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The final leg - back home

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  Morning light and valley mist at Meander By 6:15am we were alongside at Devonport. It was a rocking, rolling night after we passed through the heads but at some stage during the night the seas calmed, the wind seemed to abate and when I heard the wake up call at 5:45am all seemed relatively calm and we were sailing smoothly. An initial pervading smell of stale drains in my cabin was dispelled relatively easily by having a hot shower with some nice fresh soapy smells. I guess it was just water that had been sitting in the drains too long. It was still dark as I disembarked around 7 am and my car said the temperature was 9°, but it dropped very quickly as I headed south and inland. Visiting Gray   Dawn gradually spread its light across the sky, highlighting intermittent ,beautiful valley mists, mists that became less attractive as they enveloped sections of the road and slowed my progress. I stopped in Deloraine for a coffee and by the time I got to Meander it was only 2°, although the
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Lara: finding the pretty on a bleak day

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View from the start of the Stock Yards Walk My last day on the mainland and there's a serious wind blowing at Lara, adding quite a wind chill factor to the air. I was headed to the You-Yangs to entertain myself for two or three hours with a walk. Given the wind, I had no desire to approach any of the high points, not that the You Yangs really has high points, they're more of pimples in a flat landscape. But I didn't say that because when I lived in Geelong, four decades or more ago, they were considered to be mountains.  Native Tobacco My hostess had suggested that I walk the Stock Yards Track which would be somewhat sheltered, so that was my plan. I was rather horrified by the amount of invasive bone seed in the area.  There was acres of it. Parks did acknowledge, on the sign, that it was a big problem in the park. Wattle The walk was otherwise pleasant enough and I found a few nice flowers, including various types of gum flowers - unfortunately the red and pink were movin
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Drouin East to Lara via a lunch date

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Gum flower on the way to The Kevin Hoffman Walk My self-catered breakfast this morning was a lot more restrained than yesterday's provided scrambled eggs and bacon etc.  Accomodation arrangements for the night finally made, not quite as originally anticipated, but satisfactory. I headed off around 10, needing to go via an ATM to procure cash to pay for the night's accommodation.  It would have been easier if Maps had told me to stop in good time rather than subsequently deciding I should go round in circles. It's the first time I have used either of my current cards to withdraw cash, it took a bit to figure out! Then I was on my way - to meet Susan for lunch. She had promised me a healthy food place that didn't use additives, and I was hopeful that I could find some choices without too much challenge. The Yarra River at the bottom of Ablington Street I made very good time from Drouin East to Susan's place in Alphington - I suburb of which I had never heard!  I allow
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Heyfield to Drouin East via some elusive routes

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On the Heyfield Wetlands walk As I sit, drinking my first cup of coffee, I compare the morning to yesterday. It's an almost balmy seven degrees outside. not three. I'm wearing three layers not five. The view is very pretty in a rural sort of way there is mist rising from the creek and I have an invitation to go kayaking on the creek, which I probably won't take up. Not being a kayaker, I think my preference is for warm weather, in case I tip myself in. I am glad I am not camping; it rained last night and with the mist, there'd be no way of drying my awning before packing up. I also reflected on the noticeable change in the time it gets light and gets dark as I travel west. It is later and I did notice the reverse as I was traveling east three weeks ago. That little change in longitude over a few hundred kilometres does make a difference. Morning mist from my window at Abington Farm And now for the decision about what to do today, where to stay tonight, and how to manage
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Buchan to Hayfield with some fairy dust

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In Royal Cave I woke about 6:15 and it was still pitch dark. I lay snug as a bug in a rug in my sleeping bag, on this rare occasion fully zipped up, and watched the dawn light gradually spread across the sky.   Necessity finally drove me to get up and I grabbed my shower bag and enjoyed a long hot shower in the comfort of a brick building, a vast improvement on my couple of recent camping experiences. My little butane gas stove took forever to heat a small amount of water for my coffee; it doesn't like the 3 degrees ambient temperature any more than my fingers do. Very few other campers The campground is fairly quiet, apart from the song of the magpies, which are also coming very close to investigate me and my camp. There are two couples - grey nomads with their caravans, and one young couple with two small children and the children are most excited to be camping for the first time. It was with them that I shared the communal campfire last night.  The campground, while well appoint
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