Mount Beauty to Albury

Beechworth Post Office

3rd June 2024

It really is more comfortable staying in accommodation rather than camping 😀

I enjoyed a leisurely start to the morning before heading into the chemist for a wrist support.  It's just on a week since I thought I may have broken my wrists and the human body is pretty good at healing, but there is still occasional discomfort and wrapping the elastic bandage round it a few times a day is getting tedious (to say nothing of the bandage getting untidy)

Mt Beauty Gorge

I set off for the Mount Beauty Gorge Walk, noting that while the river is rather pretty and the gorge formation lovely, there's a lot of invasive plants about on the banks and the wall of the gorge; these did decrease as I proceeded along the gorge.  

A very bouncy suspension bridge

A very bouncy suspension bridge provided a nice, clear view of the river and gorge but the bounciness discouraged me from spending too long with both hands removed from the handrails and taking photos

Don't Look Up Rock

I passed a 'don't look up rock' sign and wondered what it was about, but a few metres later it became evident!

Mt Beauty Gorge

I reached the end of the track as such and decided I  would not proceed to the actual canyon 400 metres upstream; that would require rock hopping and wading.

Today's fungi fix

I spotted a pair of what I think are crimson rosella, which are beautiful birds.

After the challenges of the roads for the past few days the morning's drive was ridiculously tame! 

Beechworth 

I was glad that I had a good view of Mount Bogong the previous day,  because when I stopped at the Mount Bogong look out the cloud was very low, which perhaps suggested that my choice of not to go to Mount Buffalo to do some of the walks was perhaps a good one although one mountain might be very different to another in terms of weather.

Commercial Hotel, Beechworth

By lunchtime I was at Myrtleford and decided to take the tourist info's recommendation of Tu's Vietnamese Street Food and had chicken rice paper rolls for lunch which was very enjoyable, although I think Cyclo in North Hobart makes better.  The lunch I had made for myself that morning can wait till later.

The Old Gaol at Beechworth

As I drove through the Kiewa valley, many signs protesting lithium batteries in the valley piqued my imagination so I stopped to consult Google. The objection are related to the incredibly high bushfire risk of the area and the toxicity of lithium batteries if they catch fire.

At Beechworth I stopped to visit the bakery, not because I particularly wanted to buy bakery produce, although was tempted by a gluten free orange cake, but because a couple of decades ago the Baker from Beechworth was on the speaking circuit and I heard him talk about the importance to a business of looking after your staff!

Beechworth Old Gaol - beautiful stonework

Beechworth is a historic town, established in the gold rush days and obviously very prosperous. Like Omeo, it has substantial historic buildings which are in good condition and have largely retained their original facades and in some cases have retained their original purpose.

A sign to the old gaol interested me, but I arrived too late for the last tour so visited Billson's brewery to taste their gin and cordials. I managed to resist most with little effort but a bottle of their pressed ginger cordial found its way to my car.

From there, onward to Albury where I had decided I would spend the night in a caravan park. I rocked up to reception and asked if they could accomodate me in a small unpowered campsite and she instantly gave me an upgrade to a powered site with and ensuite. And the site is close to the well set up camp kitchen. Bonus!

As she took my details for check in, I was surprised that, with my phone number and first name the computer system knew the rest of my details. They are a discovery park and I have stayed in one of those before.

I took myself for a short walk along the shore of Lake Hume - a bit confusing initially as the map showed the lake edge as being just below my campsite but the lake level is low and this little basin is currently dry. I admired the swimming pool and spa area, which has quite a tropical look, but I wasn't tempted given I was wearing a very warm fleecy jacket.

Upgrade:  campsite with ensuite

Not as tropical as it looked!