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Wild Kangaroos!
Mansfield, 15th to 16th January 2002
After a nice lie in and a yummy breakfast we headed down to the
Mansfield Tourist centre. Carol's daughter had got hold of a number
of leaflets to give us suggestions about what we could do in the
local area. Em and Nat decided they wanted to do a bit of horse
riding, so they booked it in for tomorrow morning. Horse riding
isn't really my thing, so I passed on it.
We then took a quick tour around Mansfield town centre, which took
all of about 2 minutes, before heading off for a drive to Mount
Buller. After a long, steep drive that really pushed Custard to the
limit we reached the village at the top of Mount Buller. Everything
was dead and closed because it's mainly a winter ski resort (it's
summer at the moment).
Due to the lack of life, we decided to head back down again, so I
made a tight turn in a steep car park and we headed back down the
mountain. On the way, we noticed a sign saying the skiing chair lift
was still operating, so we stopped next to it and checked it out.
The chair lift was indeed operating, just to give tourists (like us)
views from nearer the top. The guy operating it, agreed to let us on
for the price of children because we were students. Thanks!
We hopped on and rode the lift to the top. We got some great views
of the surrounding region, but also got very cold in the process! At
the top we grabbed a quick drink in the cafe, then headed back down.
On the way, we passed a sign warning about 'Passing Gnomes'. We
stopped the van and found a little gnome-sized house made into the
side of a tree. Cute.
We got back to our 'home' late afternoon and the sun was still
beating down relentlessly. Stinge decided to cool off the in the
pool. However, the pool was indeed VERY cold and he tried to get in
very slowly, acclimatising himself. Nat noticed this and kept trying
to run round and push him in, but he just kept jumping completely
out and adopting a fighting stance. Eventually he got completely in
by his own accord. Nat soon joined him by doing a very elegant
cannonball jump into the middle of the pool. Em and I decided to
just lie in the sun and top up our tans.
After a while in the sun, we headed back indoors. Thanks to Carol's
hospitality, we had pretty much unlimited beer, so we indulged in
that while playing pool on their table. Before long, it was dinner
time, and after another fantastic meal of roast veg, steak and
salad, we hit the sack.
The next day we rose early to chauffeur the girls to their
horse-riding. It was a quick drive there and we arrived just in
time. While they were off riding, Stinge took the time to write some
postcards and I decided to go for a little walk. I walked around the
river and up a few hills until the incessant flies became
unbearable. They seem to have a thing where they fly repeatedly into
your face, even if you brush them away. They dive-bomb your face,
eyes, mouth and ears until you're driven crazy.
The rest of the afternoon was fairly quiet. We made a stop at a
little tea-room in the middle of nowhere. It was quite nice, but
everything seemed to come with cream, cream and more big piles of
cream! After 'chilling' in the sun for the rest of the time, Carol's
daughter suggested that we should take a walk to the top of the hill
on their land, just before sunset. If you're luckily, you can see
whole herds of Kangaroos bouncing along. Graeme decided to join us,
and in true Ozzie fashion, stated that it would be a a 'Two Stubbie
walk' and promptly took two bottles of beer with him.
The walk wound through their land and the fields, passing up the
side of the hill. We pushed through the calf-high grass, which stuck
in our socks and shoes like needles. Eventually, we reached the top
and could look around to survey their land. We manage to catch sight
of about half a dozen, wild kangaroos hoping through the fields.
Graeme says that usually, there are dozens more of them. After
spending a bit longer at the top in hope, we headed back down again.
Passing by some huge wombat holes and keeping and eye out for
snakes, we soon got back to the house. On the way we got sight of a
few more wild Kangaroos. Just like the stereotype, Kangaroos REALLY
do run around in the wild like horses in England!
Just after we got back, we had another delicious dinner of Fajitas,
accompanied with the obligatory beers and a (strong) Margarita for
anyone who wanted it! After talking late into the evening, we
decided to call it a night, and for the last time, headed to bed in
Graeme & Carol's house.
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To know the road ahead, ask those coming back
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