We’re back on the road again, 8 months since the last time we travelled, having spent nearly half that period in another long lockdown.  This trip is a mish-mash of previously planned short breaks and orienteering weekends, strung together to make a slightly circuitous route through central Victoria.

First stop – Eppalock; a 3 night stay that was supposed to happen in June, for the Queens Birthday orienteering that we had planned, and were forced to cancel yet again (when it goes ahead in 2022, it will be third time lucky).  We had a long standing invitation to visit Ted and Margi and see their new Bendigo home, with its prime water views, so we decided to combine that with some sightseeing in Heathcote.

The house is on a small property about 20 minutes out of Bendigo, and is surrounded by state forest – typical dry, open Bendigo terrain.  It’s the sort of property you would look for if you were tree changing, and there certainly seems to be a lot of that happening on Bendigo’s fringes.

The house is three storey, stone walled, with brick and timber interiors. The kitchen and living space is a large open plan space which looks very impressive.  The main bedroom is on a mezzanine above, then another spiral staircase leads to the loft, which serves as a second bedroom.

All the timber and most of the fittings are recycled or repurposed.  The chimney was hand built.  The oregon beams came from the Bendigo Hospital.  The beautiful kitchen benchtops were once a jarrah floor.

It should be amazing – but somehow it doesn’t quite hit the mark.  Some of it is just not practical or well thought out.  The lighting is quite dim – you can’t read in bed without a torch.  The shower is tiny.  The upstairs handbasin requires gymnastic ability to use – we clean our teeth in the kitchen sink as it is the only place with cold running water (the main bathroom only has hot water connected to the basin).  The light switches are complicated; we’ve spent ages trying to work out why a light that worked yesterday, doesn’t work today; only to find that we’ve flicked off another random switch somewhere. 

Some effort has been put in to choosing interesting furnishings and décor, like the 1956 newspaper, vintage adding machine, and display of cardboard railway tickets from a long-gone era.  But some of it doesn’t quite gel.  It’s just not a house that feels naturally comfortable; it’s taken some effort to settle in.

We do have kangaroos that visit in the evenings, and nibble the grass outside the kitchen door.  The wildflowers are in profusion, there is plenty of birdlife.  We just kind of expected a little more from it all.

We spent a lovely afternoon and evening catching up with Ted, Margi and Jim; talking about past and future travel, orienteering (naturally), and many other topics.

Click on the gallery to see full size photos.