Echuca 2010

November 3rd, We moved to Echuca and booked into the Riverlander Caravan Park for a week. We were a little disappointed that we could not see the Murray River from any of the riverfront sites, so opted for a site in-between the Cabins nearer to the Amenities Block and opposite the Pool. This Park is 7 klms out of Town and is provided with river water in the taps and rainwater tanks for drinking. It has its own boat ramp so I’m expecting to finally get the boat into the water and do some fishing. I ducked into Town to pick up some groceries and took a quick look around the Port Precinct. It was amazing as it felt like taking a walk back in time. Val is going to love this Town.

November 4th, I unloaded the boat off the car and started to set it up for fishing. I’ll go to a fishing tackle shop, for some local advice. After lunch we went into Town to the Workers Club to watch the Oakes Day Races and have a few bets. My pick is still running but Val got the Quinella up and a place win as well, so she was off to good start. We decided to have a little flutter on the Pokies while we finished our drinks and for a $20 investment, took away a $100. We went down to the Port Precinct and walked through the area, taking in the wonderful old buildings and shops. We did some wine tasting, bought some delicious fudge and checked out the Paddle Steamers Cruises. We were amazed at the number of Paddle Boats and Houseboats in this part of the River. The Paddle Boat Cruises run all day every day and plenty to choose from.

November 5th, We started to-day with the “Main Power Board” blowing up, at the Park, so no electricity for 4 hours. We had to change over to LPG for the fridge and boil water for coffee in a saucepan. I finished setting up the boat and we went into Town to look at the other half of the shopping area, which included BigW and Target.

November 6th, I put the boat in the Murray River this morning and was happy to find my new Towing Hitch, which I had made with scrap aluminium from Greg’s place, worked perfectly. Went for a fish, using plastics, but didn’t get a bite. We went on the Paddle Steamer “Emmy Lou” Lunch Cruise, 1 ½ Hours on the Murray River. That brought back memories of our Houseboat Cruise on the Murray at Murray Bridge with Joan & Robert, a couple of years ago. We were envious of the holiday makers in the Units, right on the river front. It was a very pleasant and relaxing cruise with a nice lunch and a glass of Chardy. We drove around Moama, on the NSW side of the river, to check out the Town. The Sunday Markets are on there to-morrow.

November 7th, We never did get to the Markets and it was too windy for fishing, so after lunch I went into Town to look through the Holden Museum. It was a great collection of Holden vehicles, starting with a 1946 American built prototype through to the Commodore. They had a video showing the Holden history from the horse and cart days progressing through to 1975. A very interesting story for any car enthusiast. I have owned a few Holdens in my time, including the FJ, FE and Commodore models, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to have some memories re-visited.

November 8th, Went out for a fish to-day and had been told that cheese was a good bait for Yellow Belly (Golden perch) and other guests had been catching them. Obviously the fish didn’t like my cheese and I returned, once again, empty handed. I ducked into Town mid afternoon to have a look through their Historical Museum, which used to be the old Police Station, only to find it closed. I settled for a drive around Town and photographed a few of the interesting buildings.

November 9th, Had a chat with the Park Manager and was given a few tip on the best bait to use here. Soft cheese or Shrimp, caught in the river with dry dog food as bait. So will give both of them a go. I thought I had a shrimp net, from our previous Murray River adventure, but was informed that what I had was not a shrimp net. So armed with a borrowed shrimp net, I set off to try my luck. 15 minutes later I had caught a dozen shrimp and went down river to select a fishing spot. It wasn’t long before I had caught my first fish in the Murray River, unfortunately, it was a 40cm European Carp and not an edible fish, by western standards. It was a good fish to catch but being an introduced species are not to be put back into the river when caught. I’m told that Asians and Germans do eat Carp. I took a photo as proof of my catch then disposed of it humanely. Time to pack up again as to-morrow we move to Swan Hill.