From here you get an amazing view over the
surrounding countryside from an
elevation/altitude/height of 917 m above sea
level. This is the launching pad for local
skydivers and paragliders.
TRIP REPORTS
We then drove to the Boggy Creek old trestle
bridge...or what still remains of it. Boggy Creek
Bridge was built in 1916 as part of the
Wodonga to Cudgewa Railway. Lunch was next
on the agenda and our destination was the
Walwa General Store.
We turned off near the Koetong Pub and
headed along the Koetong to Burrowye Road,
turning east on the Murray River Road which
follows the river for some distance.
We finished our trip at historic Towong
Racecourse. Horse racing commenced at
Towong in 1871. The Towong Cup runs on the
Victorian Labour day long weekend and hosts
around 2,000 guests who travel from near and
far to soak up the atmosphere of true country
racing.....with Victoria’s oldest free standing
grandstand, magnificent century-old elm trees
and sweeping views of the majestic Snowy
Mountains.
Friday 28th
Travel today started with a drive to Shelley
railway station which was the highest railway
station in Victoria, on the Wodonga to
Cudgewa railway line. It was opened in 1916
and closed in 1979.
After we left Shelley, we headed to Avondale
Gardens, a few kilometres down the road, to
have morning tea.
Situated on the old ‘Avondale ’homestead site,
this garden was established by Peg Bird when
she was resident at the homestead during the
1940s. While little remains of the homestead
itself, apart from some remnant walls, Peg’s
magnificent botanical garden containing exotic
trees, shrubs, rock walls and a water tank
remains today. The garden has lived on, thanks
to the hard work of local volunteers and is now
over 76 years old.
As we drove along the roads, through
countryside which looked quite green, was
close to the Murray and was populated by lots
of cattle, we envisaged what it must have been
like when the sides of the roads were blazing.
The blackened trees on either side were a stark
reminder.
We stopped at a few amazing lookouts funded
by the Upper Murray Shire Council to
encourage tourism to the areas.
Lunch at the Walwa General Store, a detour to
Tintaldra to see a man-made Murray Cod near
the bridge, we returned via Cudgewa - which
was badly hit by the bushfires - to our caravan
park.
A most interesting and informative day.
Judy Wilkes-Cooney #538