Today was a brilliant day – two very different adventures, but equally joy-creating. First up, we started the day slowly. There was no rush to get out of bed, and thankfully the kids didn’t really surface until about 7am this morning. They played their own games for a while, and so Debbie and I didn’t really get out of bed until closer to 8am – bit of a luxury on this trip! We headed out to Orange World for a…

We’ve arrived in Mildura, the lands of the Ladji Ladji people. We acknowledge that this area around the Murray River has always been their land, and we’re grateful to be able to enjoy it today. We acknowledge the Ladji Ladji elders past, present and emerging. Long day of driving today – just over 500km. But it was actually quite an enjoyable drive that we broke up by visiting a bunch of different things along the way. First up was the…

Our second day in Echuca was a bit of a slower and more relaxed one. We had a quiet morning at home with breakfast and the kids just enjoying playing – this place we’re in has a decent sized cubby out the back, and they’re just loving the time to play and explore that. Later in the morning we headed back down to the Port to finish exploring a few things in the Discovery Centre around the steam trains. And…

The cottage we’re staying in here in Echuca is thankfully only a short walk away from the Port of Echuca, where most of the good touristy stuff is here in Echuca! We walked down this morning at about 9am to have a bit of a relaxed wander before our paddle steamer ride. The historic strip of the Port of Echuca is quite amazingly maintained – still original buildings all through it, and most of them are still in use as…

Tonight we have arrived in Echuca, the lands of the Yorta Yorta people. These lands around Dhungala (the Murray River) that we’re so grateful to be on tonight have always been the lands of the Yorta Yorta people, and we acknowledge their elders past, present and emerging. On our way here though, we spend most of today in Bendigo, and it was another case of realising we probably could’ve spent a few days there and enjoyed so much more. (And…

This morning started very early. We were up before the sun and walked the short distance from our place to the centre of Dunkeld to share in the Dawn Service with the locals for Anzac Day. It was quite special to be able to join in with another town’s service. It was a short, but really respectful and reflective service. After heading back home and having a bit of breakfast, we packed some snacks and lunch and headed for the…

Today was originally planned out as a day to visit Horsham and try and see quite a few silo art sites. But I’d been uneasy with that idea for a few days – it was a lot of driving just to see some silo art, and it was also following a similar path to what we might take tomorrow for a Gariwerd (Grampians) drive. So last night we did a bit of replanning… Today we spent time exploring the western…

We headed into Ballarat today, the lands of the Wadawarrung people, to visit Sovereign Hill! It was quite a drive there – 1hr 45min – but handy that it didn’t open until 10am, so we didn’t have to leave too early. All round, it was a brilliant day experiencing what life would’ve been like for people in the mid 1800s in Ballarat. We had plenty of fun, saw so many things, and learnt so much as well. As expected, we…

Our first night of four here in Dunkeld. This area, generally the eastern side of Gariwerd (The Grampians), is the lands of the Djab Wurrung people. We acknowledge the traditional owners, and their elders past, present and emerging. We started off the day be heading back down the Great Ocean Road to Port Fairy. Last night while sampling a bit of local gin in Portland, the distiller mentioned the Port Fairy markets, and said they were well worth the trip…