February 19 – 23 Beaufort to Rainbow

 

We had a day-dash back to Melbourne to collect our USA Visa (another story) and then, after one last beautiful sunrise, we said goodbye to Beaufort for the time being and headed for Wimmera and Mallee country first stop Rainbow. The weather forecast wasn’t looking too promising with extreme temperatures and high winds expected so we stayed just 2 nights. Rainbow is an interesting little place and growing. The Hindmarsh Council has done a lot to promote tourism and also improve local appreciation of the area. We spent a day driving around the countryside looking for lakes. The biggest is of course Lake Hindmarsh which had a fair bit of water in it. But the other lakes we explored – Albacutya which, like Lake Buloke also in the Wimmera region which we visited a few months earlier, is an ephemeral lake, and a rather surprising hidden delight near Yaapeet, Turkey Bottom lake. (Sorry but i can't find any pix - can you believe it?!)

Close to the caravan park a heritage trail has been created. It’s a little neglected and could benefit from more signage but is interesting in spite of that. 

After looking at the forecast for the coming week, we decided to head southwest into South Australia close to the coast and cooler conditions.  First stop Pinnaroo.

Beaufort Koori Art trail around Beaufort Lake

 The art trail is an impressive and imaginative initiative of HM Prison Lang Kal Kal; the artwork was done by indigenous prisoners and depict the traditional flora and fauna of the area and pays homage to the traditions, customs and stewardship of the local lands. It’s quite wonderful and perfect in that setting. Each installation has a story beside it (I have written them under each photo).

The trail around the lake. We walked it a number of times

So come with me as I walk the Koori Art Trail ….. “if you are uncertain Bunjil, the eagle, will direct you. If you are lost Bunjil will find you.”

Kangaroo Dreaming 

Aboriginal Dreamtime is strongly linked to the kangaroo in particular the story of Bookamurra. Aboriginal warriors tracked Bookamurra for days and finally caught and killed the giant kangaroo

Traditional fishing watched by spiritual pelican  

The pelican is a caretaker of the water and skies. The snake represents a caretaker of the land. 

Echidna hunting

Traditional Tucker, the echidna was enjoyed by the local Koori tribes and the spines were used to make jewellery. The echidna was identified as being a totem for some people in the region. Totems are plants or animals that have a relationship and direct link with beings from the dreaming. 

Mirram the kangaroo and Warreen the wombat

Mirram the kangaroo and warreen the wombat had a fight. Mirram hit warreem with a flat rock and warreem threw a spear at Miriam which stuck in his tailbone. This is how the wombat got the flat head and the kangaroo got his tail. 

Goanna and Serpent Dreaming

The goanna and snake are totemic spirit and the aboriginal artists paint their goanna and serpent dreaming to honour their ancestral spirits. 

Bunjil Dreaming

This artwork depicts Bunjil. Bunjil the eagle is a creator deity. A very special spiritual ancestral being in the Kulin nations of Victoria. He is one of two moiety ancestors. The other being Waa the crow. If you are uncertain Nunjil will direct you. If you are lost Bunjil will find you.

Dancing brolgas

The Dreaming story of the Brolga is about a Girook, a young girl who loved to dance but became the obsession of the evil spirit man Milum. This story holds great cultural significance for many aboriginal groups who embrace dance as an essential ingredient in their cultural identity. 

Yabbies Dreaming

Aboriginal travels would allow for a wide range of foods such as fresh water fish, tabbies, echidnas, emu, ducks, goanna, swans, wild lilies that would be eaten. Women caught crayfish and tabbies and spent much of their diving for mussels. They carried the food back to the camp in net bags and baskets.

Return to Country

Brewarrina is the traditional meeting place for many tribes in NSW. The fish traps in the river are estimated to be over 40,000 years old making them one of the oldest man made structures on earth. This is our country. 

Platypus Dreaming

The platypus symbolises wisdom and individuality and that it is OK to be different or not belong to just one group. The Platypus was often linked to the medicine man as he was considered special. This is evidenced today by the platypus being the main symbol on the Ballarat & District register of Aboriginal cooperation. 

Turtle waterways

For the river people the presence of the Long Neck  Turtles along the waterways and around river holes was a sure sign that the water was clean and safe.  

Murray Cod Dreaming

The Murray COD is the creator of the Murray and Darling rivers. Pondi, a huge Murray cod created the rivers by digging with its head making the rivers deep and by swinging its powerful tail caused all the bends in the rivers.

February 16-18 Beaufort Lake is a delight

 Beaufort Lake is a delight – its history is something I want to explore because it is in fact a reservoir rather than a lake. I have a postcard with a monochrome photo of the lake dating back to the turn of the C19th – family links! 

Looping around the lake is a fitness track 

Centre image is Snake Island - we didn't see any!

The narrow channel beside Snake Island is lined with Goodenia 

Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata) native to this region.

Many tracks wind around its shores, tracks which take you passed many species of eucalypts and acacias as well as native grasses and aquatic plants. Around the lake there are areas of swamp which are home to a huge diversity of species – frogs and their tadpoles, insects and their larvae, invertebrates of many kinds – and that of course brings the birds in to feast. 

At water's edge hardy aquatic plants force their way through cracks in the mud 

Numerous species of birds feasted in this marshy place.

It’s a veritable smorgasbord particularly as it dries out leaving eggs buried in mud and plants becoming food for a range of wildlife.  It is a place I’d be happy to wander for hours and days.  

Birds galore to watch

A board walk cuts through the reeds giving views of many water birds

The vegetation is marvellous particularly that which grows along the water’s edge. And then there are the fungi and slime moulds – it all provided a perfect challenge for me. 

Among the bullrushes this weird deformity jumped out 

The butterflies were gorgeous

Sunlight through reeds

Lichens of many varieties. Bottom left shows the slow path of a slime mould 

Nature provides many beautiful patterns

February 15 relaxing in tranquillity

 

Early morning over the lake

I grew up near a lake but had almost forgotten how beautiful early morning is as the mist rises slowly off the water. A wonderful start to the day.

Yesterday it took a good part of the day to pack the car (with over a month’s supply of stuff), drive out to pick up the van and then get out of the city to one of our favourite places and finally unpack the car into the van. It was a long process and then on the way there was a partial highway closure because of fires; we are totally safe. It’s almost two years since we’ve been in the van and it was like coming home. And here we are, barely 50km north of Ballarat where I was born, in Beaufort on the lake - the place of my grandmother’s clan. Last time we were in Beaufort was 15 months ago for a gathering of the Cochran clan who emigrated to the area from Paisley (Scotland) in 1852 - they were weavers but they took up employment as shepherds.  It is also where the Buchanan and the Cochran clans formed an alliance at least on a small scale - my paternal grandparents. At our clan reunion my cousin had hired a piper and we sat spell bound for over an hour as he slowly strode back and forth in front of us; there were many a teary eye I can tell you. 

It’s a very nostalgic place for me. That aside it is a tranquil place that we’ve been coming to for years. A place where Lindsay can indulge in bird watching and I can look at plants, fungi and record frogs and just loaf about. Blissful really. 
We spent the day unpacking food out of the car freezer into the caravan freezer and getting settled. We had not had a chance to check the van in fact had not been in the van for 20 months so there was a bit of mucking around (and scratching of heads as we tried to remember how it all worked). But by sundown we were able to flop down with a drink and watch the sky change into its eveningwear.

 

February 14 and our year of travel begins - compared to last year ts going to be a modest one!

 

One end of our sky-rise orchard, our 3 dwarf citrus trees -
Yuzu and Meyer lemons and Tahitian lime

I realise that we're already 6 weeks in 2024 so what have we been up to all that time? A fair bit of time has been invested in 'bodyworks' - a bit of a 'tune-up and service'. You can laugh, but the years do impact and we need to get into shape for our travels. In truth however it is really all to help 'oil' the way through our every day and keep all the bits in good working order. The days whizz by and I look back and wonder what I've been up to. Apart from a bit of watering at the community garden and hours spent organising seminar speakers for the Graduate Union of University of Melbourne for this and next year, meetings etc .... ummmm? Cooking! 

We made 4 different kinds of pies. Bottom L: mini quiches with the left over pastry (perfect for Happy Hour)

L: our favourite paella. R: slow cooked veal a la Heather

We went crazy with the cherries - brandied, pickled and jam. And made other fruit jams

Hot & sour cherry sauce with baked chicken

We like to leave home well prepared and so we went like mad to fill the freezer ready for this 5-6 weeks caravan trip. Our freezer was packed to the limit with enough to feed us for at least half of our up-coming trip - it takes the pressure of mealtime while on the road. I won't bore you with the particulars but suffice to say we will dine well. Of course in amongst those cooking marathons, we fed ourselves royally trying out new dishes (some of which I have posted on my food blog - thepingingchook.blogspot.com. We also made jams and pickled cherries and I rediscovered Freekeh. This is green durum wheat that has a delicious smokey flavour and is an excellent, and healthy, substitute for rice and pasta. The wheat is harvested while the grains are green and the seeds are still soft. What follows is a secret process of roasting, etc. Finally, the seeds are cracked into smaller pieces that resemble rough green bulgur although you can buy whole seeds, my favourite. It is an ancient grain dish enjoyed throughout the Levant for a very long time; it is mentioned in the Bible and was used in ancient Israelite cuisine. I think it's really worth a try. But getting away from food ....

We set up on the front terrace to play with the clay but retired indoors to paint.

I spent a delightful weekend with one of our granddaughters who is very interested in art and is a clever artist. She and I spent a good part of the time creating shapes from clay and water colour painting. It was a delightful time and we have promised to do a rerun perhaps with one of her girlfriends.

Our sky-rise garden is a happy space for us and we have spent many happy hours watching fruit and herbs grow, fixing irrigation lines and all those kind of growing-related tasks. We have picked lemons and now await the next batch (there are dozens of babies on all 3 tree), our figs have been luscious albeit not as plentiful as we would have liked - and the passionfruit! each morning Lindsay inspects the vines and so far we enjoyed about a dozen and there are many more slowly ripening.  They're small but chock a block with fragrant pulp. And the herbs! what can I say, there's a limit to how much you can dry and/or give away - they are plentiful and beautifully fragrant. I made herb jam which is very good and every dish we make, including vegetables, is made just that little more tasty with a selection of fragrant herbs.  Needless to say our wee inner city garden is thriving.

Wee parsley flowers - I collect their seeds

A grevillea planted to attract the birds

Our lemon myrtle - first time I've seen it flower

Drying our herbs ready for the next harvest

Our passionfruit are small 4-5cm, but are packed with delicious sweet pulp

And finished a few colourful rugs

Always in the background – and foreground! are future travel plans and they often entail a bit of work – Visas, health checks, insurance. That's not so arduous but is very time consuming particularly the USA Visa application process which was more drawn out simply because we visited Iran 6 years ago. The application involved a lengthy online form and then eventually an interview (which we had yesterday). Our passports and visas, we were told, would be ready for collection within the week. Phooey to that! We decided to get on the road and stay somewhere within cooee of Melbourne so we could easily zap back to collect them. And that’s just what we did arriving back in Beaufort mid-afternoon.  

We eventually set off packed to the gunnels 

We set up camp on the shores of the Beaufort lake, a favourite spot

So begins another caravan journey albeit a rather quiet and unassuming one this time. More anon ....