So we left Blanchetown on Thursday 11th August and headed across country to Victoria. What was interesting was the condition of the roads deteriorated significantly as we got close to the Victorian border. Once into Victoria they didn’t get any better.  They were very bumpy with large corrugations and not at all pleasant to drive along. But we crossed the border with great excitement as this was our third state to visit and more new territory for both of us.

We were heading to a small town called Nhill which is the half way point between Adelaide and Melbourne.  Most people we spoke to said they never stopped there, it was just a town to zoom through on their way to somewhere else. However we had done some research and believed there was a lot to see here!  The Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre which is based at the Aerodrome had set up an RV friendly base behind the centre.  There was a dump point and 24hr access to toilets and there was no cost to stay there for up to 4 nights. We stayed two nights and were the only people there.

During our research into this town, we had read about Lowana’s Craft and Produce Shop and a comment in TripAdvisor said “The ladies are all volunteers and retired Farmers’ wives who have been excellent cooks for the Shearers over the years so hence the wonderful produce you will find at this shop in Nhill. Don’t just ‘whoosh’ through town, stop over – you won’t be disappointed!” So Ray and I paid the shop a visit and were so pleased we did. The two ladies behind the counter were absolutely delightful and told us a few stories about the shop and how they had been interviewed on Sunrise last year. We bought some homemade sausage rolls and cake as well as a lovely hand stitched calico bag. The sausage rolls were devine! Another claim to fame for Nhill is it is home to the Luv a Duck factory – for those of you who have eaten,and love, their duck, you will understand our excitement!

We had a lovely couple of days exploring this town and talking to the locals.  The camp site was great and we enjoyed beautiful sunsets/sunrises, watching a variety of birdlife darting in and out of the trees and looking at the display in the Aviation Heritage Centre. Unfortunately this had to be done through the windows as the centre only opened on weekends. On the morning of our departure we woke to a very very foggy landscape!

Four hours of driving saw us on the outskirts of Melbourne.  We had travelled through the towns of Horsham, Stawell, Ballarat and Beaufort and saw both the Grampian Mountain and Great Dividing Mountain ranges. Stunning countryside and the most interesting towns which have whetted our appetite to go and spend a few months exploring this part of Victoria. After a brief rest stop we drove to Port Melbourne where we boarded the Spirit of Tasmania ferry with our car and caravan for a 10 hour night crossing.  As you can appreciate they wouldn’t let us sleep in the van on the car deck so we booked a cabin. After a couple of hours exploring and having a bite to eat, we hit the sack as we had to be up at 5.30am – Tassie here we come!!!