Sheepyard Flat, Howqua Historic Site, Victoria

We had another wonderful time at our annual camp at Sheepyard Flat in the Howqua Hills area. Great company, lovely walks, nice chats around the fire, delicious meals  and refreshing swims in the beautiful Howqua River. What more could you ask for!

The beautiful Yarra Valley.

Pit stop in Yea at the old railway station.

First time we have managed to get a pie in Yarck. Well worth it.

The evidence of the rest fires around Alexander.

Lake Eildon is down to 46% very noticeable at the bridge near Bonnie Doon.

We set up near our usual spot and enjoyed cooking and chatting around the camp fire.

Although we had a bit of rain we still went for our walks.

Beautiful Tunnel Bend.

Reminders of the gold mining era.

Misty morning.

The walk along the river to Fry’s Hut is always a favourite. We were surprised to see NO ONE camping there.

We enjoyed picking the blackberries along the track .. haven’t been sprayed yet.

The Howqua River was lovely and refreshing for our daily ‘swim’.

Spotted lots of birds and some came visiting too. (Also spotted 2 dingoes).

Before we knew it, it was time to head back home..

Albert River Gippsland Victoria

We had pencilled in a week in January to have our first off grid family camping experience. Unfortunately due to bush fires near our chosen destination (a site along the Goulburn River near Jamieson and Kevington), we had to look for an alternative. Most of our favourite camps were also too close to fires for comfort so we ended up heading to Annie Greenway Reserve on the Albert River in Gippsland (currently with no fires). It was named after a local resident. 

It’s about 25mins away from the closest township of Yarram and with no phone reception, Starlink was our connection with the outside world! 

It was our first time here, so not 100% sure what to expect and the real issue was, if we would get a spot to accommodate all of us. Having left home at 6am we arrived at 9am taking the scenic route through  the Grand Ridge, which was ok for Buster but not recommended for large caravans with the narrow and windy gravel roads.

The campsite was looking pretty full, as was to be expected during the summer holidays, and it wasn’t looking good but we got very lucky as 3 different campers in the same area packed up and were gone by 11am. We bagged the spot with a couple of tents and waited for the others to arrive.

Unfortunately the first couple of days were declared total fire ban but that didn’t deter the collection of firewood for the next few days after that so we could enjoy some camp fire cooking and nights gazing at the stars.

The 2 watering holes were a great bonus and along with the Mini Ha Ha Falls provided some entertainment for the daredevils that slid down the falls or jumped from the cliff. 

We pumped up a couple of boats for the kids and adults to try out but the river was too shallow for extensive exploration. So it was just a bit of fun at the water hole.

Tried out some fishing but to no avail, although we did see someone catch an eel.

All in all it was a lovely time spent together and we look forward to doing it again soon.

On the way home we stopped to have a look at the impressive 900m long jetty at Port Welshpool. 

Then a quick pit stop at Foster using the dump point and grabbing a pie for a late lunch.