THE DROP BEAR DIARIES - CHAPTER 10 "STORM CLOUDS OVER WALWA"

Stately driveway to the Tahbilk winery

The Spirit of Tasmania pulled into Melbourne at daybreak after another uneventful overnight crossing of the Bass Strait from Devonport.  

Today would be an ambitious driving day that would ultimately take us to Walwa in the Upper Murray region, gateway to the Snowy Mountains in the Australian Alps. 

Roger and Julie had arranged some interesting side trips along the way with friends and in between we managed a few stops at Victoria's excellent wineries. 

Marsanne - Fit for a Queen!

This one's a little young

Tahbilk, for one, lies in the most beautiful of settings with historic old buildings, avenues of mature trees and row upon row of ancient vines.  

We sampled various offerings, including the Marsanne which was served at the Queen’s coronation and apparently has been supplied to the Palace regularly ever since.

Visiting over, we focussed our attention on the drive to Walwa.  The weather had turned for the worse and heavy rain thundered down from darkened skies.  

We pressed on, keeping an eye out for a quick dinner stop which eventually manifested itself in the township of Holbrook. It turned out to be an eclectic fast food joint specializing in Indian and Italian takeaway, hamburgers, fish & chips - there were no menu limitations here.

Dinner could be whatever you felt
like - such an accommodating chef!

It was almost dark and the heavy cloud cover continued to threaten. We were cautioned to watch out for kangaroos crossing the road on what was left of the drive to Walwa.  A collision with a kangaroo is something to be avoided, not only for the poor kangaroo but for the sake of the car’s bodywork.  Many cars we noticed were fitted with “roo” bars for such an eventuality and sadly there had been lots of evidence of roadkill along the way.

Karen did a stellar job guiding us to our accommodations - a “resort” in the middle of nowhere where we received a pleasant welcome and directions in the pitch dark to our chalet for the overnight stay.

This is where the lightning bolt hit.  
What he really said:
"I hid the other empties out back" 

The rain was now unrelenting and we appreciated the fire burning in the pot bellied stove, supplemented by a final glass of wine before bedtime.  

And then the thunder and lightning took over with loud cracks and bangs overhead, lightning momentarily illuminating the blackness.  This went on for a long while before it eventually abated.

Next morning Roger recounted his near death experience during the night when a massive fork of lightning touched down a little too close to the chalet, specifically the bathroom, where he happened to be at the time.

Daybreak revealed pastoral surroundings

The morning presented something else. It turned out we were in the most glorious setting - rolling hills and verdant valleys as far as the eye could see. The accommodation was a resort after all and a shame we would not be able to enjoy the views from our veranda a little longer.  

Today we would be heading for the nation’s capital, Canberra, by way of the Snowy Mountains and the civil engineering wonder, the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

The weather had not been fit for man or beast - even the Drop Bears had kept a low profile taking shelter from the storm. However we had to be on our guard since we were now back on the Australian mainland, the Serengeti of Drop Bear habitat.