Wimmera

I'm taking another day off here in Edenhope, in part to use the computer in the library.  It may be a while before I find another one.  I've entered  the area of west-central Victoria called the Wimmera.

Since last report, I spent one more day with Steve near Colac, and helped him with a bit of antenna work.

Antenna work at VK3JA

With Steve, VK3JA

From Colac, I took the train west to Terang, then rode on the the town of Mortlake, where there's a nice caravan park, with a large population of swamp hens.

Swamp Hen at Mortlake Campsite

Quiet Road en Route to Penshurst

From there, it was a 76 km ride to Penshurst.  It was warming up, about 30 C, but the winds were light.  The town is much as I remembered it, though the washer in the caravan park isn't free any more.  The next day was a shorter ride to Cavendish, though a bit warmer.  There I learned of the big Labour Weekend event happening in Harrow, my next stop.  I didn't really want to deal with that mob, so I spent three nights in Cavendish, which was a pleasant little village, anyway.  Labour Weekend goes through Monday, so I decided to ride to Harrow on Sunday, before all the traffic hit the roads.

I had dinner one night at the Cavendish hotel.  The co-owner was a Canadian, and had just taken over the place a couple weeks before.  It seems nearly every pub, hotel, cafe, bakery, and caravan park is either for sale or has been recently taken over by new owners.

My last day in Cavendish was the warmest so far, about 35 C (95 F).  However, it still cooled of quickly after dark, so sleeping was comfortable.  The next day, a "change" arrived, temperatures dropped, and winds shifted to the south.  It's been very comfortable since then.  There were a couple sprinkles as the change went through, but otherwise no rain.

Rest Stop

The Grampians in the Distance

The Grampians, Closer

A Parting View of the Grampians

Farm Country, Cavendish

Harrow is one of my favorite Australian towns, one I discovered in 2001.  Their big event was still going on Sunday when I arrived, but it wasn't a problem.  The campground caretaker, a very friendly woman named Sue, let me put my tent up away from all the other motorized campers, and the concert nearby was all over by 10 PM.  Most everyone left Monday, so Harrow returned to being the sleepy village I remember.  While I was reading in the park, a young (compared to me, at least) woman stopped by to chat.  Marita lived on a farm nearby, but had done a bike tour in Europe some 20 years ago.  Later, while I was playing my oboe, a bloke named Peter stopped by and asked if I want to jam with his didgeridoo at the pub that evening.  I agreed, though I've never done that before, certainly not with a didgeridoo!  Alas, he never showed up at the pub.

Tree-Lined Road

^The Harrow Pub

Harrow Cafe

Harrow Store

When the Harrow store opened up on Tuesday, I learned that the same woman who had recently taken over in 2015 was still there.  She even remembered me, but then no cyclist can pass up a grocery store.

A short ride Tuesday afternoon took me to  Edenhope, which borders on Lake Wallace.  Every time I've been here since 2001, the lake has been almost completely dry, but this time there was actual water in it.  I'm told it was a meter higher at the beginning of summer.  I have a really nice campsite by the lake, so it seems to make sense to spend another day here before heading west for a brief visit to South Australia.

Lake Wallace, with Water!

Lake Wallace in 2015

Edenhope Campsite

With Table!