We bid goodbye to Gundagai and head towards our free camp at Paddys River Flats, 16kms from Tumbarumba. On the way we pass through Batlow and it's many orchards. It's apparently famous for it's apples and if you like your apples, chances are you've had a Batlow.
On the way to the campsite we take a wrong turn towards a waterfall (Paddy's River Falls) and soon realise it's not the way to the camp. The road is very narrow, windy and not particularly suited to towing a van but thankfully we are able to turn around and safely arrive a few kms down the road to the camp site. Its pretty busy but we snag a campsite by the river. It's close to the road but its not the M1 and we are not disturbed by traffic. I cool off in the river and it's only till I get goosebumps that I decide to join Tomoko and Shaka relaxing in the shade under an umbrella of trees.
There's a few dogs here and Shaka takes a disliking to a corgie x kelpie. It's a friendly dog and not particularly menancing but Shaka continues to have a go at him. Oh well...at least it shows he's still got a bit of life in him.
Despite my efforts I still haven't landed a trout. There are many dams in the nearby Snowy River Mountains apparently teaming with trout but I thought I would try the local streams instead. I had heard that they get them in the creek running behind the Bowls Club & I go there with a lure and tonne of enthusiasm only to find a very narrow waterway, more akin to a drain than a creek. I give it a go failing to register a strike but I do however stumble on something else of interest. An echidna - nosing around some ant holes. I sneak up on him with my iphone for a photo but he's totally oblivious to my presence and it's only until I am hovering over him that he scarpers into some long grass. I haven't seen many in the wild (if you could call suburban Tumbarumba that) so the experience offset any disappointment of not catching a fish.
After two nights we decide to head to our next free camp at Towong on the banks of a river. We find a top spot, a stones throw from the river and under the shade of some large maple trees. We begin a trip into the nearby town of Corryong and as we traverse the adjacent bridge we are surprised to see a sign welcoming us to Victoria?? It hadn't registered with us that the river was in fact the mighty Murray so our excitement increased as we crossed state lines for the first time.
The promise of a Murray cod kept me occupied over the next couple of days and armed with some lures purchased from the local tackle shop I took on the estauries at Cudjewa, Narial, Biggara and Walcha without landing any fish. I did see some fish however - a trout, a murray cod (I think) and some carp. Those carp are bloody fearless. They lull about just under the surface of the water. They would be easy pickings for anyone proficient with a cast net. I threw a few lures at them but they only showed a passing interest.
Tomoko, Shaka and I took a short drive to Khancoban (dubbed Kurt Cobain by Tomoko) and after a quick look at the town, found our way to Biggara where we had a swim in the clear cool waters. It reminded me a lot of the Goldsborough Valley near Cairns.
After 3 nights in Towong we hit the road again and ended up at Tallangatta, on Lake Hume. We stopped at the local showgrounds and for $20 got ourselves a site with power, water and the promise of a hot shower. We have done a few free camps and our longest stay has been five days. We haven't run out of power yet so I'm keen to have a longer stay to test our batteries capabilites. Maybe next time...until then adios amigos.