Long weekend drivin

As we look down the barrel at consecutive long weekends here in Australia, I thought I should share one of the many scenic drives we have in this little pocket of the world.

While it is true we live in comparitve whoop-whoop to most of the population, we are lucky enough to have plenty of options when it comes to entertaining our visitors.  A couple of weekends ago we explored the place I am sharing today – we went with a friend who had never seen this particular tourist attraction.  As we have more visitors descending next weekend (from the Big Smoke), I thought we’d do the review/preview thing for both sets of guests. (They lurk, but I KNOW they are all there!)

Our next-weekend visitors are old friends of Mr Incredible’s.  T is a character – easy-going, funny and a terrible fisherman.  (Don’t tell him I said that though, okay?  He is the most optimistic bloke with a fishing rod in hand.  I have no idea why!)

To backtrack a little and explain, we live on a river.  Well, not ON the river, BESIDE a river. And not really a WATER-FILLED river, although it once was.  Our house actually looks out over a dry river bed, except when Mother Nature really smiles on us and gives us a proper flood.  It’s been well over 20 years since we waterskiied past our house – the water stretched from a dam wall some 15 kilometres downstream.  And it is to this dam wall that we ventured…

The road for this particular drive runs to the south of our house – along an old road which once served as the ‘main road’ and school bus run from the dairy and cattle properties in this area.

As you can see, this photo was taken months ago – before the rains arrived.  It gives you an idea of the road we are on though!

The road itself goes through a little block of country that is now part of our place – with all the lovely recent rains (but not floods) the water has backed up from the wall and through our little block.  The statistics say that the dam was at 1% capacity before Christmas (a bit of puddle hole) to the current 8% capacity (attracting some fishing boats and a few brave water-skiiers).  But even more exciting, is that the birdlife has also been lured back with the stretches of glistening water.

I am not sure I would EVER get sick of seeing swans strutting their stuff…

I have presented the highlights of the trip in slideshow format for you here.  As you can see Dash and Violet were quite transfixed by the sights along the way.  (NB the freckles are leftover from a costume party the night before!).

This set of photos shows the amazing (to me) new wet landscape and birdlife

flourishing amongst the polished silver trunks of old trees

(killed & polished long ago when submerged in the river waters);

the view from the lookout above the still deep water beside the dam wall itself;

then shots from the walk along the top of the dam wall.

If you look closely you can see, the wall walk level is over 170 feet up –

I don’t really get vertigo (nor do my kids apparently!)  and apologise if you do!

The two final shots show the camping and fishing area –

it attracts a strong contingent of caravanners, fisherfolk and families during any holiday season.

When the dam is full (fingers crossed for that eventuality) the water level sits almost at those granite rocks

and would submerge the vans in the final shot.  Of course, I hope the campers move before that happens!

I wonder… I wonder if one day we will see this water rise up again…

and once again cover all those cleared areas in the pic above…

and if the same water will rush gloriously over top of that dam wall,

crashing heavily in a foamy cloud to the river bed below to stream down through irrigation towns

maybe to be used to grow juicy oranges or mandarins,

or harvested to water towering crops of sugar cane near the coast,

or just rush right out to the Pacific Ocean?

And maybe, just maybe, I could share with you some photos of waterskiing past the Granite Glen house? How cool would THAT be?   But next weekend, while water-skiing may be out, a little punt might just get a run with a couple of terrible fisherman.  And that could be JUST as entertaining.

Stay tuned…

🙂

BB