Heathcote Rally
Report 4th - 8th August 2022 Russell and Anita Orr "Come when you can, leave when you must." |
Heathcote Report
Heathcote Rally 4/8/22 – 8/8/22
We had a most enjoyable trip with 32 members attending which was a pleasing number of attendees for the middle of winter. Most of the group arrived on Thursday with the exception of Margaret and Noel who were delayed but arrived safe and sound to join the group on Friday. Whilst we had a couple of mishaps during the weekend, nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of this great bunch of campers.
Thursday
We kicked the rally off with a beautiful sunny Thursday afternoon happy hour, setting the chairs up in the outdoors, on the park green. Most of the boys and a few of the girls joined in the maiden U3A wanderers Bocci competition – the inaugural champion was Ean Costin and he received the winner’s trophy at the conclusion of the competition. Special thanks to Brian Keys for his expert co-ordination and adjudication of the event.
We later gathered in the recreation room in front of a lovely log fire for a game of Bingo. This was ably hosted by Anita and Di with some excellent calling! Major winners for the evening were Peter & Di and Ean & Susanne.
Friday
After the morning meeting we headed off on a drive to the old gold mining town of Graytown, visiting the remains of the P.O.W . internment camp, and also the old Graytown cemetery. We were fortunate to have Peter Wilmot as our tour guide. Peter is somewhat of an expert on the history of the P.O.W. camp and he had kindly brought maps and photo’s of the original layout of the camp, making the ruins so much more recognizable and the trip so interesting for the entire group. Thank you Peter for sharing your knowledge and making this event such a highlight of the weekend.
Our next stop was the original Graytown cemetry. A shelter, just through the gate of the cemetery provided extensive information of the ages and causes of deaths of those who had been laid to rest here. There were also photographs of the vibrant and busy town, unfortunately, there is no sign of the town left of what once existed there.
Some of the group then continued on to Nagambi for lunch whilst others returned to Heathcote.
The afternoon trip took us out to Randall’s cove in Lake Eppalock, after dodging some light rain on the road we arrived to fine weather and enjoyed a pleasant walk along the shoreline. The dogs had a great time and some even took to taking a dip. Brrrrr !!!!! We returned back to camp via Mia Mia and Redesdale. Bob and Anne took the opportunity to try out a little country pub in Axedale before returning back to base.
Friday night happy hour in the recreation room, again with a roaring log fire and a sausage sizzle provided by the caravan park brought us to the end of a busy day. The evening was finished off with an hour of live music by Anita and Russ, assisted by Quentin on Uke, Bob and Dennis on lagerphone and Robyn and Brigitte on tambourine and shakers.
Saturday
A walk to the Heathcote Farmers Market kicked off our Saturday, whilst not a huge market it was enjoyable and continued for most by a walk up and down the main shopping strip in Heathcote. The local footy being played on the oval was also a bonus for some.
Lunch was at Gaffney’s bakery and then off to the Pink Cliffs, some chose to drive to the cliffs whilst other decided to walk off their lunch. With the assistance of Gerry’s knowledge, he provided the group with an explanation on the formation of the cliffs created as a result of the slussing mining. Well done Gerry. The cliffs were quite spectacular and well worth the visit.
Our Saturday evening group dinner was at the Commercial Hotel in the centre of town. A lovely warm and cosy pub with very welcoming and friendly staff.
Sunday
Scones, jam and cream on the park green in the sunshine was a great way to start our Sunday morning. Thanks Anita for baking the scones ! The group lingered late into the morning to chat and enjoy the sunshine.
Off to ‘The Shiraz republic’ winery for lunch. Some of the group stopped on the way at Perigrine Winery to enjoy the spectacular view which expands as far as Mount Beauty.
At The Shiraz Republic we found a long table in the rustic outdoor area to accommodate the entire group. We feasted on wines and pizza while enjoying local live music played on the back of a truck. Fortunately, the intermittent rain certainly didn’t dampen our spirits.
Unfortunately, Anita and I had to leave the group at this stage of the weekend due to babysitting duties on Monday morning. The group continued the stay at Heathcote until Monday.
Thanks to all for attending the rally, we hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.
Russ Orr
Heathcote Rally 4/8/22 – 8/8/22
We had a most enjoyable trip with 32 members attending which was a pleasing number of attendees for the middle of winter. Most of the group arrived on Thursday with the exception of Margaret and Noel who were delayed but arrived safe and sound to join the group on Friday. Whilst we had a couple of mishaps during the weekend, nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of this great bunch of campers.
Thursday
We kicked the rally off with a beautiful sunny Thursday afternoon happy hour, setting the chairs up in the outdoors, on the park green. Most of the boys and a few of the girls joined in the maiden U3A wanderers Bocci competition – the inaugural champion was Ean Costin and he received the winner’s trophy at the conclusion of the competition. Special thanks to Brian Keys for his expert co-ordination and adjudication of the event.
We later gathered in the recreation room in front of a lovely log fire for a game of Bingo. This was ably hosted by Anita and Di with some excellent calling! Major winners for the evening were Peter & Di and Ean & Susanne.
Friday
After the morning meeting we headed off on a drive to the old gold mining town of Graytown, visiting the remains of the P.O.W . internment camp, and also the old Graytown cemetery. We were fortunate to have Peter Wilmot as our tour guide. Peter is somewhat of an expert on the history of the P.O.W. camp and he had kindly brought maps and photo’s of the original layout of the camp, making the ruins so much more recognizable and the trip so interesting for the entire group. Thank you Peter for sharing your knowledge and making this event such a highlight of the weekend.
Our next stop was the original Graytown cemetry. A shelter, just through the gate of the cemetery provided extensive information of the ages and causes of deaths of those who had been laid to rest here. There were also photographs of the vibrant and busy town, unfortunately, there is no sign of the town left of what once existed there.
Some of the group then continued on to Nagambi for lunch whilst others returned to Heathcote.
The afternoon trip took us out to Randall’s cove in Lake Eppalock, after dodging some light rain on the road we arrived to fine weather and enjoyed a pleasant walk along the shoreline. The dogs had a great time and some even took to taking a dip. Brrrrr !!!!! We returned back to camp via Mia Mia and Redesdale. Bob and Anne took the opportunity to try out a little country pub in Axedale before returning back to base.
Friday night happy hour in the recreation room, again with a roaring log fire and a sausage sizzle provided by the caravan park brought us to the end of a busy day. The evening was finished off with an hour of live music by Anita and Russ, assisted by Quentin on Uke, Bob and Dennis on lagerphone and Robyn and Brigitte on tambourine and shakers.
Saturday
A walk to the Heathcote Farmers Market kicked off our Saturday, whilst not a huge market it was enjoyable and continued for most by a walk up and down the main shopping strip in Heathcote. The local footy being played on the oval was also a bonus for some.
Lunch was at Gaffney’s bakery and then off to the Pink Cliffs, some chose to drive to the cliffs whilst other decided to walk off their lunch. With the assistance of Gerry’s knowledge, he provided the group with an explanation on the formation of the cliffs created as a result of the slussing mining. Well done Gerry. The cliffs were quite spectacular and well worth the visit.
Our Saturday evening group dinner was at the Commercial Hotel in the centre of town. A lovely warm and cosy pub with very welcoming and friendly staff.
Sunday
Scones, jam and cream on the park green in the sunshine was a great way to start our Sunday morning. Thanks Anita for baking the scones ! The group lingered late into the morning to chat and enjoy the sunshine.
Off to ‘The Shiraz republic’ winery for lunch. Some of the group stopped on the way at Perigrine Winery to enjoy the spectacular view which expands as far as Mount Beauty.
At The Shiraz Republic we found a long table in the rustic outdoor area to accommodate the entire group. We feasted on wines and pizza while enjoying local live music played on the back of a truck. Fortunately, the intermittent rain certainly didn’t dampen our spirits.
Unfortunately, Anita and I had to leave the group at this stage of the weekend due to babysitting duties on Monday morning. The group continued the stay at Heathcote until Monday.
Thanks to all for attending the rally, we hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.
Russ Orr
"Come when you can, leave when you must"