back and sit in the van, read and talk to my husband without any interruptions!