Murchison Victoria

On Tuesday morning we drove through the rich agriculture area that forms part of the Heathcote Wine Region, thanks to Mount Camel's red volcanic soil that is ideal for grape production. 

The small township of Colbinabbin is renowned for its railway history, as the Colbinabbin Station became a major wheat handling terminal around 1914.

It took a dedicated crew of 60 workers to lay one mile of railway per week, and eventually, the line was extended to the current site of the silos.

We pulled in at the rest stop to admire the Silo Art - a series of outstanding works across six silos painted by renowned Victorian artist Tim Bowtell. Completed in 2020 they that tell the story of the town’s history. We read some great stories on the panels provided. 

The silos are still in use today

A bit further 20km east we drove into Rushworth (also visited in 2021). 

It is one of Victoria's iconic gold rush towns, established during the height of the gold rush in 1853. During the 1870s, the district moved from mining to timber resulting in sawmills flourishing in the area until around the 1940s, as it is nestled amid the world’s largest Box Ironbark forest.

The town has retained much of its original character with a very well-preserved main street of heritage buildings classified by the National Trust, including the Criterion Hotel, St Paul's Anglican Church and the many shopfronts of High Street. 

We had a look around. 

Not having had breakfast yet, we couldn’t walk past the bakery without buying a pie and cake… they were delicious.

On our way out we spotted the Waranga Basin which offers fishing and water sports. It was completed in 1908 and at the time, it was one of the largest projects of its kind in the world. The basin is filled by water diverted from the Goulburn River through canals. We pass over a couple along our way, which appear quite full.

Another 20km east we arrived in Murchison, situated on the banks of the Goulburn River. During the late 1800’s the town grew with the establishment of a punt to facilitate the gold rush and then with the arrival of paddle steamers and the building of a bridge. Unfortunately its decline came shortly after the development of the irrigation and weir causing the drop in the river water levels.

The Murchison Meteorite shower which fell over the township in 1969 was world known. They have been found to contain the oldest materials known to have reached earth samples containing 90 different amino acids, only 19 of which are found on earth.

We decided to find a spot along the Goulburn River just north of town situated below the sports oval. It’s a bit of a rough track but we take our time and managed to get level with views of the river flowing past us. It’s not as inviting as the Upper Goulburn River camps near Jamieson, but it will do for tonight. 

The next morning we were homeward bound, ending our 9 day, 590km getaway.

Elmore, Campaspe River, Victoria

Sunday morning found us driving a short distance into Elmore (previously visited 2021).

The Elmore district was surveyed in 1857 and the railway line opened between Bendigo and Echuca, via Elmore in 1864. In 1915 the junction railway line was opened form Elmore to Cohuna. Elmore had a diverse farming base, including vineyards (until affected by Phylloxera in the 1920s), dairying, poultry, sheep grazing and cereals. The town reached its peak in 1921 with a population of 893. Never the less, the town has everything you'd need including: local eateries (bakery, cafes, fish and chip shop, three hotels), supermarket, opp shop, antiques, second hand book store, newsagent, fuel station, post office, pharmacy, butcher, ag supplies, mechanic… along with 3 churches, a golf course, a swimming pool, a caravan park, a sports oval and tennis and bowling venues, a community bank and grain silos. It has also become well known for annual agricultural and machinery field days that began in 1964, held in October. 

We enjoy a stroll around and read a few signs about the town’s history.

Coffee van in action…

Brings back memories…

It was a short 10 minute drive to Ayson's Reserve, situated on the Campaspe River, is a  free camping area with toilets (BYO toilet paper), water (not potable), and dump point. It is a wonderful spot for camping, boating, bird watching, fishing and canoeing. We managed to get a water view site and decided it was too good to leave…. 

The next morning we drove 20km to Greens Lake which was created in 1968 as irrigation water supply or storage. In 2019 it stopped being used for such purposes and as a result it is returning to its natural watering regime. This  means that there will be an increase in flora and fauna including small-bodied fish and many species of water birds, such as the Brolga. There are toilets and hot showers on offer as well.

At this time of year there are plenty of spots to choose from and we settle in with water views across the lake. We have a wonder along the shore and then stay in the shade as the temperature reaches 34°, the hottest day so far. We watched a few fishermen take their boats out but unsure of their success in catching anything.

The evening brings a thunderstorm and cools things down for the night.