We left Albany after lunch and headed towards a very pretty and very green farm stay caravan park called Ayr Sailean. We stopped in along the way at a few playgrounds in Denmark, then via a chocolate factory to visit Greene’s Pool and Elephant Rocks. In the meantime, now with an appropriate dose of sugar and cocoa on board, I jumped on my bike at the chocolate factory and rode a section of the 1000 km long Munda Biddi single track trail to meet Kris and the boys at Elephant Rocks. After a quick poke around we moved on to our campsite. With the sun setting, we set up camp, surrounded by granite boulders, grass, tall trees and the distant sounds of baying sheep. All very salubrious.

We dedicated the next day to Greens Pool, which the boys loved. They paddled around on their boogey boards, snorkeled, jumped off rocks and played in the sand. Meanwhile, I got a serious case of self-imposed ‘shutter eye’ from taking too many photos of the magnificent (elephant) rocks, followed by a spot of rock fishing. Plenty of seaweed was snagged before I managed to nab a herring and a decent sized bream, enough for a delicious fish pasta. The boys were able to help by shooing away the seagulls. These pestiferous ‘rats of the sea’ know exactly what fishermen are up to, being especially keen on swiping unattended bait and any caught fish left alone in buckets!

Greene’s Pool

Elephant Rocks – Can you see the herd heading out to sea?

The next day we immersed ourselves in the whole Tall Tree experience, visiting the Tingle Tree with it’s 20m circumference and obligatory ‘Kodak moment’ family photo in the massive split trunk, followed by the Tree Tops walk. This consists of a 40m high walkway through the tree tops – ‘nice’, but not as interesting as the Otway Tree Tops experience along the Great Ocean Road. I just loved being amongst these massive silent giants, some apparently, are 400 years old.

When we returned to Alice late in the afternoon, I lit a fire and cooked the fish on the coals. Kris followed later with her first damper effort, golden syrup complete with apricots and dates – delicious. That night we had more clear skies and a late moon rise, so out came the camera – I think I’m taking more shots at night than during the day!

Kent River is next to Bow River, so we had a brief Cold Chisel revival moment. Sometimes I think our boys must wonder what mum and dad are thinking. After the noise of Albany, it was wonderful to be somewhere peaceful. Our own ‘Bonnydoon’ moment.