Woke to another beautiful morning overlooking the Wellington River. As usual the kettle was soon on and a leisurely breakfast was consumed as the sun rose, lighting the hills and mountains around us. It wasn’t long before we realised two things: 1) the day was going to be warmer than yesterday; 2) we were out of toilet paper and the supplies in the long drop had been exhausted since the evening of the day we arrived!
After breakfast we consulted our bushwalking guides and decided to set off retracing our steps of many years ago and following the Lake Tarli Karng walk that originates from the last Wellington River bridge crossing and heads upstream, arriving at the Lake some 17 kilometres later. We had no ambitions to go all the way to the lake but thought following the river might be nice on such a hot day.
We arrived at the car park at the start of the walk and where the sealed road turns to gravel for the climb up to Tamboritha Saddle. We signed the registration book about 20 metres along the track and went another 50 metres before encountering our first river crossing. After surveying the scene it was clear the walking shoes and socks were coming off (if they were to stay dry) and after wading the short distance across the river we sat down, pulled the socks and walking shoes back on, and were off again!
No more than a hundred metres passed and we were at the next river crossing! Any thought of keeping the walking shoes and socks dry were cast adrift and we waded across, stepping back on the other river bank with a squelching sound. The third and fourth river crossings came in quick succession but we were finding it increasingly difficult to find the trail we were following. One final river crossing with no further clues as to the path we should follow had us deciding to return to the Prado before we ended up lost (or injured). Five river crossings later and we were back loading our gear into the Prado.
We set out for Licola to see what was on offer at the only town in this part of Victoria – a general store that also sold fuel and basic camping supplies was next to the entrance to a caravan park and just up from the entrance to the Lions Club Village on the eastern bank of the Macallister River. We went in search of a geocache (unsuccessfully) before being asked for directions by a woman who was looking for the Paradise Caravan Park on the shores of Lake Glenmaggie. Given she was about 40 kilometres north of the Lake, she must have driven right past the caravan park! We pointed her in the right direction and wished her luck.
We returned to the Tvan and have enjoyed a relaxing afternoon – a swim in the river, followed by lunch then a challenging game of Scrabble where Wendy got most of the consonants and I got all the vowels except a “u” after picking up a “q” at the very start of the game! Isn’t it always the way?
We watched new neighbours set up downstream of our campsite – two dads and two sons out for what looks like their first combined camping experience. The clouds have rolled in and there are plenty of crackles on the radio, suggesting electrical storms are in the vicinity. The breeze has dropped and the humidity seems to have gone up – another swim may be in order before a pasta dinner with matching wine is on the menu tonight. Hopefully the rain holds off so we can pack up dry tomorrow morning.