The Nariel Valley

We went back to the Tallangatta Showgrounds for a couple of days because there was a big storm front predicted to come through. It was really warm when we arrived at lunch time, so I was able to get washing done and dry that afternoon. The next day the predicted rain came, although it seemed we were at the northern end of the band and didn't get as much as further south (i.e. in the mountains where we had just been!).

The morning we left was back to lovely blue skies, so we went up to the lookout before we hooked up the van.

Just about the time we decided that it would be good to look for somewhere for lunch we both noticed a sign that said "Lawrence Lookout 2km". Dazz hit the brakes and we turned left and followed a dirt road up the hill. This was one of the areas that burned in the bushfires in January. (We saw the smoke from Albury the day after they started as we were heading north.) A lot of the pine plantations have been cleaned up and are being replanted.

The Snowy Mountains are in the distance.

There were a lot of wildflowers and we spent quite a while wandering around looking at them after lunch.

Grass Triggerplant 

Golden Everlasting 

Button Everlastings 

Grey Guinea Flower 

Pink Bells 

Common Fringe Lily 

Tiger Orchids 

Stacey's Bridge Campground was our base for three nights in the Nariel Valley. We couldn't see the creek from our camp, but there was a little track down to the water with enough room for our chairs. 

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Our first full day was cold and overcast, so Dazz spent the day working and I caught up on some of my projects. We went for a walk in the late afternoon and there was a lot of wood around, so we decided to have a fire. It was lovely and warm so we sat out until dark to try and spot wildlife. I had checked the trees around us and wasn't seeing anything and then it started to rain, so that was a good excuse to go to bed!

The following day was clear and sunny so I did some washing in the morning while Dazz worked and then we went for a drive in the afternoon. After our experience on the Omeo Highway I decided to do a bit more research into the Corryong Benambra Road to see if we wanted to drive the 200+km round trip to Omeo over the mountains. I found a great website that gave some detailed descriptions of what there was to see at various points along the road, and also described the parts that had tight corners and steep drop offs - not what we wanted, especially as there had been quite a few groups of motorbikes coming and going past our camp. It seemed like the road was good to Sassafrass Gap, and there were nice views to be seen, so we set out on a 50km round trip.

This part of the forest looked like it had burned a few years ago as there was quite a bit of young regrowth.

The next pull-off spot had great views across to Mount Bogong (on the left, with a couple of patches of snow near the top) and Lake Dartmouth (on the right, above the trees - it can just be seen between the hills).

Dazz's pano with the long lens is nicer, but unfortunately he wasn't standing in quite the right spot to see the lake. It's behind the tree on the right.

The side tracks were well marked, and we followed one up a rise to Windfall Campground and found another view. 

Although the road was dirt it was nice and wide, and there were quite a few places to pull off. There was very little traffic, so we also just stopped on the road in some of the sections with better visibility. Once I took this photo I commented on how pretty the other side of the road was and then noticed the waterfall. There were even tadpoles in the stream running down the side of the road - and it was cold enough to be certain they weren't cane toads!

Our final stop on our way back was at a place I had noticed on our way up that looked out to the east. We found a place to pull off the road and then walked back along the road and up the bank on the other side to get a bit of extra height.

We were very happy with our relaxed afternoon drive and were pleased we didn't go further.