Walhalla Revisited

Firstly I am writing this at 9.20 am on Tuesday, 14th August 2007. NOT the time it will say when it goes up on the post. (In an hour)

I am terrible. In May Cliff's next brother down to him, Grant and Grant's wife, Terry came to visit. They stayed at Cliff's for about a week.

On Saturday 26th May we took them up to Walhalla via Cooper's Creek pub.

It was about 2 p.m. when we arrived at Cooper's Creek and it was a beautiful warm sunny winter's day. There were bikes in a paddock near the pub and their buzzing was like the sound of bees on a summer's day. Very pleasant indeed. We sat outside and had a drink, then read about the history of the pub from the posters inside and the plague outside. I loved the cherry wood on the underside of the verandah.

Grant had brought along his banjo and took it and and played a few tunes while we sat.

We arrived at Thomson River Bridge Station at just after 3 p.m. and were lucky enough to catch the last train up to Walhalla. The next week the trains stop at 2.30 p.m. from Thomson River Station. They usually make the run back empty as most people get on the train at Walhalla and go down to the Thomson Station and back. So we were doing it in reverse.

We waited for the train to do the turn around in the waiting room and there was a lovely open fire. It was getting quite chilly as there is only about two to three hours of direct sunshine into Stringers Gorge at this time of year.

Grant played his banjo again and this time the passengers from the train put money into his case. He made a donation of it to the Walhalla Goldfields Railway fund. It was about $20 so the people were generous.

Ross was with us too and he gave me his camera to take photos while he used the camcorder. Grant and Terry also took photos and used a camcorder.

We wrote in the vistor's book (of course.)

Well this week end Audrey said that Graham had asked if Tom and her had ever been to Walhalla and they had said no. I never know this!

So Cliff took Sunday off and we went to Walhalla. This time Tom drove and we went to Walhalla first. We got the train down to the Thomson station. It was a cold wet day. But the train was full.

Stringer's Creek was flowing rapidly, last time it was a lazy wander. The station lady at Walhalla said all the rains had cleaned Stringer's Creek out, though it was muddy in places due to the rain last night.

On the cliff side there was a lot of water flowing down the face of the rocks and creating wonderfully looking little waterfalls in places. In other parts I was amazed to see water seeping out bewteen cracks in the rocks, the cliff face above being perfectly dry and below the crack all shiny from the water. The sun came out for the twenty minute ride so we were blessed.


At Thomson while we waited for the turnaround we walked up the bank to look at the river. There was debris piled nearly 20 foot high behind the middle pylon of the road bridge. The station master said that was the height of the river a month ago when they were having the floods in Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale area.

He also said that Stringer's Creek enters the Thomson River there and then the Thomson runs into the Macallister and that runs into the Latrobe which feeds into Lakes Entrance.

There was also a huge pile of debris behind the middle pylon on the rail bridge. Not as high as the road pylon, but much wider. I would say there would be about the same amount of wood in both piles.

It started to drizzle after we arrived back at Walhalla so Tom just drove slowly through the town but we didn't stop, he drove up to the bus turnaround and then back down again. I think Audrey was disappointed she wanted to see the bank vault and read the description.

On the way out we saw a fresh fall of rock on the road! It had not been there eighty minutes earlier when we had come in. Tom said he was thankful it hadn't fallen on his car. So was I.

We then took the dirt road to Cooper's Creek. There were a number of trees down. One was right across the road! Thankfully the car went under it with three inches to spare. The other four trees we managered to drive around.

Unfortunately when we got to Cooper's Creek it was to find that the pub had a sign on it that said it is now closed for business. They have gone out of business in the ten weeks since we were last there. But their sign to say they are open is still on the road.

We drove to Erica and stopped at the pub there and had lunch. Audrey mentioned to the lady serving lunches we had intended to have lunch at Cooper's Creek but they were closed and the woman replied that a group of six had come in the night before and said the same thing. Audrey said how would we have liked to have gone out in the night, down that dirt road, only to find the pub closed? I was pissed off and it was the day time! So I know I would have been furious at night time.

At least this time we meet no cows wandering on the road.

Drove through Yallorn North and pointed out where Meg lives and Kath works and lives as well as Nathen' parents.

Ross did not come with us as he says he is coming down with a cold. So am I, my voice is almost non existent. But I still went and had a good day.

Audrey and Tom left for Graham's on Monday morning.