Winton Wetlands Landscape Art

Our first visit to Winton Wetlands was on a day of torrential rain and after getting drenched twice, we decided to cut our visit short. This time, there was a few showers around, but not enough to dampen our spirits and we headed a little further around this amazing site. 

Along Boggy Bridge Rd, we sighted the first of the Landscape Art on this journey. Along both sides of the road, artist Tim Bowtell's fish are painted in sections across a row of trees, creating a full view of the colourful fish as you approach them.

The wetlands are a significant hotspot for birdwatching and there is a list of what species have been sighted here on the EBird Australia site. 
Signposts along the road informed us that the local brown falcons were around, and sure enough, they showed up right on cue. A pair of white-bellied sea eagles had also returned for the winter, but we didn't see them, unfortunately.

A little further along Boggy Bridge Rd, at a t-intersection,  we stopped at the water tank that Guido Van Helten had painted as part of the 2016 Wall to Wall Festival.

The CFA use the water tank for fire fighting purposes and the trio of faces are local CFA volunteers.

 

Another raptor watched us, but I'm not sure if it was the same bird or a completely different species.
Another turn off, this time towards the centre of the site and Lunette Lookout. This area features the Hilda Bain portrait. We later found out that we could go through the gated fence to the lookout and see the long necked turtle sculpture. Next time.

This little guy scurried up the tree as we drove along the road. He jumped in his hollow, but then popped his head out immediately for a look at us, safe in the knowledge he was out of harm's way in his home.
We're looking forward to bringing our bikes next time, and exploring the site at a slower pace, and hopefully spotting more wildlife on our ride.

An easy exit from the park, over these cool looking train tracks and onto the Hume for our  homeward journey.

What: Winton Wetlands
Where: Lake Mokoan Road, Chesney Vale  
When: Daily 9-5
Why: Lake, walks, wildlife, art
How much: FREE to explore
Nearby: Winton Wetlands Goorambat Uniting Church

Nagambie

Visiting Nagambie for the first time, we took a stroll up and down the main street of town to check out the shops and historic buildings.

This gate was on the side of a huge building, which appeared to be no longer occupied...

...apart from these feathered squatters.

This rustic timber door caught my eye, a nice contrast with the brick and various tiles.
 

The ivy covering the old water tower looks like it is winning the battle - I think the tower would look pretty cool completely covered by the green foliage.

A wooden boardwalk around the lake looks like a nice way to spend an hour or so. We didn't have time to do the walk, but plan on a return visit to explore the lake, the dam and the river.
A huge flock of corellas circled the lake, landing momentarily in a tree on the shoreline, before heading to the skies again like a big noisy cloud.
A Bunya Pine tree on the water's edge had an unusually large bare section in the middle, as did the other trees nearby.
On closer inspection, the reason for the bare branches was revealed. These guys looked like butter wouldn't melt in their (beak) mouth, but the destruction they cause is evident.
 
The lakeside sculptures added to the beautiful scenery, like this pelican...
...and Nagambie's famous racehorse, Black Caviar.

Leaving town, we headed off to visit some local wineries, following the Black Caviar Trail along the back roads. 

Nagambie is the Horse Capital of Victoria, with just about every property featuring statues of horses, or real life thoroughbreds like this handsome boy.

We stopped for a look at Chinamans Bridge, the historic timber bridge built around  the 1890's. It was one of the earliest timber road bridges in Victoria and had a lift span section that allowed boats to travel along the Goulburn River. 

A small tinny motored under while I took photos, adding some nice little waves to my pic.

We continued meandering around for a bit longer before arriving at our next stop - Tahbilk Winery.

What: Nagambie Lakes District
Where: Nagambie
When: Daily
Why: Lake, walks
How much: FREE to explore
Nearby: Tahbilk Winery  Mitchelton Winery

Tahbilk Winery, Nagambie

We began our visit to Tahbilk, by grabbing a map from the cellar door and taking ourselves off on a self-guided walk around the Eco Trails. 

8km of backwater billabongs and creeks are home to a variety of flora and fauna. We walked the easy 4km trail of paths, bridges and boardwalks, before heading back to explore the buildings of the historic winery.
A row of cottages sat side by side along the high banks of the Goulburn River...
...and an old petrol bowser took centre stage out the back of the modern winemaking facility.



A collection of old farming and vineyard machinery sat in outdoor museums, which we wandered around at our leisure. The whole estate his a wonderful mix of old and new.

Inside the main Cellar Door, we headed down to the century and a half old underground cellar. 

Creaky stairs, dimly lit tunnels and the sight of so many giant barrels of wine was an incredible experience.

The aroma of the wine in the barrels was overpowering at first, but by the time we headed back up the stairs to the tasting bar,  it had become more like a siren's song to a sailor. 

I sampled the 2016 Verdelho, Viognier and 2014 Cabernet Merlot, joined the Wine Club on the spot for a nice discount and purchased a bottle of each. 

We left the estate via a wrong turn  scenic drive around the estate's roads, a nice way to see views of the vineyards and surrounds.

What: Tahbilk Winery
Where: 254 O'Neils Road, Nagambie
When: daily 9-5 weekdays, 10-5 weekends
Why: historic buildings, winery
How much: FREE to explore the grounds
Related posts:Mitchelton Winery  Nagambie Lakes

Serendip Sanctuary, Lara

After hiking Flinders Peak in the You Yangs, we arrived at Serendip Sanctuary for a well earned picnic lunch.
Picnic tables under trees, with emus wandering around nearby and Currawongs stopping by for a look at our menu.
An enclosed timber tunnel led us to bird hides at the wetlands, where we could observe the many water birds.

Over 150 species of birds breed or visit Serendip and we lost count of how many we saw on our walk.

The Wildlife Walk took us along paths where kangaroos, wallabies, pademelon and emus wandered freely about...

...while other enclosures were home to animals such as Quokkas.

With 4 interconnecting nature trails to choose from, we wandered about for an hour or so, listening to Brolgas trumpeting as went. We didn't actually see them, but they're there...somewhere...alongside the Bustards in special breeding enclosures.

As we exited the gate, we wandered through a beautiful plantation of tall trees to the carpark. Serendip is a compact space filled with all sorts of wonderful sights and worth a visit if you're in the area. 

What: Serendip Sanctuary
Where: 100 Windermere Rd, Lara
When: Daily 8am - 4pm  
Why: wildlife reserve
How much: FREE
Nearby:  Flinders Peak and Big Rock Walk, You Yangs

Ruffey Lake Park, Doncaster

One of my favourite parklands is Ruffey Lake Park. The huge patch of green is a whopping 68 hectares and stretches from The Boulevard to Victoria St in Doncaster.

The lake itself lies in the centre of the park and has wetlands and boardwalks to explore.

With a few different walking tracks to choose from, you can climb rolling hills...

 ...meander along flat paths beside the water...

...and stroll through rows of Monterey Pines, planted as windbreaks by the orchardists who first pioneered the area.

The track takes you past former quarries where sandstone and mudstone was sourced to build the houses for the German families who settled here in the 1800's.

As the trail opens up again closer to Victoria St, Finger's Bunya Pines can be seen on the left. Planted in 1900, either side of the orchard gate, the smaller one was burnt in a fire soon after and was unable to reach the lofty heights of its neighbouring tree.

There are still a few buildings in the area that were part of the orchardists estates, and Schramm's Cottage on Victoria St is worth a look for a journey back in time to the Doncaster of yesteryear.

One of the first trees to be planted around Doncaster, The Old Pear Tree, still going strong at the ripe old age of 166 years. About 119 varieties of fruit trees once stood in these former orchards.
A few more trees that I like to visit are the ones my family has planted on National Tree Day. These were planted by my husband and daughter two years ago...

...and this year, my son and I joined them and we planted about a dozen more trees and shrubs in the same area.  I look forward to visiting them in the future and watching them grow tall and strong.

What: Ruffey Lake Park
Where: The Boulevard, Doncaster
When: Daily
Why: walks, history
How Much: FREE
Nearby: Schramms Cottage