Williamson
Part of the furniture
Mrs W's birthday, an unredeemed gift voucher = an over-nighter to the Royal Mail Hotel at Dunkeld.
After a quick exit from the metropolitan area via the Metro Ring Road and Western Freeway we turned-off to visit the Ballan farmers market, lunch, purchase some crappy market ware and back roaded to Lake Bolac.
You get see some interesting roads with the NavMan set to "shortest distance", "don't avoid gravel roads" and "don't avoid toll ways".
You also get to hear Helen, "You want to go down THAT road?" Even when she's driving!!!
You also get to back-up a few gravel tracks and do a few U-turns.
The nice volunteer lady at the Lake Bolac Visitors' Centre, convinced us to look for and turn-off to find Narrapumelap - not hard really because it's down a road of the same name and has a big sign on the corner.
It was a bit of an anti-climax because all we could really was this:
And this is just the gatehouse.
On to Dunkeld, check-in, walk around town, more gift shop purchases, found the public bar, a few drinks, chatted with some locals, freshen-up for dinner, dinning room.......
WTF??? The level of meals available, pub bar, bistro or dinning room. The intent of voucher (a Christmas gift from the children) was for Helen and I to "experience" the Royal Mail fine food. Check-out THE MENU - 10 courses, each averaged out at more than I would normally like to pay for one, or let me put it this way, the $360 voucher didn't even cover the restaurant bill - and we didn't drink much.
Let's see how tuff some of yuse guys are and try and resist taking the ladies for a special night out. Goodie, Karen & Tracey let me know what excuses the guys try.
Left early next morning - had to get away whilst I still had a wallet - a headed for Halls Gap. With the GPS still on the same settings we found the Wannon River:
And this gem:
And view from the side of Mount William:
More back roads to Ararat, Moonambel (renewed our acquaintance with Warrenmang Winery, lunch and a glass of the Grand Pyrenees was superb, and better value than the night before), Avoca and Talbot.
A few more U-turns, and I still maintain that we were'nt lost, it's just that we were'nt exactly where I thought we should be, so I thought it might be prudent to find a highway and head for home before it got to much darker.
Two days, 703km, 108litres of LPG & $xx - I just don't want to know.
After a quick exit from the metropolitan area via the Metro Ring Road and Western Freeway we turned-off to visit the Ballan farmers market, lunch, purchase some crappy market ware and back roaded to Lake Bolac.
You get see some interesting roads with the NavMan set to "shortest distance", "don't avoid gravel roads" and "don't avoid toll ways".
You also get to hear Helen, "You want to go down THAT road?" Even when she's driving!!!
You also get to back-up a few gravel tracks and do a few U-turns.
The nice volunteer lady at the Lake Bolac Visitors' Centre, convinced us to look for and turn-off to find Narrapumelap - not hard really because it's down a road of the same name and has a big sign on the corner.
It was a bit of an anti-climax because all we could really was this:
And this is just the gatehouse.
On to Dunkeld, check-in, walk around town, more gift shop purchases, found the public bar, a few drinks, chatted with some locals, freshen-up for dinner, dinning room.......
WTF??? The level of meals available, pub bar, bistro or dinning room. The intent of voucher (a Christmas gift from the children) was for Helen and I to "experience" the Royal Mail fine food. Check-out THE MENU - 10 courses, each averaged out at more than I would normally like to pay for one, or let me put it this way, the $360 voucher didn't even cover the restaurant bill - and we didn't drink much.
Let's see how tuff some of yuse guys are and try and resist taking the ladies for a special night out. Goodie, Karen & Tracey let me know what excuses the guys try.
Left early next morning - had to get away whilst I still had a wallet - a headed for Halls Gap. With the GPS still on the same settings we found the Wannon River:
And this gem:
And view from the side of Mount William:
More back roads to Ararat, Moonambel (renewed our acquaintance with Warrenmang Winery, lunch and a glass of the Grand Pyrenees was superb, and better value than the night before), Avoca and Talbot.
A few more U-turns, and I still maintain that we were'nt lost, it's just that we were'nt exactly where I thought we should be, so I thought it might be prudent to find a highway and head for home before it got to much darker.
Two days, 703km, 108litres of LPG & $xx - I just don't want to know.
c'mon, it was your wife's birthday and you DID have a voucher.... - priceless!!! 
