Genoa Rest Area - Victoria

We have stayed at Genoa rest area numerous times on our travels, but we have only ever stayed one night. It is one of the better donation camps and we have no problem leaving a donation. The rest area was once part of a cattle farm, 'Maramingo Station', owned by Peter Imlay and established around 1838. No one knows where the name Genoa came from, but it is assumed it came from a near by property named Genoa, and the river. The first peoples of the area were known as the Jinoor (meaning water path), so perhaps the name Genoa is an Anglicization of Jin-oor. The area is large and has toilets (sadly the cold showers have been disabled), a covered bbq with tables and chairs, a clothes line, tennis courts (currently being renovated) and kids playground closer to the walkway bridge (now fenced off due the loss of the bridge to the 2019/20 bush fires).

Genoa is the first Victorian town along the Princess Highway. There was also an information board about footprints to be found in the Genoa river from the Devonian times, some 390 million years ago, of large crocodile like reptiles.

The 2019/2020 bush fires devastated many areas down here. Noticeable was the old farm building just north of the rest area. All that is left are the brick chimneys.

The old walkway bridge use to be the main highway and also was destroyed by the bush fires. Last time we were here I walked on the bridge and it didn't feel very safe with big gaps between the timber planks. The bridge was a timber truss and concrete bridge, built in 1926-8 that replaced two earlier bridges. The bridge was opened in 1928, and decommissioned in 1989 due to heavier and faster vehicles causing stress to the structure. The town residents lobbied to keep the old bridge and in 1995 the bridge achieved state significance and was restored.

Sadly the bridge was burnt in the 2019/2020 bush fires.

Photo: Gippsland News.

The town again lobbied to have the bridge re-build and building started in May 1921, but seems to have stopped.

Genoa is the first town one comes to heading south from NSW along the Princes Highway. Not a lot remains in the town today. Most businesses are closed and it is very quiet.

There is a heritage walk from the camp grounds but no bridge to walk on now, so we drove to Genoa Falls and came back via the town. There are very good history information boards in the main street.

The walk is about 2 &1/2 kms from the bridge to the old school site. Little is left of the town of Genoa now, a hotel that seems to open sometimes, a cafe that looked closed, and some old dilapidated shops. The old hotel was originally two story and got its license in 1913. It was destroyed by fire in 1933.

BRIEF HISTORY:

Prior to European Settlement the area was the home of the Jinoor Tinnong people.

1830's - cattle properties were established in the area.

1897 - first liquor license in Genoa at the Maramingo Hotel.

1891 - The first school opened.

1888 April 9 - Genoa Post Office opened.

1913 - Genoa Hotel got its liquor license.

1916 - a parallel truss bridge was constructed across the river.

1919 - a flood destroyed the bridge.

1923 - General Store built by Harry Bridle, it was also a bank and became the post office.

1928 - a new bridge was constructed.

1933 - Genoa Hotel destroyed by fire and rebuild.

1960's - General store demolished and rebuilt.

1972 - fossil trackways of primitive tetrapods were found in the Genoa Gorge, dating back 350 million years.

2001 - General Store closed

2019 - bush fires damages much of the area, including the bridge.

Genoa Falls, in the Croajinolong National Park, is about 5.5kms from the Genoa Campground along the main highway. It is easy to miss the turning as the sign is tiny. The Genoa River has many waterfalls and gorges, and the Genoa Falls are perhaps the easiest to get to.

The falls flow over and around huge granite boulders, and are worth visiting. There is a mostly dirt track down from the car park, with a few set of steps - 62 in total (I counted😁)

There were patches of pink granite along the trail and much flora to see. There are no seats, but the granite rocks would allow one to have a picnic at the falls.

Gipsy Point - East Gippsland - Victoria

One place worth visiting while in Mallacoota is Gipsy Point, about 18km upriver from Mallacoota. Situated on sections of the Genoa and Wallagaraugh Rivers that run into the Top Lake (or Mallacoota Inlet). Pronounced Gip-see, so locals tell us, and named after a schooner Gipsy - I assume because it is in East Gippsland.

In the 1890's, Gipsy Point, was the main trading area as schooners were able to navigate from the open sea up the river to the point. Situated on the edge of the Croajingolong National Park, it is named in honour of the schooner 'Gipsy' owned by Mrs Barclay and was the first large ship to reach the area. The township was gazetted in 1901 and by 1918 there was a store and jetty. 1918 was also the opening of the road from Gipsy Point to Mallacoota. Many boarding houses and holiday accommodations were established by 1936 and still remain today. There was little evidence of the 2019/2020 bushfires that devastated the area. Gipsy Point is a quiet secluded place for fishermen and those wanting a quiet week/weekend  away.

There are wilderness river cruises operated by Captain John Gerard, not running while we were there, but the cruise goes to little visited places.

Mallacoota, Victoria

Every time we travel south along the coast and stay at Genoa Rest Area, we only a stay a night - for various reasons - but this time we decided to stay the 72 hours allowed, and head to Mallacoota. The Coastline of the Croajingolong National Park is classed as a true wilderness coastline, and the Croajingolong National Park surrounds Mallacoota. Located on the Genoa and Wallagaraugh Rivers, with approximately 320 km of coastline around beautiful lakes, rocky coastline and secret beaches, it is certainly beautiful.

Post 2019/20 horrific bush fires, the trees are looking both eerie and magical on the way to Mallacoota. 

First impressions were Mallacoota is one large caravan park. It is actually about four or five caravan parks. There are a number of cafes -all seem to close at or before 2pm. There are two supermarkets - Foodworks and IGA, a pub and a few service establishments. But the coast is absolutely beautiful.

Home to the Bidwal people, first Europeans came in the 1830's when whalers Ben Boy and the Imlay Brothers established Mallacoota Inlet as their major whaling station south of Two Fold Bay.

One of the first pastoralists was Captain John Stevenson, a whaler who was given a grazing licence in 1841, and he set up his residence at what is now known as Captain Stevenson's Point. 

Nearby is a memorial dedicated to poet and friend of Henry Lawson, Edwin James Brady. He established a writers camp at Captain Stevenson's Point in 1909.

The first town in the area was Lakeview, on the eastern section of the river. The first dwelling was built in 1882 by John Augustus Dorron. He built a home and a hotel from the local timbers, and the hotel became popular with tourists, particularly during the gold rush of the 1890's. The only way into the town was by sea until the 1890's when people would horse ride from Gipsy Point, the closest main trading centre. The hotel became the social centre of the area, and included a post office. Lakeview had a small gold rush in the 1890's with over 50 claims established, but only one  - The Spotted Dog Mine - was successful. There is a pioneer cemetery where the old town use to be, and also an old gold mine.

A site for a town was reserved at the western entrance of the bay in 1897, and in 1909 a national park was set aside. It wasn't until 1918 that a township was surveyed, I assume on land from Captain Stevenson's lease. Hotels and guesthouses were established by the 1920's and tourists continued to come to the area. Originally known as West Mallacoota, Mallacoota is a Krauaetunglung Aboriginal word meaning 'the place of many waters' as the lake and the ocean provided plentiful food. In 1921 a road was built from Gipsy Point to Mallacoota and more shops and businesses were developed.

The airport was built in the 1940's by the Royal Australian Air Force. We visited an old WW2 bunker located next to the airfield.

There were two bunkers established during the war as part of a chain of bases were used for surveillance of the south eastern waters and Bass Strait. One of the bunkers has been restored by the local RSL and historical society. 

It is only open Tuesday and Sunday mornings. There are information boards around the bunker that tell of the history of not only the bunker, but also Mallacoota.

We had a look at many beaches along the coast south of Mallacoota and had a picnic lunch at Quarry Beach.

One first notices the wavy rock layers cut into the hill at the car park, like ribbons of colour, believed to be formed about 500 millions years ago.

Get The Spirit .... of Tasmania II

We have waited a while to visit Tasmania again. The first time was about 32 years ago, and we planned a trip for the end of 2017, but with granddaughter number 4 due to arrive early 2018, we cancelled. A year on, and we are ready to go. We didn't book the ferry until mid November, a bit late, however we were able get tickets on the days we wanted so all was good. Peter wanted a day sailing so I booked a 9.30am Friday sailing. We stayed at Donnybrook, about 40 minutes from the Port of Melbourne. We looked at caravan parks closer to the port, but most had bad reviews, so we decided on Donnybrook Caravan Storage and Rest Area @ $10 per night. It is a country farm and was quiet except for the trains, which although not often, roared past the front gate. One needs to be self contained as there are no facilities.

 We did a dummy run the day before our due departure and had all the times set. While on the way back to Donnybrook we received an email saying the ship will be delayed and would now be departing at 11am. Woo Hoo - sleep in! The next day we got to the port in plenty of time for the new 10am boarding, only to find the ship had been delayed and now scheduled to depart at 12 noon. Stuff happens. Apparently one of the engines was not working and needed to be replaced. The replacement was not due for a few days. The staff were very apologetic and we didn't mind - it's all part of the adventure. We found a good spot with free parking along the water front (see above), we went for a walk and watched the ship arrive in the port. We watched a lot of vehicles come off the ship and joined the queue. By 12 noon we were on the pier. The process was fairly easy, and the staff friendly. 

All the cars and vans were checked for too much mud and sticks, no fresh fruits or vegetables or seafood are allowed. They even checked under the bonnet of the car, I'm not sure why.

We were fortunate to get a park on the ship right next to the stairs at the back of the ship. I took a photo so we could remember where we were, but there are also tags you can take at the door showing your position.

We went up to deck 7 to find somewhere to sit, difficult when there are a lot of people taking up seats with bags and laying down, even though there are signs saying not to and announcements saying not to. We walked around deck 7 twice before someone left three seats and we grabbed them. In all we moved three times trying to find somewhere more comfortable to sit for the long journey, normally 9-11 hours. The ship didn't depart until just after 1pm, so it had already been a long day.

Decks 1-6 must be for cars etc and cabins. On deck 7 there are two cinemas, one bar, the main dining area, a tourist info area (which was very good), and a small shop called the Pantry which sold souvenirs and sandwiches and snacks. I had a sandwich  from the Pantry and it was terrible - even the bread was stale.

Deck 8 must be cabins, and Deck 9 has a kids game zone and a bar that also sells food - pizzas, burgers and rolls.

We tried the pizzas. Jonnie had a cheese pizza and I had a Hawaiian pizza. There were quiet small for the price, and mine was not very good. We found the food on board expensive and not very nice. We did take some lollies on board, so that got us through. We will take extra food next time. We will also book a cabin!

Deck 10 has another bar, kids play area, and another gaming area.

It was very cold on board and lucky we took jumpers and cardigans, but still cold. We past the time watching TV on our phones - there is limited wifi in the public areas - and doing crosswords.

There are complimentary cold water stations, but no complimentary tea or coffee stations, which would have been nice considering how long the day was because of the delay.

We arrived in Devonport just after midnight, originally suppose to 7pm, and went to the closest camp.

A long long day!

Great Western, Our Wine Village

The Victorian Grampians wine-producing area includes a lovely small town called Great Western. It is home to some of the world's oldest vines and we were lucky to be able to see them, and taste their fruit. We have driven through Great Western on previous trip, but never stopped. We stayed at Great Western Racecourse, a lovely area with a great manger living on site. There are some powered areas @ $10 per night, non-powered is donation only. Toilets and shower ($1 per minute for hot water) are available, and there are lots of trees, so it is wise to select the right site for you. It is close to town, quiet and peaceful – only four of us there when we stayed. We enjoyed it so much we stayed three nights. View from our window!

It was winter when we visited and overnight and mornings were cold. Days were crisp but sunny. We even had the car covered in frost and ice one morning.

Great Western was first settled in the 1840's as a sheep grazing area, and became popular during the 1850 gold rushes, when vines were first planted by the miners. It is believed the name came from one miner who told the gold commissioner the towns name was Great Eastern (which was the name of a famous steamship). Another miner pointed out that the gold fields were in the west, and that Great Western would be more appropriate. The first vines were planted by two Frenchmen, Blampied and Trouette. Following in their footsteps, Henry and Joseph Best planted the first commercial vineyards. Henry and Joseph Best originally set up a slaughter yard to provide the miners with meat. They soon moved into wine making. Henry Best purchased 73 acres of Concongella Creek frontage in 1866 with the first vines planted in 1867. He named the property Concongella.

We went to this winery first and tasted the 'old vines' wine. The Best brothers planted a little of everything and the wine is a blend of the best of them. The wine changes each year and I really wasn't fussed with this years wine. The others we tasted were ok. I like sweet wines. I wish I liked different wines more than I do, but I like bubbly moscato, and there was none to be found in Great Western. We were told how the brothers had an argument and Joesph moved on to plant vines at a vineyard close by and named it Great Western Wines. This winery is now known as Seppelts Great Western, and sadly wine is no longer made there.

Both brothers built tunnels under their winery to store the oak casks and bottles of wine. Seppelt's tunnels are more extensive and a tour costs $15 per person. Best wines, with the earlier tunnels, provide a free self guided tour. We went to the Best Winery first and as we are more interested in the history rather than the wine, did the self guided tour. WOW. It is only a small one piece A4 sheet, but it tells one all one needs to know, not only about the historic tunnels, but about the vineyard in general. This is a must do in Great Western.

... and of course a wine tasting after. The staff were wonderful and answered all our questions about the wines and the history. The Stables Cellar Door is a great place to taste the wines after visiting the historic underground cellar.

Wines have been made at Best's Wines since 1867, and the winery has only been owned by two families. Henry Best and his family ran the vineyards until his death in 1913, his son ran the winery until he sold it to the Thompson family in 1920. Our next stop was a drive up to the old mine, which was very overgrown and difficult to get to. We then went to the Seppelt Great Western winery to do their underground tunnel tour. We got there 90 minutes before the last tour so we could have a drink, but the tours were not running. Peter also wanted to try the sparkling beer they are famous for, but they had run out of that also. They told us to try the local pub. Nothing is made at Seppelts Great Western now, although the vines are still producing, everything is shipped in. We were able to look around.

 ... and also were able to look at the old cellar door, which had an opening in the floor to look down at part of the underground tunnels.

Great Western was purchased by Hans Irvine after Joseph Best's death in 1888. Irvine established the sparkling wine industry in Victoria. In 1918, Irvine sold the winery to South Australian Benno Seppelt.Seppelt is famous for their heritage listed tunnels of underground cellars, each named after famous people and known as 'The Drives'. The tunnels were built by out of work miners over a period of 60 years. They are the largest underground cellars in the Southern Hemisphere.

We went to the local pub, The Great Western Hotel, to get some sparkling beer, but they were all out as well.

So we went for a walk around the town, not a very long walk as Great Western is a town when driving though 'if you blink you will miss it'. The Salingers Cafe, established in 1861, by Emmanuel Salinger as a general store and was originally a wooden building. In 1899 the wooden building was moved back to make way for a brick store and attached home. Emmanuel died in 1911 and his daughters ran the business until 1940. Today it is a well known cafe that is very popular on weekends.

There are many old buildings in the main street, and the old gaol is in the park opposite Seppelt's winery. The park is really good and there is plenty of caravan parking in and around the park for day visitors.