• Bec Taylor
Mac 2024

Puppy Gets High

In the Victorian High Country Baca lagi
  • Talbotville lunch stop

    11 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Word wordsThere were 24 river crossings to Talbotville where we stopped for lunch, wraps again. Back on the track and only 6 more river crossings, hitting 30 in total for one day was pretty cool though.Baca lagi

  • Quiet time and a swim

    11 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    On our way back through Dargo, we stopped off at the public hall again for some quick wifi access to check weather etc. We ducked back to the camper to relax for a bit, but not before going to check out the river. Pup ran! It was so bloody weird, he even went over and said hello to the neighbours, who is this dog? Making the most of his freedom without his lead attached to his harness. He did have a short nap when we got back to the camper but it was so hot at 35 degrees. We were flicking around the 4wd books and realised that our plan for the next 2 days might not work. We'd planned to leave the camper at Dargo and go for a 2 day trek around Wonnangatta hut, but looking at the maps, the majority of the tracks are national parks, which won't work to camp in the rooftop with Pup somewhere along the track. The main one Ben wanted to do is Billy Goats Bluff, which we were thinking we could make work on it's own for a day trip. We decided to go back to wifi to google some of the camping options along the original 2 day track. No luck though. So we'll do BGB tomorrow and figure out a way back, then head towards the western end of the Lakes on Wednesday, we've got a spot booked at Paradise Beach which Parks Victoria run, but it's dog friendly. It also works out well with the forecast, it's meant to rain late wed/Thursday morning here at Dargo, which would be a nightmare, as a wet pack up is always terrible. Even moreso since we have our originally planned airbnb booked for 3 nights in Lakes entrance, so if the camper was wet and packed up for a few nights, it wouldn't be good for anyone. Back to the camper to change into swimmers and to freshen up in the river. I went in first and Pup followed, walking right on in. He's never been anti water, but we definitely didn't expect him to walk in as deep as he did on his own, we didn't call him or anything. Pup does love being ON the water, often on our paddleboards or a boat, but in? His face will tell you otherwise, but considering he walked himself in and didn't try to walk out for a while, tells us he couldn't have hated it too much.
    After a bit, we headed back, dried off and enjoyed being outside. Pup didn't enjoy that part so much, but he was too damp to go straight up onto his bed. Chicken wraps for dinner before some netflix and an early night.
    Baca lagi

  • Billy Goats Bluff

    12 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    For a cranky old man, Pup woke up pretty well today. Didn't fight us too much to get him out of bed. Got ourselves organised and stopped off for some wifi before hitting the road. We took the same part of the road we came back on yesterday, as far as the Kingswell bridge. Rather than taking the bridge, Ben took us through the river instead. A little bit further down the track and we hit the start of Billy Goat Bluff, one of the steepest 4wd tracks in Australia. Ughhh what a ride. I probably would've been more relaxed if we didn't have Pup in the car, luckily Ben was all over it. I'm glad he didn't tell me what he was thinking during the track though, or I probably would've had a heart attack. It was ridiculously steep and it was really chewed up. Think of it as if you were driving up Brown Street in town, except it goes for 10kms and there are loose rocks everywhere, uneven ground and relatively sheer drops off every so often. It was amazing to do it, and the views looking out to the oncoming track were unreal, but ominous haha. We ended up behind a group of 3 cars who were recording their efforts, we were happy to follow (so we could scope out each challenge), but they waved us through. Ten kms and what felt like a lifetime later, we reached the top. The bluff itself was a rockshelf which we couldn't really stop at due to the track, so we kept going to the Pinnacles fire tower lookout.Baca lagi

  • The Pinnacles & back to Dargo

    12 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    The tower and lookout were in the national park so Ben headed out first to have a look, before swapping so I could have a go. There was a toilet, thank God, then some very steep steps upto the tower. The views were stunning. Once I got back to the car, the other 3 had caught upto us and we moved back to a different clearing to make our lunch and stretch our legs. We double checked our options for the way back down, because there was no way in hell we were going to descend Billy Goats, ughh. Down always freaks me out the most. We followed the hema maps down Marathon, then McDonald's Gap track back to the highway. There were other more challenging options, some that we'd heard groups talking about on Sunday, but it had been sprinkling lightly on and off, and we were ready to head back.Baca lagi

  • Last night in Dargo

    12 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We were back for a quick freshen up and to move the solar blanket before heading over to Dargo River Inn for dinner, where we stayed last time we were here. They've built some add ons with cabin accommodation and the beer garden is looking very fresh. Pup was met by some very enthusiastic dogs, Sarge and Major, both blue cattles and both real working dogs. One left him alonge pretty quickly, but the other was desperate to play, he was barking up the wrong tree. Very big for 5 months old too and reminded us a little of Titan when he tried to bully Pup into wrestling. I had a steak sandwich and another parma for Ben. When the other dogs left, pup had built up some confidence and was off running around the beer garden, often out of site. It's all fenced in so it was fine, but again, what the hell, Pup, who are you? A short drive back to the camper to prep a few bits and pieces for tomorrow. I had a quick, cold shower. It was fresh! But I just felt blah and needed it. All snuggled into bed and ready to move on tomorrow.Baca lagi

  • Bye Dargo!

    13 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Woke up to it drizzling, not ideal for pack up, but can't do much about it. There's no check out time here at least, so no rush to dry things out. Once sorted we ducked over to the Dargo general store, grabbed some magnets, a coffee and a bacon and egg roll to share. It's only a small town, but it has a good feel to it. The drizzle continued as we headed to Sale. We stopped off at the Port of Sale and I ducked into the info centre which felt like a uni. Beanbags everywhere, an art gallery, gathering spaces etc. It was lovely, just odd. Once back to the car we googled lunch options and headed to Gutheridge fish & chips, 'the best of Sale', and without comparison of course, it was a bloody good feed. We relocated to the botanic gardens and went for a wander. Pup was feeling very adventurous and was pulled out to the max on his extender lead.Baca lagi

  • 'Paradise' Beach

    13 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The weather was still blah, so we took the slightly longer drive to our campsite, going via Seaspray and taking the shoreline drive. Didn't realise the dunes would be so high so we didn't actually see much of the beach, ha. We stopped at one point to check out a shipwreck. Dogs weren't allowed so Ben ducked out first, and said it realllly wasn't worth it, the best part was the info board just explaining the story. Back on the road to our campsite at Paradise Beach, another Parks Vic ran spot. We set up and went for a wander to look at a very rough waves, then back for some quiet time. We had sporadic service so were googling options of things to do over the next few days, while Pup napped of course. Cooked up dinner, netflix and bed.Baca lagi

  • More bloody rain

    14 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Woke up to more drizzle on and off, not ideal. In a break of weather we packed up and hit the road to Bairnsdale. We had plans to go to Paynesville then over to Raymond Island if the weather cleared, but the rain kept getting heavier and heavier the closer we got. We were getting pretty hungry too, so a quick google gave us a list of a few good bakeries. Having the camper attached, meant that we had to do a few laps to find a carpark big enough. I ran into Jarrod's bakery and grabbed some of their award winning pies - chicken, cheese, bacon & mustard, a steak & mushroom, a farmhouse with egg, & a steak, cheese & bacon. We found a bridge to park under for some reprieve from the rain, to get away from the traffic of the main roads, and to scoff down the pies. So bloody good, especially on a day like today. All of the things to do in Bairnsdale were outside, the Mitchell River walk for example, but the rain was absolutely flogging down, so we kept moving.Baca lagi

  • Kalimna

    14 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The road to Lakes Entrance was easy enough along the highway, still plenty of rain about. We stopped off at the information centre to see what else we could find. Found a few bits and pieces we might look into, depending on how we go for time. Our airbnb was the suburb before, Kalimna, very good timing with this rain! We didn't get upto much, I was feeling a bit off again and Ben was a bit off himself, so we just relaxed, got ourselves organised and caught up on some netflix and Survivor. Later we did a quick duck out to woolies for a stock up, but not much else otherwise.Baca lagi

  • The Slipway

    15 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Started with a slow Friday morning as we're both still feeling a bit off. We eventually showered and got ourselves ready as we have a cruise at 1pm. When we did a quick drive around last night we spotted a few places we wanted to check out or eat at, so we headed to the Slipway, where there are a number of shipping containers with a variety of food/drink options. Food truck style, very cool! We wanted something quick and easy, as our cruise was soon, so we grabbed some fish tacos for lunch, and damn they were good!Baca lagi

  • Lonsdale Eco Cruises

    15 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We were booked in with Lonsdale eco cruises for a 3 hour wildlife spotting tour. Pup was welcomed aboard and I'm glad we booked this a few days earlier as they only take 1 dog per cruise. We grabbed a spot downstairs which allowed us to spread out on the cushion over, what we assume was the engine hatch. A lot of oldies on the cruise and some young families, with plenty who wanted to talk to Pup as he ignored their existence. Tony, the skipper, took us out to the Entrance itself, where the river runs into the ocean. It was a bit rougher but well worth it as we spotted heaaaps of seals in and out of the water, a ridiculous amount of cormorants and stupid swans too! We headed back through the river system, passing the many islands of the lake, and the town of Metung. We had a laugh at 2 oldies who were oblivious to the fact that everyone had paid for the cruise, as they rarely sat down and blocked whole windows between them, then got super frustrated when a fella came downstairs to get a different view and he was in their way. We made eye contact with a few other travellers as we all rolled our eyes at the audacity. When they sat down they just flicked on their phone, assuming at the poor quality, superzoomed photos they were taking while obscuring people's view. It was all good though, we got our photos and enjoyed the views nonetheless. Pup settled in and started snoozing, just in time for scones to be served for afternoon tea. Mel who booked us on and is the first mate, baked them fresh on board. We chatted with her a fair bit on the trip, lovely lady! Towards the end of the trip, another passenger came over and showed us some pictures she took of us/pup as he snoozed, it was so lovely, she sent them through for us to have. We got back in around 4pm, a great cruise and a lovely way to spend the afternoon.Baca lagi

  • Meat for Ben

    15 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    It was nap time after the cruise, so we ducked back to the airbnb so Pup could have his dentastick and a snooze before we headed out for dinner. The other day we spotted The Pit American BBQ and figured it was right up our alley! It's located at the Servo, which we assume used to be an actual servo, and from our googling, it looks like they must have different businesses set up every so often to showcase their food. We got a meat platter for 1, loaded chicken fries and coleslaw to share, with a drink or 2 to wash it down. Damnnn, the food was good. After dinner we were both so full and tired, we just caught up on some more netflix before bed.Baca lagi

  • Raymond Island Koalas

    16 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Up and moving at a reasonable hour today, we had plans to head to Paynesville to get the ferry over to Raymond Island. Needed a feed first so we walked down the esplanade and spotted the Salty groms cafe - it was very busy compared to the others so that was a good sign. We ordered a coffee and breaky wraps, a bit of a wait but not an issue as we took turns taking Pup for a walk while we waited since he wasn't happy about just standing around. I popped into a kayak hire place to see if they'd mind if we took pup out with us, if we made a booking, they were all good with it, good to know for tomorrow. We enjoyed our wraps, then got on the road. It's about 40 minutes to Paynesville, an easy run over. We parked up and followed the signs to the ferry, it's free for pedestrians, although quite cheap if we really wanted to take the car over. While map searching I'd spotted 'Ride the Koalas', a small company with Surrey bikes. There were pictures with small dogs on them, so we went over and spoke to the bloke to see if we could make it work. Pup was a perfect fit, glad we grabbed his cafe mat, as it padded it out perfectly for him to spread out a bit. We cruised around, keeping an eye out for koalas. There were heaps! They were introduced a while ago and the population is thriving, it was really nice. We got in and out of the bike at times as we didnt want it to scare them, even though they didn't seem concerned at all. One turned its head and looked right at us, we're pretty sure it had a joey, and Pup probably alerted it we think. Haha little do they know, leaves startle him. Although! Pup has been a real dog lately, sniffing things, peeing in public, and drinking communal water at some pubs and parks, weirdo haha. We bumped into a couple that were on the cruise yesterday, they said they recognised Pup, haha. They're over from the UK and the fella has been working with an animal rescue charity for a number of years now. We shared some stories and kept koala spotting. We did spot something walking down one of the roads, it didn't quite walk like a koala, then we realised it was an echidna, just meandering along. We hopped off the bike again so we could get a bit closer and take some photos. It was a really nice activity, very glad we found it. We returned the bike then jumped back on the ferry to the car so we could head to lunch.Baca lagi

  • Red Bluff Brewers

    16 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Not quite an hour on the road, back past our airbnb to Red bluff brewers for a feed. We each got a paddle of beers to try and ordered fish tacos & a steak sandwich to share. Another great feed. They had some nice, fruity beers too. The strawberry gose was my favourite, too bad about the gluten.Baca lagi

  • Cruising around Lakes Entrance

    16 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    It was a pokemon go event afternoon, so we stayed out and went to check out some of the lookouts we spotted but hadn't stopped at yet. First we went over to Bullock Island, there's a fish coop there and if we hadn't already eaten, we probably would've grabbed a kilo of prawns. There were some lovely, ornamental buoys/channel markers, where local artists had painted designs on them. Lots of people down here, a good fishing spot by the looks of it. Continued cruising around, popping in and out of lookouts, the weather has been gorgeous so we were taking it all in. Since we'd been out all day, we'd already decided that we'd stay in for the night, we watched both of the Equalisers and just relaxed before check out tomorrow. The weather up the coast looked terrible, so we adjusted our plans, originally we were meant to be heading to Merimbula tomorrow, but found an available site down the road, so we could extend our stay in Lakes entrance by a night.Baca lagi

  • 'Venture out'

    17 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Check out morning for us, we don't have far at all to go, but we can't Check in or set up until after 2 this afternoon at Big4 Waters edge caravan park. We were hungry but weren't sure what we were feeling, so we cruised around to check out some of the other cafes. I grabbed a coffee from the Lakeside boatshed, then we went and parked up near the kayak hire shop, Venture Out. Ben ran into the shopping centre first, but wasn't feeling like maccas or anything from bakers delight. My turn, and I somehow ended up in KHub. Everything was on clearance so I had to grab a few basics. Next I went into woolies and ended up doing a bit of a shop for the next few days, and grabbed some crossiants. Back to the camper and we added Ham, cheese and mustard to our crossiants for brunch. Once done, we hired a kayak for 2 hours and headed to the take off point across the road. We were given a map of where we can go and where to avoid so we don't end up in the ocean. We put our lifejackets on and off we went. Pup was very settled as always, getting comments from the people on the bridge or boats as we passed them. We cruised east up the lake for a bit and spun around at the aquatic challenger, an inflatable obstacle coast in the river, it looked so fun! For another time though.Baca lagi

  • 2 paddlers and 1 freeloader

    17 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We headed back in the other direction towards Flagstaff jetty, the furthest point we could go. We stopped off to have a dip along the way, then kept going until we hit the jetty. There's a walk out to the Entrance, then back along a boardwalk which we took. Ben had to give Pup a lift down a steep path, but then he was fine. We spotted some more seals on the far side of the entrance breakwall. As the tide was slightly up, we walked through the water to go the last little bit back to the jetty and our kayak. We swapped spots and zigged across to the other side of the lake, hugging the coast on that side instead on our way back. Pup is such a good boy, very relaxed. When we got back the girl asked how he went and was surprised, she said a friend of hers has tried to take their puppy out a few times, but it keeps lauching itself into the water for a swim instead.Baca lagi

  • Relocating and Putt putt

    17 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Back to the car after we dropped the hired gear off. We did try to grab some fresh prawns off a boat on the jetty, but they were very fresh and uncooked, so we bailed on that idea. We headed over to the caravan park to set up. We met Jo and Karen from Moe, who are down for a week to relax, lovely couple. Jo was impressed with the camper and chatted our ears off about our different travels and their family holidays over the years going from tents, to their caravan now for just the 2 of them.
    The Footbridge ice creamery, lolly shop and putt putt kept popping up as a fun, dog friendly activity, and being only 500m away, we wandered down after we'd set up. Such a bizarre place! I grabbed some sunbites funny faces Lollies, which I haven't had since primary school, and we signed up to play 18 holes. There were so many fun novelty holes, pipes and activities, it was really cool! Pup wasn't overly thrilled and couldn't work out what we were doing, but it was nice that he could join us. With a few holes to go, we realised that they have 2 sets of 18, one set predominantly undercover which we did, and the other out the back. It's set up really well and clearly been around for a while with the amount of effort put into it. Ben beat me, pfft. We looped through the lolly shop and grabbed a few more things to try, before grabbing an ice cream each, cookies and cream for me, and salted Caramel for Ben. On the walk back, we passed The Pit and heard them call for last drinks, so we had to stop for a quick beverage. Back to the camper for naptime for the boy, then the usual cook up, showers etc before bed.
    Baca lagi

  • Seeya next time, Lakes Entrance

    18 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Pack up morning, once organised we farewelled Jo & Karen and headed off. We had a quick stop at Mamma vus along the main street, hoping to get my Vietnamese iced coffee fill, unfortunately they weren't open. Ben remembered seeing Harry Khoi, a Viet food truck down by the info centre, so we headed over to check it out. They did have the coffee and I grabbed some dimsims for Ben. I had a try and damn, I think they were the best I've had! A quick stop for fuel, then at the Gippsland truck at the Slipway to grab a milkshake. While we were heading back to the car, we noticed a big group of people lining up at one of the many putt putts places. They looked like a family group, some oldies, bunch of kids and family members of varying ages, then the trophy came out! It looked like such a cute idea, especially if they're often having holidays together, we assume a family putt putt comp, love it.Baca lagi

  • A rainy NSW

    18 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    On the road to Pambula, there were a few places we could have stopped if the weather was nicer, but with the rain, we just kept cruising. Pup was far too relaxed as he kept stinking out the car. We stopped at Longstocking brewery for lunch, sharing 2 pizzas and a 10 beer tasting paddle. The rain was coming down pretty hard, so we decided to skip the Panboola wetlands across the road.Baca lagi

  • Bega Cheese

    18 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    The next stop was the Bega cheese heritage centre. Dogs aren't allowed inside, which we knew, so Ben ducked in first to have a look around, while Pup and I stretched our legs. I headed in next, looking through the museum and artefacts, before tasting a bunch of cheese.Baca lagi

  • Bermagui

    18 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We headed to our airbnb just out of Bermagui, a lovely spot on a decent sized property. It reminded us of the Wollemi cabin we stayed at in the Blue Mountains on our mini honeymoon. Very peaceful, no TV either, so we had to stream Survivor on my phone to keep upto date with finale week. The usual things before bed, including drying off a very damp Pup after his bedtime wee.Baca lagi

  • Narooma = SEALS

    19 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Tuesday morning and we were on the road again, heading to Narooma for our first stop. We'd already stalked breakfast options and stopped at Raven Cafe for a feed. Next we went to find a carpark for Australia Rock and the Seal rocks on the breakwall. The sign said we couldn't take the camper up the access road, so we parked out on the main street and wandered up. Had to take it slow as it was surprisingly warm and a bit steep at points for the boy. The further we got, we definitely could have taken the camper up there, but during peak times it would be a nightmare. Due to the Seal resting area, we took turns to go out onto the breakwall, there were so many seals! A heap were sunning themselves on the rocks, others twirling around in the water. So bloody cute. Ben's turn and Pup and I hid in the shade while we waited near Australia Rock, which we of course had to get some adorable photos of the boy in front of it.
    Ben carried Pup up the big stairs so he didn't have to do the steep climb back up, then went and grabbed the car to grab us.
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  • Mill Bay Boardwalk

    19 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Mill Bay boardwalk was next, apparently there are often stingrays swimming nearby. It was a lovely little walk, but no luck with the stingrays today. Pup was very ready for a snooze when we got back to the car.Baca lagi

  • Hyams Beach

    19 Mac 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    A few hours on the road to Vincentia, our stop for the next 2 nights. It was surprisingly warm, considering the forecast looked horrendous originally. We brought some stuff inside then decided that we might be up for a swim, so we headed for Hyams Beach. The breeze had picked up and it was quite cool, so we decided against a swim afterall, but it was nice to wander down there.Baca lagi