So we bid farewell to Bright and set course for Home via three nights in Gundagai (No, we didn’t go to the Dog On The Tuckerbox)…
Our route from Bright took us through Myrtleford then Yackandandah where we stopped for a stretch and a walk up and down the main street. There were quite a few antique shops and Op shops in Yackandandah that were quite interesting to poke around in.
A lot old and replica Harley Davidson/Shell/Mobil type signs and a lot of curios as well as some creepy dolls that wouldn’t look out of place in a horror movie…
At Penny and Steve’s recommendation we also stopped by the Gum Tree Pie shop for an early lunch. Jo thoroughly enjoyed a Panang Pumpkin (curry) pie and I was quite happy with a Chicken & Mushroom pie. The pies were very deep, just the right temperature with golden pastry and mine was full of chunky chicken pieces. Unfortunately their coffee wasn’t as good as their pies but no complaints…
Their was also a smokehouse deli/butcher in the main street so we stopped in there and acquired some Chicken/Sweet Chillie and Italian Goat sausages. They sold all manner of exotic meats including crocodile, which I was tempted to get but decided that that is something we can try up in Queensland or the Northern Territory when we eventually get there…
The rest of the drive to Gundagai was fairly uneventful and we arrived at Gundagai River Caravan Park mid-afternoon and settled in for a three night stay.
Gundagai feels a little bit old and tired and doesn’t really have that much to do or see. The Dog On The Tuckerbox is definitely not a major attraction any more. That suited us fine because we’d already decided that this was going to be a relaxing stopover rather than a sight-seeing stopover.
We did go into town the next day though for a coffee and to sus’ out the pubs for our last night dinner. The ‘Sundy in Gundy’ markets were on for the first time post-COVID so went to them only to discover that there were only about four stalls operating so they were a little on the naff side of interesting. I did however score three genuine leather belts for $25, which I was pretty happy about. An Army Band was also playing some blues’y tunes, which would have been much more interesting had their been a bigger crowd.
The main street also had a very good sculpture depicting two indigenous heroes (Yarri & Jacky Jacky) that saved 69 townspeople (a third of the town) from the devastating floods of 1852. They used bark canoes over a number of days and nights to rescue people from the flood waters.
We also took the opportunity to put the drone up again to get a birds eye perspective of our van site and the historic railway bridge just behind and down from us. Beginning to get a feel for flying it and operating the camera at the same time but still a bit jerky and unco’… More practice needed.
We spent the following two days just relaxing around the van or on the grass beside the Murrumbidgee listening to the screeching corellas and chilling out before returning home to set up for the Grand Tour around Australia.
We broke out the Molkky/Finska game for the first time and Rob took the honours three games to one. It’s a fascinating little game of skill and luck and I can see us playing it quite a bit as we get around the country later.
We retained our custom of doing ‘Pub Night’ on our last night of the stay and tried the ‘Family Hotel’ in the main street. There was a good size beer garden at the back and despite being a ‘Great Northern’ pub they had Resch’s on tap, which made up for the former. Jo had Flat Head Tails and I went for the Roast Pork. Jo enjoyed her fish and I was very happy with the pork. It was the atypical pub/club roast pork with roast potato, pumpkin, kumara, steamed veges and gravy so thick you could stand your fork up in it. Just the way I like it…
So the time has come to an end for our Victorian Break. We’re itching to get going around Australia at last and break free from the COVID induced shackles of 2020/21…
We pulled into Gundagai River Caravan Park & Cabins a little after 3:00pm. The sites are very spacious and easy to back into with plenty of maneuvering room.
We were unhitched and set up in record time before enjoying a cuppa tea by the Murrumbidgee listening to the corellas screeching and squawking their way through the trees.
The amenities block was spotlessly clean and the grass around the van was lush and green. Looking right from our site we had a postcard view of the historic railway bridge especially in the evening as the sky slowly turned purple as the light faded. Directly behind the bridge is the golf course, which looked to be in pretty good condition.
Also to the right of us, on the neighbouring row of sites, was a stone monument commemorating the fact that Charles Sturt passed through this way in 1829. I’m sure Sturt had a harder time of it than us as he pushed back the boundaries of settlement.
Another quirky thing can be found at the entrance gate to the caravan park. What looks like a painted gum tree has all but swallowed a metal sign into the trunk. It must be very old given the size of the tree and that only about 15% of the sign is still visible. Most of the writing on the sign has disappeared as it is slowly being consumed by the tree.
All in all the Gundagai River Caravan Park & Cabins is a splendid caravan park. At $35/night for power and water, with large spacious van sites it is excellent value for money albeit that Gundagai is not the most exciting country town in NSW.