Rest Day!

The girls had a day off orienteering and instead their team had an excursion to Sovereign Hill. Meanwhile Andy and Eoin both headed into Melbourne to work for the day. That meant Cath and I hung out together!

We had coffee at Harcourt Produce and General Store on our way to Mount Alexander, a hill that rises 350m above the surrounding flat farmland. After a quick drive around the picnic area, we decided to explore an area signposted as Dog Rocks.

What a great find! A short walk took us on the western slopes of the Mt Alexander. The granite outcrops were gorgeous and the views sensational! While Cath was on a work call, we wandered around the small footpads in amongst the large boulder many that had split. Dog rocks was apparently named in the 1850 by a local station manger who observed many dingos in the area. We can report there were none seen today.

 

 

From Dog Rocks, we made our way to Lang's Lookout located on the eastern side of Mt Alexander, just in time for Cath's meeting. Bathing in the sunshine on a large granite slab, I read a book while Cath worked away. It was peaceful until a large crash both startled us - a tree branch had fallen only meters away from Cath's car!

After the meeting, we ventured to the short distance to the lookout for more spectacular views over the farmland below. From Harcourt we drove into Castlemaine wandering around the Mill. Once the Castlemaine Woollen Mill, the site has evolved into food, vintage and artisan precinct. Lunch was enjoyed at a nearby cafe before driving back to Taradale. Nice day out.