Buchan to Hayfield with some fairy dust

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 appointed, has campsites side by side and I think in peak season it would not be somewhere I would particularly enjoy.

Devil's Punch Bowl

After packing up camp I went for a short wander up the Moon Hill walk and I was able to look into Moon Cave and go in far enough to understand that the ambient temperature inside caves here is about 17 degrees, positively tropical compared to the outside temperature. I could also see glittering of calcite crystals. 

The Buchan Valley from Moon Hill

I continued, and looked down at Devil's Punch Bowl, a sink hole, and then further up the hill to look over the Buchan valley.

I also admired the kangaroos and wallabies. There was the Eastern Grey Kangaroo but also a brown wallaby. I'm not sure what that was. One female Eastern Grey Kangaroo was feeding her Joey,  that was rather cute. I didn't walk right to the end of the track because I was aware of needing to be back to get my tickets for my cave tour.

Inside Royal Cave

On the recommendation of the lady in the information centre I had chosen Royal Cave and it certainly did not disappoint. It is a cave with very narrow walkways, and back in the 1930s chicken wire was installed to discourage touching of the formations.  The same chicken wire is still there; obviously a well made product.

Historical chicken wire protecting formations

There was several chambers and some absolutely stunning formations. Some quite liberally scattered with calcite crystals; apparently nowhere near as many as in Fairy Cave - which is how it got its name when one of those who discovered it, likened it to fairy dust. 

Inside Royal Cave

There was one large rock/formation that was named the Crocodile - for very good reason.  But it had been, well in the past, riveted to secure it.  An action that was later determined to be unnecessary but the enormous bolts could not be removed as that would have damaged the stability of the formation. 

Inside Royal Cave

I enjoyed the cave very much and when I came out I went to the visitor center and what excellent souvenir to buy given that the ambient temperature was still approximately 7 degrees?  A seriously warm jacket.

Many pools in Royal Cave

Looking at the interpretations signs, the GunaiKurnai have known about the Buchan Caves and used the area for around 26,000 years.  Caves are places of magic and mythology rather than shelter.  They believed that Nargun inhabited caves and would abduct those who came too close.  Caves were used by the magic men for secret practices, ceremonies and rituals.

Massive flowstone in Royal Cave

I continued on, Maps taking me via some lesser roads then a section of the Alpine way and then onto the Princes Highway. I reached Bairnsdale and was amused by what appeared to be a petrol price cutting war thats stretched for a number of kilometres. There were also a number of bottle shops and I stopped at one and did wonder if there was also a price cutting war on wine, as I purchased bottle of Josef Chromey Pinot Chardonnay for about half the price that Dan Murphy has it.

More Royal Cave beauty

However, not a supermarket in sight, so purchase of dinner ingredients was put off till Stratford (build around the River Avon).

Avon River from the Bluff in Knob Reserve

It had been suggested to me that the Bataluk Cultural Trail might be of interest as I traveled and I'd selected a couple of possible sites which were not too far off my route to visit. 

Avon River from the Bluff in Knob Reserve

The first was the Knob Reserve at Stratford. This is a bluff  high above the Dooyeedang (Avon River) and it was a significant campsite and meeting place for the Gunaikurnai people for centuries. There I could see where axe heads had been sharpened on the sandstone and also the scars where bark been stripped from some trees for making canoes and various other things. 

Scars from removal of bark
for canoe construction, etc

The interpretation sign certainly gave cause for sober reflection, as it told of dispossession; the putting all Aboriginals onto missions and the separation of mixed parentage children from their Aboriginal parents, and generally not permitting continuation of traditional culture and language.

Deciding that I was running out of time, how unusual, before darkness descended, I skipped my second potential visit on the cultural trail and headed to my accommodation which was is Abington Farm in Hayfield. 

Why may you ask? This morning I decided I wanted to go to somewhere about halfway between Buchan and Melbourne, and the first place I picked on the map identified that the best feature about the town was the centennial rose garden. Since it was going to be very non-descript in mid winter, I looked for an alternative and I chose Rosedale. 

Rosedale seemed to be close to Holey Plains National Park, which has some seemingly nice walks. I looked at camping there and baulked at the only facility being a pit toilet; given that the weather forecast was for similar temperatures overnight (2-3) I decided that  accommodation would be a better option and Abington Farm seemed the closest that I might like to Rosedale.

I hadn't looked too closely at all the details about the place and I hadn't read all the information emailed to me about arrival but I did request gluten-free breakfast, as breakfast is provided, and they certainly obliged with that. Breakfast of cereal, milk, juice, toast and spreads and eggs and bacon will take all morning to consume  I was quite delighted in the place, the spa bath, in particular, appealed to me.  And my welcome from my host Bernie included an offer of a tractor, should have have trouble getting my car up the slippery slope in the morning.