We thought all the tourists left Thursday night
But everyone else must have left at first light
The traffic on the road heading south was amazing
Our convoy must have left them blazing!

Seven 4WD in one long line
But towing vans is just not fine
We met three more at Bool Lagoon
With amber liquid flowing soon. 

The night was cool, the stars were nice
Without a fire we felt like ice
We were thankful for our nice warm bed
To snuggle in and rest our head. 

Good Friday morning we set off as one
On our way to Jamieson’s Run
Wine tasting at 10 o’clock
For some of our systems, a bit of a shock! 

We then set off for Coleraine
Glenelg Chocolate Factory our choice in the main
We all left there, our purses lighter
It is a shame our waistbands will get lighter.

Our camp was made at the Sawpit
It rained a little but the fire was lit
That night we had a visitor or two
A koala up a tree and a grey kangaroo.

Easter Sunday dawned grey and dreary
What can we do to make things cheery?
A chicken hat and some rabbit ears
And bunny feet to make smiles appear.

At Warnambool the group did split
Each wanted to see their own little bit
Some the Great Ocean Road and sea
While we went to Cheese World and tasted for free.

 There were plenty of sights to see on the way
But time was against us, we’d no time to stay
Bay of Islands, The Grotto, The Archway and more
London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge and tourists galore.

On we went mile after mile
We saw a sight that made us smile
Someone taking photos of a yellow sign
Kangaroos for 4 k’s was the design.

Some things are normal for you and me
The things that we so often see
We should appreciate little things more often
Perhaps our tempers then would soften.

We thought we’d seen everything, that’s what we’d surmised
But at 12 Apostles we couldn’t believe our eyes
3 Parking attendants and bus loads of Asians
A few bits of rock and even less Caucasians.

We were running late so we set off again
To Lavers Hill through a little rain
Our destination Johanna Beach
A nice hot cuppa within our reach.

We set off on Monday back to Lavers Hill
The sight of the bakery gave us all a great thrill
We spent all our money, to heck with the diet
Our mission of course was to buy and then try it.

Luck was still with us when we rocked up at Dandos
Most campers had left leaving plenty of room for us
We threw down some lunch and had a quick wander
Then off for a drive to see what was out yonder.

Tuesday we followed Dean in search of some mud
In truth this track was far from a dud
While the tracks were steep both up and down
At the sight of the mud we all lost our frown.

Challenging – a word used to describe some parts
While others felt quickening of senses and hearts
A few, around Lake Elizabeth, took a walk
While the rest went to camp, to wash, rest and talk.

Wednesday we headed for Otway Fly
To walk among treetops high in the sky
The tree ferns were spectacular, views quite amazing
We spent quite a while just standing and gazing.

After lunch at McDuffs we set off once more
To Melba’s Gully, there’s no time to snore
Through tracks that hide glow worms, to the big tree
Then off to Maits Rest and another walking spree.

What about a shower, but first we’ll need water
Hang on to the jerry lids, you know that you ought ta
But Stuart and Gerry forgot that they should
And watched as they floated away for good.

That night at our campsite some glow worms were found
Up under the lattice, high on the ground
What were they doing under the loo?
They obviously thrive on the smell of the poo.

Thursday was chancy - stay at camp or explore?
The Nissan’s decided to set off once more
The top track was narrow, the tyre tracks deep
But the holes filled with water had sides that were steep.

If you stuck to the right of the track you’d be right
Just don’t fall in the hole or we’ll be here all night
The first four were fine, we’d one more to go
When Len got his diff stuck and ended the show.

He walked up the track to see what was ahead
The size of the hole really killed the trip dead
So back we all went after 7 point turns
While Jan and I sheltered under massive tree ferns.

Yes it started to spit and then started to rain
Frank got stuck in a ditch and we thought what a pain
But with winch and snatch strap, a shovel and bracken
They all got him out but the rain did not slacken.

He got stuck two more times on his way up the track
When we got back to camp we were glad to get back
Couldn’t wait for a coffee and to re-tell our tale
Of mud, rain and snatch strap and all things male.

On Friday we headed for the big town of Colac
Not straight there of course but via a back track,
From there we split up and went our own way
To dry laundry or shop or relax half a day.

We chose to go driving, first up to Red Rock
The views quite breath taking, the lakes quite a shock
Both in size and number, we’d not seen before
With the drive right around them another chance to explore.

We went to the Gardens to see what was there
We walked on the lake shore breathing in the fresh air,
Then met all the others in the shade of a tree
And set off for Gelibrand pub for tea.

We sat by their fire, had a drink before dinner,
Ate a great meal, all thought theirs was a winner
While some went glow worming, the rest went on back
Tired and happy down the long dirt track.

Saturday morning was cold and damp
Four of us needed to break camp
Because of friends, family or work we had to go
We didn’t care if it started to snow.

We packed up our gear with a tear in our eye
No one wanted to say goodbye
We got in the car and went on our way
28 days to Adelaide Cup and our next trip away.

Written by Lyn Klinkert