November 2009 – Point Leo with Wendy. With the weather warm and Wendy down from QLD we went off to Point Leo for the day.

November 2009 – Noojee with Penny & Andrew and family 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.

November 2009 – Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally 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. Read the Full Story Here

October 2009 - Yarra State Forest 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 are 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. Read the Full Story Here

September 2009 - Lerderderg Gorge 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.

April 2009 - Noojee Heading out for a Sunday drive we ended up in Noojee visiting the Noojee trestle bridge and Toorongo Falls.

January 2009 - Rubicon State Forest Heading out with Gaynor and Pete to the Rubicon State Forest. Morning Tea at Cooks Mill in the Cathedral Range SP, then into the Rubicon SF for lunch at Whiskey Creek Hut, off to Morris Lookout via the Royston Range Tk for afternoon Tea. A quick visit down to the Royston Power Station and then up the steep extension of Park Rd (which Gaynor drove) and back out onto the Hwy.