Merimbula to Erica

Well today started pretty well. Had a superb breakfast at The Waterfront Cafe, check out the view.

Its hard to complain when life looks this good. The staff were friendly and efficient, the food was excellent and the coffee was awesome. Merimbula is primarily a tourist town and from what I could see there were a lot of retirees about (both residents and visitors). It has a population of about 10,000 and I think it has probably peaked, there is no more room so it cant be built out. It was all so damn good so I had to leave. I hit the road about 8.45pm and headed south.

Eden was the first town I went through and apart from something called The Killer Whale Museum nothing really grabbed my fancy. I mean was it really a "Killer - as in OMG its good" Museum or was it just a Museum about Killer Whales. Sadly dear reader we will never know.

At 9.35am and having put 1818 kilometres on the tacho I entered Victoria. It must be something about Victoria, but as soon as it was in sight it started to cloud over. This was my first time on the Princess Highway into Victoria and well all I can say is that there were a lot of trees. If you are into camping (and I'm not) it looked like there were would be some excellent national parks. However I will leave them to those of you who really do use a 4WD and enjoy the itchiness and deprivation that comes with the great outdoors. 

Cann River was the next township I passed through. I'm not sure if it has any people, all I could see where 100's of retirees with their caravans and camper vans. It looked uncomfortably like some sort of geriatric mating ritual. I pushed on in case it was contagious.

On to Orbost next, where apart from being cold and windy, it didn't have a lot to commend it. It did have one perplexing feature, a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights. Now these are quite common in the busy towns in Victoria. Sadly I don't think Orbost qualifies. 

Next port of call was Bairnsdale where I finally got the car washed.  I forgot to do it in Merimbula, I was too distracted by the view. Then on to Stratford for lunch. I didn't look to closely at the map, I just figured I would need petrol about then, but Stratford sits on the Avon River. Guess what? When I arrived it was right in the middle of their annual Shakespeare Festival. I spent a pleasant hour walking among their various activities. Lots of people were dressed in Elizabethan costume, from kids up to the elderly. Everyone seemed to be getting in the spirit (or should I say mead), there were bands playing on two stages and the town had a couple of over stuffed antique shops plus a Turkish Rug Bazaar. 

This part of Victoria doesn't have much in the way of diversions so I headed for Traralgon for a coffee and guess what I discovered? Its a mining and power station town. Do these pictures look  kind of familiar?

At least all the farm land surrounding the town looked normal. I'm sure once they find coal there all that will change. I am bedding down in the little township of Erica for the night. I'll be eating at the pub (its the only place in town) and tomorrow I will spend the day looking around historic Walhalla before heading to the Mornington Peninsula in the late afternoon.