Birthday Bash

 Brett and Cathy hosted a family dinner to celebrate the recent birthdays of Mitchell and Claire.  As usual, the evening featured wonderful food and some delicious old red wine.

Dinner was the usual noisy affair

and the family rendition of the Birthday Aria could only be described as magnificent!

It was another great family occasion.

Barn Transformation

 The barn at Donvale is being transformed from a tin shed to an insulated club house.  As the insulation goes in and Mark installs the plaster, the place is almost unrecognisable.

Lachlan - The iPad Master

 Lachlan has always enjoyed drawing and the iPad allows him to draw and share the results.  His drawings get better all the time.  This is his Clone Commando.

Patrick Gets His Ls

 Patrick took the plunge and took the test for his L Plates after an extended Covid related delay.  He is now on the road.

Louie took time to have a full groom to be ready for his first ride.

Visiting Marysville

We decided to take a couple of days in a Marysville B&B to celebrate Claire's birthday and her approaching middle age.  We had a small suite overlooking the town that was ideal.

The town itself sits on the Steavenson River that gives the place a wonderful ambiance.

There are a number of good eateries around the town.  We had one of our meals in the pub overlooking the park and river.

There is an evident local pride in the town and the locals have undertaken a number of projects to maintain morale and build economic confidence.  One of these was a free concert that was put on by locals for locals in the central park.  People brought their chairs, dogs and dinner and enjoyed the music an a balmy Thursday evening.  These concerts had been running all summer.

Around Marysville

 It is great to be able to visit Marysville once again without the sad reminders everywhere of the destruction of the town on 7th Feb 2009.  While there are reminders in the area, the recovery is well underway.  From Keppels Lookout, the area is green again.

The water supply is nearly full,

and there is green surrounding the river.

Although there are stark reminders of the destruction of the forest,

there are still places to see stands of the huge mountain ash, Eucalyptus regnans.

Steavenson Falls

 You cannot visit Marysville without visiting the Steavenson Falls on the Steavenson River (that runs through the town).  The little valley through which the river runs was completely burned out in the massive firestorm some years ago.  It was wonderful to see the new growth and the development of the area.

It has taken a while but a small hydro electric plant runs using the water from the falls and this is used to power lights on the walking paths and the Falls themselves in the evenings.

Woods Point - As Isolated As It Gets

 We headed off from Marysville to have coffee at Woods Point.  It's a long way for coffee.  It is a very isolated little town that has seen better days but interesting never the less.  The pub still operates, more or less on an "as needed" basis,  the General Store has been updated since our last visit.  It now has fluorescent lights in place of the single 40 watt globe.

The fuel supply closed over 30 years ago.

and other shops did not survive.

Mark Comes to Play

 There is still a problem with some water under the house and Mark has taken on the task of installing a sump pump.  Water and clay are a messy combination so he looked a little the worse for wear after the initial work was done!

Covid Consequences

 With the lockdown and the collapse of the Chinese wine market, some interesting drops have become available.  I will have to severely restrict the use of the "Buy Button" for a year or two as I am almost at capacity!

Jack's New Room

 The floor is in and Jack has moved into his new room in the new second story.  There is still a little bit of work to do but his bed is in (far end) and the finishing touches will occur while he is in residence.

Then along comes Covid Lockdown v3.0 so the work can be completed.  Skirting boards are in and painted, lights and desk  installed, TV and air conditioner working and blockout blinds on the windows.  Jack relaxing on his bed at the other end.

Lachlan In the Swim

 Lachlan was determined to try really hard at the swimming sports even though he had not had a lot of practice.  Determination paid off as he came home with a couple of ribbons.

Good Night Boort

 The evening skies are crisp and clear and with very little light pollution it was a great opportunity for some night sky photos.  This final photo was our best as the last of the evening sun disappeared in the west and the stars of the Milky Way appeared.

In and Around Boort

 We have been having cool clear nights while away and last night was no exception.  The Milky Way was right in the southern sky.

Boort is surrounded by wild life reserves and first up we visited Lake Lyndger. It is more a dry flat area with the potential to become a swamp after heavy rain.  The vegetation is hardy and very different from surrounding areas.

We visited the Woolshed Swamp Reserve then the Lake Boort Reserve that cover a larger area.

Then it was back to Boort and it’s main attraction, Little Lake Boort and surrounds.

The Final Silo

The night was clear at Sea Lake and the night sky was very different to the one you see in the city.

In the morning we made tracks for our final silo of our tour at Nullawil.  We thought this was also one of the best.

We decided to finish our ramble at Boort.  It is a small town on the shores of Little Lake Boort and Lake Boort.

We set up on the shore of the lake and went to see the sights.  The coffee was good.

The big attraction in the area are the sculptures constructed entirely of spanners!