14th September 2026
Distance: 308 km
No rush this morning as we only had 300km to drive to Ballarat so after a lazy breakfast my daughter went to get fuel. She discovered her fan belts were squeaking so there was a change in urgency.
Fortunately she found a mechanic who tightened the belts almost without any wait so all was once again sweetness and light and we set off for Victoria.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, we stopped at Hamilton for lunch, probably a mistake as it was very busy and we should have stopped a bit later at Dunkelp a much smaller town only a little further on.
It was noticeable that Victorian roads (at least those we travelled on) were in a very poor condition compared to those in NSW and SA. They were full of potholes.
Arrived at the NRMA Holiday Park in Ballarat about 4pm and set up on two adjacent sites not far from the amenities block. After a bit of a chat decided to stay three nights, so an extra night was booked.
15th September 2026
Distance: Walking only!
Sovereign Hill
When we checked in to the caravan park the girl at the desk told us that Sovereign Hill was only a short walk away, Looking it up on Google maps it is indeed a mere 600 metres so just after 9.30am we set off through the back gate of the caravan park.
I wore my warmest feather jacket as the top temperature forecast for today was only about 11°
We arrived at the entrance to the park a few minutes before 10am and joined a small crowd assembled outside. There were already two coach loads of school children assembled and more arrived while we waited. They had their own entrance and as we had pre-purchased tickets we were nearly the first to enter.
I had been before some years ago but it has expanded a lot since then and seems more popular than ever.
We had a really fun day, saw many demonstrations/re-enactments, travelled into the workings of the gold mine, rode in a horse drawn carriage, had a Devonshire tea, an excellent sausage roll, my daughter even panned for gold and found some!
Amazingly we didn’t leave until nearly 5pm, there was so much to do, as I say it was a really good day out.
16th September 2026
Distance: 32 km
Fuel: 37 L
It was very cold this morning, I ended up wearing my big jacket and gloves, it took ages for my fingers to warm up.
We had few plans today other than visit Lake Wendouree – the site of water sports for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. (canoeing, kayaking, rowing)
Our first stop was a shopping centre near the lake to get milk and other odds and ends plus a warm jacket for Katie. Because it is supposedly spring all the winter clothes had gone so there was little choice.
We then drove the couple of kms to the lake to see the Olympic rings etc. Because it was a miserable day we didn’t stay too long.
Following this we drove to Ballarat Vintage & Collectables Market just out of town, it was an interesting place to look around though it is sad to think that records and DVDs are now collectable items.
Filled up with fuel on the way back to the caravan park before returning to my book until dinnertime. While it rained overnight it didn’t actually rain today even though it looked like it might at any moment.
17th September 2026
Distance: 407 km
Fuel: 41 L
Into NSW
We are on the move today to Jerilderie in NSW. After breakfast. packing up and preparing to leave was the order of the day. Once I was hitched up we were ready to go. As Katie reversed out of her spot she noticed a puddle of oil left on the concrete. Not a good sign.
We stopped at a town called Elmer and using my tarpaulin she crawled under the the car to see where the oil was coming from. Turns out it was from the engine rear seal and not an insignificant problem.
After a bit of discussion is was decided to abandon the trip and return to Canberra from Jerilderie. We changed our route slightly so that we could buy some oil in Shepperton to keep the engine topped up.
We stopped at the Big Strawberry for a strawberry ice cream (of course) and at some Silo Art we saw by the roadside.
Eventually arrived in Jerilderie just before 4pm, filled up with fuel before going to the caravan park and set up our camp, unfortunately we didn’t have adjacent sites but were very close.
Spent a very pleasant few hours at the next door sports club where we had a few drinks and a very large meal which I could not finish.
18th September 2026
Distance: 430 km
Back to ACT
Sadly this was to be the last day of our trip for the reasons outline above. So it was a straight drive east until we hit the Hume Highway then heading north to the Barton Highway and Canberra. We stopped once at a village just outside Gundagai to make tea and take a rest from driving.
While it was disappointing that we didn’t achieve what the trip originally set out to do, we had a very enjoyable time, it was a good shakedown trip for the new home built motorhome. Even I have at least one thing I want to change on my camper when I get home.
We still have the Oodnadatta Track to conquer on another adventure!
