12/5/2022 – Thursday –

We slept well, lovely & cosy under our eiderdown doona but woke to a cold foggy morning.  After breakfast I wander over to register & pay.  The day is a beautiful sunny 19C by now. We drive into town & have a walk around looking at the beautiful old stone houses. We found the one & only grocery store where we bought a loaf of bread & some fruit. We have a delicious lunch in the old stone North Star Hotel which was built in 1854. Inside the building it has very high ceilings with old wool bags lining it and stone walls, the tables were slabs of redgum. A rustic charming place. We drive around town, though we could have walked as the town is very small, to admire the few old buildings, the Jacka Brewery is a standout, around 4 stories high & a lovingly restored former flour mill. An unusual sight outside the Anglican Church in Church Street is a massive old tree with one lane of the road going around each side of it.

We then drive out towards Wilmington & up into the Mount Remarkable National Park to Alligator Gorge, a very pretty drive through the Remarkable Ranges. The two lookouts over the gorge are worth going to, the views are great & the scenery stunning.

It is then another half hour back to the camp at Melrose where we join the gathering around the campfire, meeting new people & renewing old friendships. They are certainly a very friendly group of people. We are some of the last to leave.  Back at our caravan I have some cheese & bikkies with a glass of red before bed.