McCulloch Family Road Trip: We have a tooth.

Well another rough night sleep with Kayla and no hot shower certainly made me feel quite exhausted. I think she is waking up due to the cold so thankfully we are off to a powered site tonight so we will be able to run the heater again at night. Oh how the small things make your life more comfortable! Whilst the neighbours rock and the view is so beautiful there is only so much I can take of a drop toilet as the smell certainly isn’t pleasant but I should be grateful that they are nowhere near the best camp sites.

Reflections on the Murray River.

Jason and I had to laugh at this. See the pic in the top right hand side. Can't say

we have see anyone doing this outside their caravan.

We packed up relatively quickly; I am wondering if this is because I did 75% of it whilst Jason looked after the kids and talked to the neighbours. Mind you I was tempted to hide the fishing rod behind a tree – just kidding. Once we were all ready to go the neighbours came and waved us off. Hamish got really upset as he was already strapped into his car seat and he wanted to get out and say goodbye to his new friends. Personally I think they probably wanted to make sure we got away fine so they could enjoy the peace and quiet and read the paper without being interrupted by a little boy showing them every car he owned. Seriously though it was sad as they were so great and that to me is half the fun of travelling around Australia, not just the sheer beauty of our country but the people you meet.

Kayla showing off her new beanie.

Hamish mad a new friend.

Our destination today is Corowa as it is just over half way to Albury-Wodonga which is where we turn and head north. So it was a hard drive of about 90 km, and we went through the beautiful towns of Yarrawanga and Mulwala on Lake Mulwala. They seemed very scenic and had a massive water ski club. It is only about 40 km from where we are staying tonight so we have put it in the memory bank to come back to and visit. Just outside of town all along the road was where the really bad tornado hit destroying anything in its path, in particular the caravan park on the edge of the lake. It was really sad to see it all destroyed and the nearby houses condemned.

Coming into the hardest hit area.

Honestly it is worse in real life, seeing brick fences and houses demolished.

We arrived in Corowa just in time for a late morning tea come early lunch. I got very excited as I could see Kayla’s first tooth, just the tip of it but it was there none the less. That might explain the few restless nights. First we found this van park that Jason liked the sound of. Upon checking in and paying for two nights we drove in to find that most of it seems to be more permanent residents than anything. This is a little worrying as it is one of the main places people warn you not to stay as a lot of things can get stolen. So fingers crossed we don’t lose anything here but it makes it hard to confidently hang out the washing. We then went out and checked out the main street, which really didn’t have a lot but we managed to find a nice bakery and got a good laugh at how cheap the houses are here. I mean you have to laugh otherwise we would cry at how much cheaper they are for the same type of house.

So proud - only last week he wouldn't do this. So rather then hold his hand

I showed him how and now he is so confident and proud of himself (I am too).

So much happiness and only 100m from the van.

The afternoon was spent walking to the information centre before finding out there was a chocolate/whisky factory in town. Hello you have our attention! We quickly raced there as it closed in an hour and tomorrow being ANZAC day we weren’t sure if it would be open. Hamish got to make a giant freckle while we tasted the chocolate covered nuts and berries. We decided to cross the river and check out the little Victorian town and found it was very pretty and there was also a massive Uncle Toby’s factory over there. It was funny when we asked about it at the information centre as it was more like ‘oh that is Victoria’. Umm yes we are aware of that but we didn’t think there would be an 'us' and ' mentality.

First you poor the chocolate.

Then you ensure it is all flat by dropping the plate a little.

Then you put on the sprinkles...

LOTS of sprinkles.

Then you eat it (and no he didn't share).

No day on the Murray would be complete without a fishing attempt by Jason, and today was no different. Of course the suggestion of a family walk along the river was made, followed quickly by the statement he would take his rod and have a quick fish. Not much fishing was done though as we were on the wrong side of the river according to all the tips Jason has been given. We then retreated to the van for dinner and make the most of our hot showers. I was bitterly disappointed when I ran Kayla’s tub as it didn’t feel all that warm but thought surely that was just the baby room baths. Then Jason reported the same when he and Hamish went for their showers. However I am happy to say that they at least had it right in the women’s showers and I had a lovely hot shower and enjoyed the fact I could wash my hair. I probably should have felt guilty but secretly I didn’t.