WE MOVE TO MYRTLEFORD FOR THE FIRST TIME AND THE ARDERN'S CARAVAN PARK - (29 MARCH - 3 APRIL 2016)

Easter is over, thank God!  We are off to Myrtleford for some peace and quiet. Whilst we were still in Beechworth we had made the trip to Myrtleford after a visit to Yackandandah (I'll have to blog that town at some stage) and were very impressed with what we found. We decided that this would be an ideal base from which to visit many more places of interest in the Victorian north-east before heading north to our Mudgee rendezvous in late April.

A proper look at Bright (we had avoided it like the plague during the Easter mayhem), the town of Harrietville and the Buckland Valley to the south-east, and the King Valley and the Milawa food and wine region (including the iconic Brown Brothers) in the opposite direction, were all in our sights.

The autumn leaves had not yet really begun to turn and I was determined not to leave this general area until they had. But we had already arranged to stay with our good friends the Gangemis (of Kurrimine Beach acquaintance) at their holiday home in Yarrawonga as of 4 April, after which the nearby town of Rutherglen was on the agenda.  

All this meant that we had reached the conclusion that, unless it proved to be far less than satisfactory, we would make Myrtleford 'touring central' both before and after our sortie up to, and back from, the Murray River. I suspect this all sounds a little complicated, and to some extent it was something of a juggling act, but it worked for us. One of the really convenient things about this region is the fact that nothing is really too far from anything else.

So, with that rather convoluted explanation of our movements, let's at least get into Myrtleford and the Ardern's Caravan Park. There are two parks in Myrtleford. One is council owned, is quite large and, from what we could see, looked reasonable. The other is privately owned, is slightly more distant from the CBD (but still within easy walking distance), and appeared, from what we could find on the Internet, to be decidedly more rustic and appealing. 

And so it was.  We had made a good choice of both park and proprietors. Leissa and David, who bought this park about eighteen months ago when it was apparently in a shocking state, have been working like mad to bring it up to speed. The results of their efforts are obvious but by their own admission there is still much to be done.


As it was, from the moment we approached the entrance road off the main highway at the southern end of the Myrtleford CBD, we loved the place. At this point I must ask you to take note of the fact that Mount Buffalo can be seen very distinctly in the background. There is a reason for this which will become clear (or not) in a later blog. I pray your patience, dear readers.







Then entrance road into the park runs between a group of commercial premises which include a camping and fishing shop, ski hire 

and the famous Myrtleford Butter factory. We were very disappointed to later find that these premises are now used only to house a very expensive and second rate (as we were reliably informed by a local of good taste) cafe/restaurant.  All the butter making operation had been shifted to the town of Moyhu in the nearby King Valley. Our plan to stock up on what is reputed to be the best butter in the country fell flat.









But onwards to our digs.













Nearing the main entrance it was already apparent that this is a park where trees abound. What an arboreal archway this is.





As is required, we pulled up on the roadway and completed our arrival formalities at the building which combines the office and the owners' residence before Leissa walked me down to the site she had chosen for us. I was more than happy with her selection but it was made quite clear that I could occupy another if we would have preferred. We did use a different site on our second visit, but I'll explain that in due course.







For now it was a left turn and off into the park proper, again under the canopy of massive shade trees.













From here we drove past a row or two of 'annuals', of whom there a quite a few,

and down towards the levee bank at the rear of the park beyond which a small creek gurgles its way along to join the Ovens River. 

Another left turn onto the park 'back road' 






and a few more metres before here we were on site. This section of the park, being as shaded as it is (combined with the fact that there has been virtually no rain here for months) is not lush with grass underfoot, but we are well equipped to deal with dirt which was of no consequence when weighed against the size and 'elbow room' of our patch.




At this end of the park we virtually had the place to ourselves, which normally means that the amenities and camp facilities such as the BBQ's etc are miles away. Not so here at Ardern's.

For us it just got better and better. As this shot shows, we were a mere hop, step and a jump from a dual, completely self contained ablution facility and the adjacent BBQ.

When the camping area behind our site is heavily occupied, this might be something of a trial as folk queue for use (as apparently it was over Easter), but now it was like having our own private bathroom and toilet. At the end of this building you can see the stainless steel sink which I later put to very good use (I hate cleaning the Baby Q at the best of times, but even more so when fiddling about over a small sink...this was more than adequate)








The nearby BBQ facility was equally fit for purpose. It's not too often we find a hooded burner. 













So what else do we find at this delightful park? Let's toddle back to the front entrance where the main park ablution block can be seen down the roadway











which runs past the main group of park cabins and another community BBQ area.

On the end wall of this large building we found something we wish would be prominent in more caravan parks.....local maps. Although they are but an adjunct to those we carry with us, they are very useful to gain an early 'feel' for a new area.








Past the rear of the ablution block are the homes of a few more annuals,












whilst on the other side of the building is the short row of 'formal' slab sites for those who prefer this option (and who are short enough to fit).











The question we asked our selves, is why would you?  This is rustic camping of a high standard. Private nooks and crannies abound. 











Some choose to set up under the abundance of trees












whilst, for those wanting a little more sun (as we did on our return visit) there are many places available on this large, grassed 'oval' area.

Although this park supports quite a number of annuals, there are only two permanent residents, both of whom occupy very neat and well maintained little homes close to where we were in temporary residence. We actually got to know them both quite well in the time we were here (which can always be very useful for gaining all the local 'gen').



If I seem to be waxing somewhat lyrical about the Ardern's caravan park it is probably because it just fitted our bill to a 'T'. We had a wide, long site with oodles of space around us, plenty of shade (albeit not entirely necessary at this time of the year), complete peace and quiet and virtually our own bathroom and an outside kitchen. After the chaos and noise of a Porepunkah Easter, this was bliss.






And true to form, herself had no problem finding some afternoon sun in which to lounge on the unoccupied site opposite ours whilst yours truly indulged in my annoyingly obligatory afternoon snooze.








I think I have already mentioned we did make good use of the BBQ on several occasions.







Of course, close supervision was necessary just to make sure Chef Pierre remained on song. As you have probably gathered from these shots, the Ship's Cat was more than at home here. He even took on one of the permanent's dogs which foolishly came to visit and saw him off our site in short order in best 'black panther' tradition. Fortunately little 'Haggis' escaped with his nose intact, but Max huffed and puffed for a good ten minutes after his victory. What a difference a few years on the road makes!

And when we weren't sitting about the BBQ, 'happy hours' in the late afternoon under our awning were just that, particularly on this occasion when Liz was clearly delighted with her choice of sparkling red from the redoubtable Brown Brothers winery (which we had visited that morning). Oh, and yes, she does have other clothes!!


I shall have more to say about that sortie (to Brown Brothers) and many others we made from our wonderful base here at the Ardern's park in Myrtleford in my next few missives. The grass may have been growing in the park, but not under our feet!