On a country road between Warrnambool and Cobden, we found Bender. Cobden is prime dairying country and the home of Western Star butter. Western Star butter benches on the four corners in the middle of town. Dairy farm near Cobden Lake Colac is the largest natural freshwater lake in Victoria. It is very shallow, with … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 29 – More Volcanoes
Like Mount Schank that we visited earlier in our journey, it is geologically possible for volcanoes in this area to erupt again though it could still be a few thousand years away. This is still geologically young. Today we visited several volcanic cones and craters as well as a waterfall that cascades over old lava … More The State We’re In 2028 – Day 28 – Volcanoes
The Warrnambool Seal has been a popular feature of the city centre since 2018. It was crafted by Dave Jones so it really is out of Davey Jones Locker. Lake Pertobe is a wetland between the city and the coast. We were not at all pertobed to walk it’s many tracks. Yellow lichen Melaleuca “The … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 27 – Warrnambool and Tower Hill
Steam and Packet Inn in Portland – built between 1841 and 1842. Over the years, the building served as a hotel, a guesthouse, police barracks, and a National Trust house museum before becoming a private home. It is one of the oldest surviving timber buildings in Victoria. The big woodchip pile at the port. Two … More The State We’re in 2026 – Day 26 – Cape Bridgewater
Places near Portland we hope to visit over the next two days. Portland Bay is the only deep sea port between Adelaide and Melbourne offering a sheltered anchorage against the often wild weather of Bass Strait. It services the grain and timber industries as well as the local aluminium smelter. Alcoa Portland is Australia’s third largest aluminium smelter, with a capacity … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 25 – Portland
Telford Scrub Conservation Park protects remnant native vegetation in a region that is now mostly extensive pine plantations and dairy farms. A track meanders through a swamp gum woodland with an understory of austral bracken fern … …. before continuing north over vegetated sand ridges through a brown stringybark open forest. Grey fantail on a bracken … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 24 – The South of South Australia
Today we travel about an hour north of Mount Gambier to Naracoorte Caves, a World Heritage cave system. Bool Lagoon near Naracoorte is one of the largest and most diverse freshwater lagoon systems in southern Australia. This seasonal wetland is home to a wide range of wildlife and provides essential drought refuge for 150 species including … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 23 – Naracoorte Caves
A day in Mount Gambier visiting a local physio followed by a look at the volcanic and limestone features around the town. Cave Garden in the centre of town. Cave Garden / Thugi contains a 30 m deep cave. The cave was initially used as a water source for the town. Cast in Blue artwork near … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 22 – Mount Gambier craters and karst
Robe was described by a local as a quaint drinking village with a fishing problem. There is also a lot of history. Robe was founded in 1846 and became South Australia’s second-busiest international port, after Port Adelaide. Robe’s trade was drawn from a large hinterland that extended into western Victoria, and many roadside inns were built to … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 21 – The Limestone Coast
We leave Murray Bridge and take a back road to Wellington before a ferry crossing, one of two for today. Wellington Court House complex was built in 1859 and has become a landmark in the township. It contains two courtrooms, two rooms for the magistrates and constables, a telegraph room and the two old jail … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 20 – The Coorong
We depart Adelaide on another grey day with light showers. We will stay at Murray Bridge with a day spent in the small towns of the Adelaide Hills away from the touristy areas like Hahndorf. We travel up the North East Rd…. …past reservoirs. The Inglewood Inn was established in 1857. The Old Coach House … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 19 – Adelaide Hills
A circuit from Adelaide to the mouth of the Murray River and Victor Harbour. Laratinga Wetlands at Mount Barker Hardheads Springtime nest building for this Coot – sticking to the plan. Pacific black duck Grey teal Red wattlebird Adelaide rosella Historic Laucke Flour Mill at Strathalbyn – people say swallowing flour, eggs, sugar and water … More The State We’re In 2026 – Day 18 – Mouth of the Murray
