If we wanted snow we could have stayed in Scotland!

We have been cold, we have had wind and we have had rain …… surely things couldn’t get any worse? At least that is what we hoped. However a glance at the first photo tells a different story. Yes that is a snowball Sandra is making and the old dustbin lid improvised as a toboggan.

After three glorious days at Mt Samaria my navigator decided that we should “do” The Great Alpine Road. After breakfast and a trip to a craft shop in Mansfield we set off north through the King Valley area and picked up the GAR at Myrtleford. We were no sooner on the road when the navigator decided that Mount Buffalo seemed a likely port of call so we set off from the picturesque little village of Porepunkah on what was to be over 30k of climbing, twisting roads the last stretch of which was a dirt track – but it was worth it. The countryside was magnificent and the views were staggering. A series of waterfalls, including the very attractive Ladies Bath Falls, cascaded down the mountainside. This is where gentle womenfolk would take refuge from the summer heat and bathe in the cool mountain water. Despite my promising not to take any compromising photos Sandra was not impressed with my suggestion that she did likewise!

Knowing how cold the nights can be at even reasonable altitudes we were reluctant to camp overnight in the mountains and, on descending Mt Buffalo, we were faced with either an early stop on the north side of The Great Dividing Range or to press on. Unusually for us we decided to stop – a good choice as otherwise I would not have found the Bright Brewery.

The neat wee town of Bright is unashamedly a tourist town offering a wide range of outdoor activities including skiing, snow boarding, mountain biking, paragliding, hill walking etc. etc. With no bush camping available in the area and with the Dirty Washing Bag full to overflowing we checked into one of the several commercial campsites in the town. Our site was pretty idyllic with a grassy surface for the tent, the river literally feet away, three ducks looking for company and a launderette for Sandra to get the washing up to date - what more could a man ask for? Well how about a brewery.

Apart from the weather, Australia’s other problem is the beer – served icy cold most of the commercial brands hit the spot on a hot day but after a few there is something lacking – and that is taste. To fill this void in the market a growing number of small, independent breweries are starting to produce hand-crafted beers which actually tastes of beer. The Bright Brewery was established a few years ago by a couple of guys who initially came for the skiing, started a homebrew club and then decided to start brewing commercially. They produce seven beers – Bright Lager, Hellfire Amber Ale (that's what I'm holding in the photo) Blowhard Pale Ale, Razor Witbier, Staircase Porter, Fainters Dubbel (a Belgian style ale at 8.5%) and a Stout. After a personal tour of the brewery with Tim I was able to try all seven – and very good they were as well (apart from the Witbier!) To allow for my alcoholic indulgence, or at least for it to wear off, we had to stay in Bright for an extra day.

Then we were ready to tackle the mountains.

Over the past few weeks Sandra and I have taken particular interest in the weather forecast for Victoria and one place that has stood out above all others as somewhere to avoid – the ironically named Mt. Hotham. When most of Victoria was basking in the low 20’s Mt Hotham never made it into the 20’s and at night even recorded a temperature of –1C. The road to Mt Hotham was long and inextricably upwards with spectacular views over the Victorian Alps – and the remains of the winter snowfields where we, briefly, frolicked in the snow.

A quick descent from the snowy wastes and we decided to give the coast another try. Driving south past Omeo, Bruthen then on to Orbost along the Princes Highway we have ended up at the Cape Conran Coastal Park on a shady campsite just a few yards from the beach. We will probably stay here for a couple of days then on to who knows where?

Finally a few titbits from the “Isn’t it a small world” file.

1. The barman in the Bright Brewery recognised my accent and announced that he too was from Scotland and came from a place I had probably never heard of called Inverurie. Mentioning that I knew Inverurie quite well he said he actually came from the small village of Insch!

2. Stopping at the tourist information office in Orbost to get a map of the area and ask about camping the man in the office, again recognising the accent, asked where we were from. We usually answer Edinburgh to this question to which he replied “You don’t happen to know Dalkeith by any chance – that’s where my wife is from”

3. Sandra bought an ornament in a shop in Bright and was staggered to find that it was imported, not from China like almost everything else in Australia, but from Peebles just down the road from where we live in Scotland!

PS Thanks to those who posted a comment - it does seem the software was working properly - it was just those lazy people out there not bothering to communicate!!!!