DAY 105 - 23RD JULY 2013 - MAFFRA TO PAYNESVILLE

Day 105 – 23rd July 2013  - Maffra to Paynesville

Cycling Stats:  97 kms

Cycling Average:  33 kms per hour

At Mornington we had met up with Mark & Amy and Amy had told us that her parents lived in a lovely coastal town called Paynesville and that she would contact them and email us their details and we could visit as we will be passing close by.

So we rang them this morning and yes a hearty invitation and so Walter headed off in the direction of Barnsville first where we had arranged to meet as he wanted to find a bike shop to get his computer looked at.

Strangely we both took the road to Sale instead of the sign to Princes Highway as we thought maybe it would be the main road to Melbourne and so – silly us - we both added another 20kms or so to our journey. Oh well - Walter was happy to see me stop on the A1 after the first 50 kms for our coffee break as he told me he was concerned that I might head all the way to Barnsville as we had discussed in the morning and that would have been an 80 km sector. Walter was also pleased that I stopped as he had ridden the first 30 kms or so in the rain so good to have a nice hot coffee.

Earlier we went through a little place called Stratford Upon The Avon River. It was very quaint and this is where we would have come straight to had we gone direct to The Princes Highway.

Barnsville (the commercial capital of the Gippsland, the sign says as you drive in) is quite a big town – actually I believe it is a city !!) I asked at the petrol station and yes there was a bike shop so I parked in the main street and Walter saw the van (hard to miss with our signage for Alzheimer’s Australia on it) and I told him where the bike shop was. I headed to the Information Centre to check on the directions to Paynesville and the lady there gave me some more detailed maps of this part of Victoria which will come in handy.

No luck at the bike shop as they didn’t sell Garmin computers so couldn’t help Walter with his concerns about the kilometer readings. Another 18 kms to Paynesville and its a pretty drive as the road runs along side of the Mitchell River.

The sky is still heavily overcast and looks like more storms and rain is brewing. It was easy to find John & Heather’s home and we received a lovely welcome into their home. Walter was pleased with a nice hot shower. John had made some delicious pumpkin soup & home made bread – lovely in this cold climate. Heather had only just had surgery on her knee last Thursday but was keen to be up & busy and loves to cook so a little hard for her to take the back seat for a few days whilst she recovers. I should mention that John's parents are Dutch and came from Alkmaar which is where Walter grew up

I mentioned a walk and John said yes we could walk to the township and then take the short cable ferry crossing to Raymond Island – a habitat for koalas and numerous species of birdlife. We spotted 3 koalas in the spotted gums which John told me was their favorite tree of residence. There were some lovely homes over there and as I walked past one my eye caught the rather stark clear reflection of the trunk of a hug gum in the huge front glass panel. I stopped to photograph it and I heard a voice from next door.

Yes I am putting in some new windows. I walked over to the man and explained how this reflection from the house next door had caught my eye and then he started to tell me about the renovations he was busy with on his circa 1880’s cottage. This is his weekender and he had a farm in Yarragon. David then asked about what we were doing and he was amazed and supportive and told us a funny story about how he had cycled many years ago in Melbourne when there weren’t too many cyclists on the road. He said he would stop at traffic lights and the conversation between the cyclists was always the question – and when do you get your licence back….

He gave us a generous donation for our fundraising for Alzheimer’s Research and we continued the pleasant walk along the foreshore.

John later cooked up some lovely black bream that he had caught – delicious and Heather, whilst we were on our walk, had made some ‘orgasmic little orange syrup cakes’ She told us that all her tennis club friends call them that as everyone oooed & aaahhed so much the first time she brought them along.  I can understand why because they were very very yummy !!!

Off to bed and a very lovely comfortable bed it was too – a great night’s sleep..

Thank you for your warmth and generosity John & Heather – we hope very much to meet up with you again one day.

Jetties & restaurants - Paynesville is a very scenic coastal town

 This is John - Walter, John & I are just about to take the ferry (in the background) across to Raymond Island - the wind is blowing fairly briskly !!

This is the cute little information booth before you board the ferry - it is not a wine bar !!

Very high up in the tree & very very sleepy on Raymond Island

SNOW - no just kidding !!  with the stormy weather lots of foam being washed up

This one was very cute.....

Stark reflection of the gum trunk in a very beachy holiday house !

I walked a bit further as we missed the first ferry back and I spied these in the reeds