We pack up the van and move over the border into Victoria and set-up again in Orbost. It’s a little further inland, so has that country feel about it, but reveals itself to be a good spot for day tripping to the coastline of East Gippsland and also up into the high country.

Our first day trip takes us to the tiny township of Marlo where the Snowy River meets the ocean. It’s an interesting place as they have had the residents knitting head wear such as beanies which are then used to cover the tops of the posts running along the car park bordering the river. It’s a little unique but a fun notion as there are literally hundreds of these posts to cap.

From Marlo we head to Cape Conran which is part of the national park in the area. The beach is beautiful with white sands, rocky outcrops and a nice walk around the headland via a series of stairs and boardwalks. With everyone doing it and the light being just right for a photo, Stacey and I try our hand a stone stacking which turns out nicely. I’m not saying we got carried away as its just a little stack but its made a pretty nice photo.

 

From Cape Conran we make the round trip back to Orbost stopping in at Mt Raymond to take advantage of the lookout to get that eagle’s eye view of the area.

The next day we hear that there is a significant weather event heading our way in the guise of pretty intense rainfall. To make the most of our time in the region we decide to follow the Snowy River up into the high country towards Omeo and Mt Hotham.

We stop in at Swifts Creek on the way up the mountain range for coffee and then head on to Dinner Plains which, in winter, would be teeming with people but on the day looks almost abandoned.

 

We take a short stop for some photos when we notice that on the mountains there seems to be either snow or ice. A bit of background, in all our years of traveling, Stacey and I have never been lucky enough to play in the snow or even touch winter ice. We are determined to make this happen today!

Back in the car we head up to Mt Hotham in hope.

Mt Hotham is just like Dinner Plains in that it is almost lifeless. Only a few summertime travelers are around, even finding a place for lunch is a struggle. While wondering around looking at the ice in the distance we meet a couple who tell us that they found a pocket of ice just over the top of the mountain that is an easy walk from where you can park, so off we go.

 

Success! Just before the Diamantina Hut we get our opportunity to stop and play with what is left from winter’s freeze. A small patch is slowly melting but we get to finally touch ice that isn’t destined for our Gin and Tonics. I know, its a small thing but check another item off the bucket list. Now to try and time it to see snow at some time during this long trip. Maybe in Tasmania or possibly on the way back to Queensland in autumn next year.