Day Trips
PermaLink Lake Eildon 04/01/2011 04:18 PM


Lake Eildon

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We were curious to see the water levels in Lake Eildon.

The last time I crossed over the Bonnie Doon bridge cattle was grazing below it, but this time it was water skiers.

We had an aborted attempt at heading down to Stones Outstation Hut to check the water levels, on our last visit the hut was about 3kms away from the water.


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PermaLink Sovereign Hill 29/09/2010 04:18 PM


Sovereign Hill

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A day trip to Sovereign Hill with Nicki and her 3 girls Amalie, Danae and Tori with morning tea at Lerderderg Gorge

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PermaLink Anakie Fairy Park with Donna and Tahlia04/07/2010 09:05 PM



Fairy Park with Donna and Tahlia

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Well the first post in “2010 Family Day Trips” is neither a day trip nor strangely enough quite a family trip.

Donna had suggested we head down to the Fairy Park during the School holidays some months back, funnily enough I had never heard of it before, but it was opened in 1959 and is Australia’s oldest theme park. With it located in a town called Anakie about a 2 to 2-5 hour drive from home




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PermaLink Noojee with Penny & Andrew and family.02/11/2009 08:25 PM



Noojee with Penny & Andrew and family.

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With another pleasantly warm day and with Wendy down we planned on doing a picnic dinner somewhere and leaving after lunch time. Penny rang to say they were also thinking along the same lines and they were planning on heading out to Emerald Lake. After a chat I suggested Noojee and the Toorongo Falls as a destination which had been to earlier this year.

Hitting the road about 2pm we made our way towards Noojee stopping at Trestle bridge for nibbles and a cuppa.

From here we headed to the falls and the loop walk to the Toorongo falls and onto Amphitheatre Falls, the kids and the dog powered ahead whilst the adults chose a more adult pace.

Upon returning we had a good feed of quiche and caramel slice that Penny had prepared and snags and salad that we brought along, before hitting the road to return home.


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PermaLink Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally01/11/2009 08:25 PM




Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally.

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Our second visit to the Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally,
we were last there in 2006 and I was looking forward to attending again this year.

The Lake Goldsmith Steam Preservation Association is located approx 45mins from Ballarat and located on 38 acre site, it is internationally recognised and the largest in southern hemisphere. It is unique in that it has 48 permanent sheds owned by club members which house their machines.

I wanted to take Dad after attending in 2006 so organized with Malcolm and Puk for Mum to stay there for the day, we agreed to meet at Malcolm’s and then make our way from there.

For the trip up we had Wendy who is down from QLD and then picked Dad up at Malcolm and Puk’s, my nephew Noah was also keen to go along so we had one very full car with 7 of us piled in for the trip to Lake Goldsmith.

Once arriving we headed straight for shed 17 to drop our stuff off and have something to eat or drink. John Herman was involved in the early days and helped build this shed so it made for a staging point for the rest of the day.

We also joined the Herman clan, including John, Morna, Warwick, Fiona and Michael, shortly after lunch, Caitlin and Noah joined Michael for a trip around the grounds whilst the adults made there way to the oval for the grand parade.

After a little while we began to become worried as we hadn’t seen the kids for a while but quickly located them riding on the Charles Burrell traction engine in the parade!

Apparently Michael kept asking different owners until someone finally agreed to let them ride on their engine in the parade!


(check out pictures IMG_6911 to IMG_6921)


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PermaLink Yarra State Forest11/10/2009 10:54 AM


Yarra State Forest - Seven Acre Rock, Starlings Gap and the Ada Tree.

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We headed out for a picnic and a bit of a walk to the mountain ash forests of Yarra State Forest. As with most forests managed by DSE dogs are allowed and the last time we were in this area was back in 2007 when Leah was still a puppy.

Upon entering the Park we were faced with a decision to either head in along the standard Forestry road or make our way in via the more adventurous route up and over a steep hill, we took the more adventurous route.

Our first stop was Seven Acre Rock which is a short (1.2kms) easy walk that leads to a granite rock outcrop with views of the Bunyip State Park, Western Port Bay and Port Phillip Bay. This is one of the areas burnt in 2009 bushfires which provided an interesting landscape with the stark white granite rocks against the backdrop of the blackened trees. Megs and Caitlin bounded up the rocks towards the top earning the nicknames “Caitlin Climber” and “Mountaineer Meg”.

After a cuppa and morning tea at the picnic table at Seven Acre Rock we made a move towards the lookout “Spion Kopje”, which we somehow drove straight past so we continued on towards Latrobe River Camping Area to check it out.

We were surprised how many people were camping at Latrobe River considering it was just a normal weekend; we were also surprised to find that they were Land Rover owners who were also members of the AULRO forum.

Time for lunch at Starlings Gap, this is a fantastic grassy clearing in amongst the forest, we cooked snags on the Trangia then headed up for a short walk to the remnants of an old winch and boiler used for logging.

Our final walk was to the Ada Tree, this walk follows the Ada creek and meanders through a Myrtle Beech Rainforest for 3.2kms return. The Ada tree is 300-400 years old and has somehow managed to avoid fires, storms and almost a century of logging in the area.
It is the biggest - as opposed to the tallest - hardwood tree in the world. The General Sherman sequoia of California tops out at 83 metres, but it is slow-growing softwood that may have taken up to 2700 years to reach its current height.

Timber millers have estimated that the Ada Tree, may weigh 1130 tons (enough to build 60 homes) and its root system could extend over more than an acre. In any case, the Ada Tree used to be bigger still, the top of its trunk has been blown away, either by high winds or a lightning strike and the DSE estimate it may have topped 120m before it lost its head.

In a few square Kms around her, even taller trees have been felled, with massive logs left behind just to rot. Old time timber getters working with only crosscut saws wouldn't have ripped down trees this size and left them to rot but with power saws the easiest way to find out whether a tree is sound or rotten is to cut it down, in half an hour a 300-year-old tree is dead.

Once we finished the walk it was getting late and time for afternoon tea with a beer for Cath and I, chocolate biscuits for the girls before we made out way home.


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PermaLink Lerderderg Gorge25/09/2009 08:25 PM



Lerderderg Gorge

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Our first trip out in months, with an early start needed to be at Cath’s parents by 8am to choose fabric for blinds, we thought we would make the most of it with a day trip.

I have been meaning to check out
Lerderderg State Park, which is just north of Bacchus Marsh for a while now, so it seemed like a good a spot as any to go and see.

The weather was even more unpredictable than the usual Melbourne weather with showers then bright sunshine then showers once again but generally it was fine and sunny.

After a few false starts we managed to find McKenzies Flat picnic area and wandered off along the walking track that followed the Lerderderg River. The girls were initially a little nervous crossing the river using the stepping-stones but this soon became a highlight for them, with them both crossing back and forth and somehow with sheer luck we managed for no one to end up getting wet!

We cooked up a few snags and reheated some left over roast potatoes from the night before on the Trangia for lunch before heading off again.

Most of the park is walking tracks only with a few roads on the eastern side, which were seasonally closed for winter requiring us to head out on the highway to make our way North to check out O’Briens Crossing Campground before a quick visit to Trentham before heading back home.



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PermaLink The Royal Melbourne Show 22/09/2009 08:25 PM



The Royal Melbourne Show

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Generally we try to avoid going to the Royal Melbourne Show during the School Holidays and try to visit on opening day as it is the quietest time to visit, but we went on Monday and the place wasn’t as busy as I was expecting it would be.

We generally stick to the arts and crafts, animals, exhibitions etc and try and avoid the show bags and rides. But Caitlin did talk me into going on the roller coaster with her and I have never seen a face who looked more terrified than hers did whilst riding on it. We also stocked up on hats at the hat stall again this year and now we all have bush hats.




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PermaLink Noojee19/04/2009 11:31 PM


Heading out for a Sunday drive we ended up in Noojee visiting the Noojee trestle bridge and Toorongo Falls.

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PermaLink Walhalla09/06/2008 12:37 PM



Walhalla with the Girls and Lachlan

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With Lachlan for the weekend and the girls in tow we made our way to Walhalla for a day trip, although the weather was cold we were lucky with only a couple of light showers during the day.

I have recently been interested in the use of metal detectors for gold prospecting and really wanted to check out Donnelly's Creek which is north of Walhalla, but as it turned out due to bridges being washed away due to the floods in this area and the lateness of the day we didn’t make it that far.


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PermaLink Yarra Valley Market01/06/2008 12:37 PM



Yarra Valley Market

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Today we made our way out to the Yarra Valley market which we have been meaning to visit for quite some time now.

What a great market, with mostly home made items for sale, lots of great food to eat and the kids loved the petting zoo


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PermaLink Keppel Hut27/04/2008 12:37 PM



Keppel Hut

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On our 4th attempt to make it to Keppel Hut we finally made it!

We have been trying to make our way to Keppel Hut for over a year but due to circumstances we never seem to make it , on our 1st attempt it was to late in the day, on 2nd  attempt the gate was closed, on the 3rd attempt with Wendy the rear suspension airbag went flat and wouldn’t pump back up and we ended up driving home through the Black Spur with one side of the suspension on the bump stops!

I was itching to get out of the house and the night before I said to Cath that we were going out for a picnic, the following day I was not to be deterred by the rain bucketing down nor the arctic weather I was going to go to Keppel Hut and that was it.

Caitlin became car sick traveling through the Black Spur resulting in us needing to pull over and Caitlin and I to wander about in the drizzle and the freezing weather (the car informing me it was 2 degrees outside) but I was not going to be deterred by this.

On our way along Lady Talbot Drive we spotted a little bit of snow on the side of the road and not expecting to see anymore I quickly jumped out to take a few photos. Well as we ventured further towards Keppel Hut it began snowing and reaching Keppel Hut it snowed on and off whilst we there.

I had packed the chainsaw just in case there were any trees down on the road and began gathering firewood to build a fire, which we sat around whilst eating our picnic and watching the snow fall outside.

After lunch we ventured further north into the Rubicon Historic area looking at the old tramways, sawmills and Hydro electric power station.


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PermaLink Marysville, Lady Talbot Drive07/04/2008 12:37 PM



Marysville, Lady Talbot Drive

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With Wendy down from Qld, Caitlin home from school with a curriculum day I took them and Leah to show Wendy a few of the waterfalls along Lady Talbot Drive.

Our first stop was Stevenson Falls were we made our way up the steep and due to recent erosion, very rocky track to the top of the falls where we stopped at the small pool at the top.

From here we made our way further along Lady Talbot Drive and stopped at Taggerty River Picnic area before making our way for our last walk of the day up to Phantom Falls.

On the way out I decided that we had plenty of time to make our way to Keppel Hut and along the track I stopped because something didn’t feel right. This was when I noticed that one of the rear self leveling suspension airbags had gone flat, now this had been happening for a while now and normally the compressor would pump it back up, but not this time. (I have since read that this is due to the compressor having a built in self preservation mechanism and turning the car off for 10 mins would have reset it)

So turning around and gently making our way back home we finally arrived home 2 ½ hours later.


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PermaLink Puffing Billy24/03/2008 03:33 PM



Puffing Billy

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Puffing Billy, Australia’s oldest surviving steam railway and the last of the experimental narrow-gauge railway lines built at the turn of the twentieth century to help develop rural areas.

The 25-kilometre journey winds through thick forests and lush fern-filled gullies from Belgrave to Emerald Lake and Gembrook.


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PermaLink Moomba Fireworks 08/03/2008 12:37 PM



Moomba Fireworks

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With a beautiful warm evening planned we took the girls into town to see the Moomba Fireworks.


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PermaLink Pt Leo21/10/2007 08:44 PM



Pt Leo

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With the warm weather coming so early in the year, a quick visit to the beach with the girls (including the dog)


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PermaLink Royal Melbourne Show20/09/2007 09:37 PM



Royal Melbourne Show

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This is our 4th visit to the Royal Melbourne Show and this year was the usual good fun.

With significant work being carried out to the showgrounds over the last couple of years and this year the layout changing for the better, we didn’t feel like we were walking from one end of the showgrounds to the other. Now with the new layout all the commercial aspects are placed together and the things we go for, being the animals and free pavilions are all together.

I also can’t stress how much better it is to visit on opening day, there just isn’t anyone there and queuing and crowds are non existent which makes for a stress free pleasant day.

Meg would have been more than happy to spend the entire day in the animal nursery playing with the animals; she at one stage was engrossed patting a rooster which was sitting on her lap for 15 minutes.
 

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PermaLink Mt Baw Baw05/08/2007 05:21 PM



Mt Baw Baw

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Today we headed up to Mt Baw Baw for the snow with Michael and Aunty Nona [Fiona].

Although the weather wasn't ideal, it was a great day, tobogganing, building a snowman and a snowball fight between the boys before heading home.

Mt Baw Baw is located just 114 km east of home, along the Warburton Highway, turn off at Yarra Junction and continue through Powelltown, which joins the main road at Noojee.

Mt Baw Baw is situated adjacent to Baw Baw National Park and the summit is 1564m high whilst the village is at 1470m

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PermaLink Day Trips - May 21/05/2007 01:17 PM

Image:WeaselSnout - Day Trips - May

Marysville to Healesville via the back roads.

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Taking Yellow Dog Rd past Mt Strickland and then down to Mt Donna Buang via Acheron Way, from Mt Donna Buang to Healesville via Ben Cairn Rd and then on home.




Image:WeaselSnout - Day Trips - May

Camberville to Mt Torbreck via Snobs Creek.

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Leaving late, the intention was to stop for lunch at Camberville then head to Mt Torbreck and exit near Eildon via Snobs Creek Falls.



Image:WeaselSnout - Day Trips - May

Lady Talbot Drive.

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Marysville along Lady Talbot Drive, stopping at Phantom Falls and exiting via Mount Margaret Rd

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PermaLink Day Trips - Easter15/04/2007 05:21 PM

Catherine and i both took leave for the week following Easter, this was to allow puppy some time to adjust to her new home. As a bonus the girls had 2 days of Creche which allowed us to head off for a couple of walks that we normally wouldn't be able to do with the girls.

Image:WeaselSnout - Day Trips - Easter

ADA Tree

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Journey through Myrtle Beech rainforest to visit the Ada Tree, one of the largest known flowering trees in the world. Estimated to be over 300 years old, the Ada Tree stands about 70 m tall with a circumference of 15 m measured at 1.5 m above ground level



Image:WeaselSnout - Day Trips - Easter

Werribee Zoo

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Catherine and the girls headed out to the Werribee Open Range Zoo, although it wasn't quite what i was expecting we had a good day none the less.



Image:WeaselSnout - Day Trips - Easter

Steavenson Falls

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Catherine, Puppy and I headed off to one of Victoria’s highest waterfalls, Steavenson Falls and taking the steep walk to the very top of the falls.

They descend 84 metres to the bush and fern-fringed Steavenson River below, named after John Steavenson, who first visited the site of what is now Marysville in 1862, the falls opened to tourists in 1866.

 

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PermaLink Healesville Sanctuary20/11/2006 08:56 PM



Healesville Sanctuary

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The Herman clan all made there way to Healesville Sanctuary for a picnic lunch to celebrate Morna's Birthday.



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PermaLink Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally06/11/2006 09:15 AM



Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally

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On Sunday we all piled into Tonka Sall' and managed to hit the road by 9:30am for the approx 400km round trip to Lake Goldsmith.

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PermaLink MAD (Melbourne Autumn Daytour) Ride 200624/04/2006 11:39 AM



MAD (Melbourne Autumn Daytour) Ride 2006

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Jamie, Connor and I participated in the 24th MAD Ride along with approx 800 other riders, spread over the 3 routes, a 60km road, 100km road and 65km mountain bike ride. We had a great day doing the 60km road, hats off to the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club for a very well organised event.



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PermaLink Bicycle Rides18/04/2006 01:09 PM



Bicycle Rides

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The plan is to take random photos along the way of our bike rides without actually stopping and composing the photo. Be prepared for lots of fuzzy photos!


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All original content copyright Matt Arber all rights reserved, no reproduction allowed without written permission.

This website was taken down in 2014, but in 2023 I decided to resurrected it and bring it back online, as it is now over 20 years old, expect bugs and features to no longer work as they once did.

The website is 90GB in size and contains approx 30,000 photos taken by us between 2003-2011, it is hosted at home on an old HP Proliant NAS running Lotus Domino 8.5 and spanning across multiple databases.
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2014 - Mallacoota
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2005 - Xmas
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