Friday, 12th April 2013
Drive, via South Gippsland Highway, to Lakes Entrance.
Stopped at a lookout near Foster.
Stopped to look at Agnes Falls, near Foster.
Lakes Entrance around 4:30pm. Stayed at Best Western Coastal Waters Motor Inn. Walked to the beach.
Ate dinner at Miriam's Seafood Restaurant.
Saturday, 13th April 2013
Drive up the Great Alpine Road. Stop at Conner's Hill lookout. Stop at Omeo for a rest. Cuckoo Clock shop lady tells us the road over Hotham is closed during the week for repairs, but open during the weekend. Lucky. The whole west side of Hotham was recently burnt in bushfires.
Stop at various places at the top of Hotham for lookouts, including Danny's Lookout. Road very damaged in places on the way down, single lane in parts. Windy and cold. Stop in Harrietville for lunch at Morries Ice Cream and Cafe.
Turn off and visit Mount Beauty. Visit some lookouts on the way including Sullivans Lookout. Lake is empty.
Get to Bright about 5? Finally pick John Bright Motor Inn to stay in, take the last room.
Walk to the Brewery for a beer taster. Attempt to eat across the road at the Italian place but it is booked out. Wander around to 13 Steps bar. Eat like pigs. Glad we were drunk when we walked in, that place is WEIRD.
Sunday, 14th April 2013
Check out, have breakfast at Ginger Baker. Walk along the Canyon Walk. Drive up and down town, eventually going to Antiques just out of town (used to be the Tobacco Sheds). Closing down?
Drive up Mount Buffalo. Stop at Eurobin Falls. Stop at the old Chateau and lookouts. Take a short walk to some more lookouts (Haunted Gorge), think about going to the underground river but we're tired. Eat at Dingo Dell. Keep driving to the top. Look around car park for the final peak walk but don't do the walk.
Drive to Beechworth, arrive around 4:30pm. Decide we want some luxury so stay at Albertines. Absolutely lovely. We're the only ones staying. They offer us afternoon tea and cake, start the fire and organise breakfast.
Book dinner at the Bridge Road Brewery for 6:30pm. Have a 10 beer tasting paddle each. We can hear the beer farting away behind us while we eat. I buy a bottle of Aurora Borealis ($20).
Notice a lot of nice shops on the way so we plan to look around tomorrow.
Monday, 15th April 2013
Breakfast at B&B at 8:30, check-out around 10 (breakfast was that awesome).
Visit Beechworth Honey, the Lolly Shop, and a few other shops. Do the Gorge drive, then Woolshed Falls.
Leave town, drive to Glenrowen for lunch. Don't do any Ned Kelly naffery. Drive around Lake Mokean, now a wetland. Drive to Bendigo via the Midland Highway (A300).
Bendigo is horrible at peak hour. It's like a little try hard city crammed into a small area. No parking, someone always tailgating. Hated it. All the motels booked out too. Eventually find a room at City Central Motor Inn. Big but very basic, paper-thin front door. Door slam, door slam, door slam.
Have Chinese (Imperial?) for dinner. Bottle of wine. Finally relax a bit.
Tuesday, 16th April 2013
Up early, check out. Breakfast at a cafe on View Road. Try to find Botanical Gardens. Epic GoogleMaps fail, end up at a garden that is nice, but not the Botanical Gardens. Have a look around, find the real place (White Hills Botanical Gardens according to GoogleMaps), drive the wrong way, go to Bendigo Pottery and Antiques, then to finally the Botanical Gardens. Back to View Road for some crappy antiques stores.
Drive to A300 again. Stop in Castlemaine Botantical Gardens. Really nice, large. All the trees are orange. Stop at an Antiques place just out of town.
Daylesford, attempt to have lunch at Boat House Cafe, forgot that it burnt down. Drive to Ballarat hoping to have lunch on the lake, but get there at 2:30, just when the kitchen closed. Chuck the shits and have KFC. Think vaguely about looking at some antique shops but just go to Mill Markets, which is as fun as usual, then drive Home.