After 2 nights at Tallangatta we decide on a free camp further along the Murray via Albury. We nabbed a choice parking spot in front of the tourist info centre and railway station. We planned to spend the majority of the day here and there didn't appear to be any time restrictions on parking. Tomoko wasn't so convinced and she fretted for a while about our possible illegal activity. We walked into town for a spot of shopping & I went to see a movie at the cinema. It was super busy with ticket lines queued into the street. I finally got in and my quest to get a frozen coke looked like it would eventuate when I was handed a cup to fill up at the self serve station. The frozen coke machine however was suffering from too much love and I was forced to choose the less popular bubble gum flavour. It was frozen but not the intended flavour so although I was making progress, I would have to wait for another opportunity to achieve my dubious crusade. The movie - The Imitation Game was good (3 1/2 stars from me).
After grabbing a few groceries I trudged back to the van and at about 5pm we took off again to Parolas Bend on the Ovens River. Tomoko drove the last leg and we missed the intended turn off so rather look for a suitable space to turn around, decided to keep going onto nearby Forges Beach. In the absence of any solid directions (couldn't find the road we were after on the Garmin or Google Maps) we turned into Yarrawonga to check the tourist info centre. They were closed so I enlisted the help of a local who pointed us in the right direction - 5kms or so out of town.
At Forges Beach there are two camping choices - no 1 & 2. The wikicamps app suggests no 2 is superior and though there were quite a few campers there, found a top spot on the riverside. The spot is popular for water skiers and we enjoyed watching them wiz past us on occasionally.
After a couple of nights here we continued on 40kms or so to Tocumwal. The free camps book recommended Apex Beach, not far from town. Again we had difficulty finding the camp but the nice lady in the local hardware store kindly gave directions. It had been raining a few days earlier and while mostly dry, the dirt track had some pools which when entered provided some slippery action. Once at the camp we we didn't get a real good vibe from the place. There looked to be a number of permanent campers set up and we weren't feeling the love. Earlier, on the entry into town we saw a picturesque camp spot through the trees and with further investigations found Town Beach. It has a wide sandy beach, drinking water on tap, cold showers and at $10 a night thought we could afford some extravagance.
We had a rainy day and when the skies cleared we explored the area, first up - the Big Strawberry. After the mandatory photo we checked out the store. It's a strawberry lover's utopia. From your tacky souvenirs, to cheesecakes and wine it had everything covered for your strawberry needs. I had never picked them before in any great quantity so we grabbed a bucket and spent time filling a 1kg punnet. With dessert organised we went searching for the main course. We had heard tales of some legendary pies and we found them at the Pie Shed. At $7.80 a go they're not cheapest but certainly the tastiest pie I have ever tasted. If your ever in the area they are a must.
A few nights here and again we continue our journey to Echuca. From our research we discovered there was a nice van park not far from town. Well, I tell ya...it was in the middle of nowhere - a mission over narrow bridges and 10kms of corrugated dirt roads. I was doing about 5kms an hour through the corrugated sections so it took a lot longer than expected. I was actually lucky to not lose my jockey wheel clamp bolt as I found it innocently sitting on the drawbar when we arrived, having been unthreaded by the vibrations. The park itself was resplendent with beautifully manicured lawns but a $39 charge, our most expensive to date. I suppose it is peak season but the park was hardly full so we intended to recharge our batteries (literally) and head off the next day.
The following day we drove out of the park in the other direction and found a well maintained road. With our van battery recharged our next priority was filling our water tank and after enquiring at the tourist info centre found a tap at a nearby park. Armed with a map to our next free camp at Christies Beach just out of town we set off again. Entering the forest the first occupants we see are again a permanent mob and tidiness did not appear to be high on their priorities. We travel a bit further and find what we thing is a suitable position but get bogged as I manoeuvre the van. At long last we get a good spot by the river. It's busy though and we are constantly bombarded with noisy ski boats and jet ski's. If it wasn't already exciting enough some boats owners felt the need to use their loud stereos to blare our 80's music.
We went out for the day to the gold rush town of Rushworth. It's a pretty town with it's rustic buildings a reminder of the gold rush days. We have lunch at cafe, Tomoko very impressed with her homestyle lasagne and baked veges. Not far is the deserted gold rush town of Whroo. There's not much there now. We visited the old cemetery and went looking for the nearby aboriginal rockwell. We hiked towards it, not knowing what to expect until we saw an old wooden walkway. We stood on it and searched 360 degrees for something of interest. Coming up empty I glanced at my feet and saw a small pool of stagnant water in the rocks and realised our search was over.
Back at camp we ponder our future. During our stay here one of the permanent campers continuously buzzes around the campsite on his noisy dirt bike. Thankfully he doesn't approach us but we speak to others who he's hit up for drink, petrol etc. He seems to have a problem with personal boundaries and is a real nuisance so we decide to leave him to it and move on the following day. Until then...adios amigos.