After a busy day being tourists in Bendigo we went looking for a place to camp. Sadly we could find no safe place to camp due to floods having passed through Happy Jacks Reserve and Bullocks Camp so we ended up in a little Caravan Park in Maiden Gully called Avondel Caravan Park

We’d just got everything all set up and were enjoying drinks and nibbles sitting under the awning when down came the rain. There was thunder and lightening as well so we packed away the awning, getting drenched in the process. It was better to be safe than have an awning ripped off in a storm. So we spent the night indoors listening to the rain.

The next morning we set off to explore the the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. What an amazing place that is. It deserves a post all of its own!

After a busy morning and a delicious lunch at the Great Stupa we set off northwards for home. It was very sad driving through the small town of Rochester as it had been completed devastated by a wall of floodwater. The nature strips were piled high with household belongings. Many of the residents were still living in caravans and other short term accomodation at the nearby Elmore Field Day site as their homes were not safe to return to.

It was also sad driving into Echuca where the rivers had also overflowed. Sandbags were everywhere. What a mess!

In Deniliquin the lovely little caravan park that we’d stayed in not long ago was completely underwater. A funny thing happened as we drove into town. A huge kangaroo hopped in front of us and proceeded to hop his way down the road. He was surely lost!

We continued on through Deniliquin and stopped in Conargo where we camped at Bills’ Park. Bills’ Park is one of two free camps in that tiny place. Little Billabong Creek was in flood but we managed to find a good spot with water views in front of us and also behind us. Bills’ Park is a lovely little park that is also home to the local Bush Fire Brigade sheds. There’s water available and a dump point, picnic tables and rubbish bins. You can even camp in tents.

Just up the road is the famous Conargo Pub that had recently been rebuilt following the terrible fire that almost completely destroyed the building in 2014. There were sandbags all around the building to stop the creek waters from entering and the road to Carathool was closed. We continued our journey towards home and there was quite a lot of water along the sides of the road so it was a slow trip home.