Last night a gusty wind change blew through in the evening, and we expected cooler weather today; the plan was to explore the Rubicon Valley Historic Area on foot. But by the time we were ready, it was already well on the way to 30 degrees and any sign of the cool change was gone.  A quick shuffle of the itinerary, and we found ourselves on the road to Eildon, famous for the weir, waterskiing, and being the bottom end of the lake in “The Castle” (how’s the tranquillity!)

The last time either of us were here was almost 40 years ago, having dodged several notorious rogaines in the area.  Ian had friends who owned a boat and water skis; he’d been a couple of times previously, and was reasonably competent, ie he could stand up and be towed along for a distance before tilting gracefully sideways into the water. I was willing to give it a go – how hard could it be?  I quickly found out it was never going to be part of my skill set; I think not being able to see an inch in front of me (no glasses) gave me no reference point to find my balance, and after a dozen attempts and swallowing half the lake, I gave up and stayed in the boat.

Eildon was a popular honeymoon spot in the 50s and 60s (before we collectively learned to fly and discovered the Gold Coast, Bali, New Zealand etc).  It doesn’t look like a lot has changed; when looking for somewhere to stay I was surprised at the lack of upmarket options, but the resort apartment trend hasn’t caught on here.  Perhaps the locals prefer it that way.  We don’t mind – it’s peaceful and certainly not overrun with sightseers, at least at this time of year.

We visited the intake tower picnic point, then crossed the dam wall to the spillway lookout, built on a rocky outcrop requiring a bit of a climb.  The lookout itself is very retro in style.  You can see the wall, the lake behind it, the spillway, the Pondage and hydroelectric plant, and also Mt Pinniger.  A lower lookout afforded a good view of the bottom of the spillway, but required a hefty 88 step climb to return to the car park (counting steps somehow makes them seem easier).

From there we took the winding road up Mt Pinniger for a high vantage point.  After leaving the bitumen and making our way along an unsigned gravel side road, we wondered if we were heading into oblivion; but a narrow ridge with a surveyors table perched on top was obviously the right spot; the drone hovering overhead was another giveaway.  The views were expansive; we could clearly see everywhere we’d been, as well as the houseboat marina, numerous headlands, and an island which would have been a lower peak, before the valley was flooded to construct the reservoir. We paused to inspect some very well anchored electricity pylons; the cables swing right across the lake in a single span. As Ian said, a cable car would be a hell of a ride!

Back on terra flattis, we made an unsuccessful attempt to find an ice cream shop. Thwarted, we took a back road to Thornton.  Ian was keen to see if he could find the spot his grandparents once took him fishing (although he admits it could just as easily be Lerderderg as Taggerty). They used to cycle from St Kilda to Taggerty, over the Black Spur, and set up a rough camp (tarp) – no mean feat.  They used to arrange to mail a rifle and supplies to the general store/post office; no Dangerous Goods legislation back then!  We’re not sure exactly which river they camped on, but given the distance they pedalled from St Kilda, we doubt they rode any further beyond Taggerty than necessary.

We diverted into the Cathedral Range State Park, taking a rough dirt road into the first and second campgrounds.  The Little River flows through here and is very picturesque; if we were decades younger we may well have camped here ourselves.   As a teenager I did a weekend hiking trip in the Cathedrals, but I don’t remember anything in particular.

Back at the cabin, we were greeted by stifling air.  I went to the pool to dangle my feet and cool off; Ian ventured further afield and paddled in the river.  It is still way hotter than Melbourne, and the temperature difference tomorrow is 25 degrees compared to 18.  The hiking plan is still on hold, but we will explore the Rubicon area one way or another.