Parked by the graveyard... all of our neighbors are very quiet!

When we left you last, we were on our way to see the glow in the dark mushrooms. We had read about them in advance, so we had a good idea of what to expect and how best to find them.

The best thing you can do is to show up in the area during daylight hours so that you actually know where they are. Most people show up at dusk or nighttime with flashlights glaring and then they never actually see anything!

So we had found the mushrooms late afternoon. They look like this...

But they don't actually glow until it's pitch black outside. Around here at this time of year, that means showing up after 8:00pm. We met people with little kids who were just coming in at dusk, and I told them they were at least an hour too early.

So, we knew exactly where to go to find the mushrooms we had seen during the day.

Unfortunately, my camera would not cooperate. This camera is fantastic for daylight zoom shots. But it sucks at low light night shots. They say that to properly photograph the mushrooms at night you need a camera capable of doing a 30 second exposure on a tripod. I'm not prepared to carry that kind of gear around with me... our camera will do maximum 4 second exposure.. not nearly enough.

So I stole a photo from the internet for you. This is approximately what your eyes see in the darkness... 

The ghost mushrooms at night.

It's a pretty neat phenomenon though. From a distance of 20 or 30 feet, you can easily see the glow from a colony of them.

We had left Bundy and Joyce at a forest service trailhead nearby where we were pretty confident we would get a good night's sleep.

Parked up for the night.

Taken at 7:00m this morning!

Sure enough, it was a great night's sleep.

But, we had no cell signal because of all the trees. We drove back into town and found a sports park with open washroom facilities and we had our breakfast and internet time in the parking lot there.

Then, we had some driving to do.

We're trying to optimize the weather, and from Monday noon until Tuesday evening it's supposed to be beautiful. And we want to get some hiking done in Grampians National Park. So we got some driving in today in order to be up there for the sunshine. Hopefully the forecast is somewhat accurate.

Shortly after we started driving, we crossed into the state of Victoria.

We had heard all kinds of warnings about crossing state borders and having food items taken away. Some fruits and vegetables... even honey! But on this fairly main road, there was just a sign. We had planned in advance and didn't have much they could take away, although we were worried about our honey. But, there was nothing!

Scenery along the way.

LOTS of sheep farming!

We pulled in to the town of Casterton. This town is an RVFT... an RV Friendly Town!

What is an RV Friendly Town?

An RV Friendly Town (RVFT) is one that has satisfied a set of guidelines to ensure they provide a certain amount of amenities, and a certain level of service for RV travellers. When deciding whether a town should be RVFT, we also consider the general attitude of the council and business people – after all it is called the RV “Friendly” Town Program..

Essential criteria to become RV Friendly

• Appropriate parking for RV’s of all sizes within the town centre (within a kilometer of the Post Office), with access to a general shopping area for groceries and fresh produce. This parking is required to be clearly signposted for ” RV Parking Only”
• Short term, low cost overnight parking (24/48 hours) for self-contained RV’s as close as possible to the Central Business District ( no more than 5kms from the Post Office)
• Access to potable water for refilling fresh water tanks. Access to a free dump point at an appropriate location.

Casterton has a free camping area for stays of up to 30 days!

We decided not to stay though... we still had some driving to do... however, we did notice some kind of event going on at the showgrounds...

It turned out to be a dog show.

It was all about the Australian Kelpie.

This young Kelpie wanted nothing to do with those sheep!

We watched them work. They're amazing!

This dog got the sheep all corralled and into the gate.

Then he ran right over their backs to guide them out the other side!

Wow, what smart and agile dogs!

We had fun watching them for a while, but we still had some driving to do.

Back on the road. 

We pulled off at a scenic overlook, but there wasn't much of a view.

Wannon Falls.

We stopped at Wannon Falls Park. Interesting waterfall, but now is not the best time to see it. They say that in late September the water is just crashing over at this point.

And in late September, you wouldn't even think about walking across here.

They have a nice free campground here as well.

We had lunch here, but we still had more driving to do!

Off in the distance, there was a mob of kangaroos!

We are learning that kangaroos here in Australia are much like deer in parts of the U.S. and Canada. There are simply too many of them! And just like in Canada, you see them dead at the side of the road... one of the reasons that most vehicles (including Bundy) have a big strong bush bar bolted on as a front bumper. Apparently at night, they aren't the smartest animal. When they see you coming, there is a 50-50 chance they will simply bolt back onto the road instead of running away!

We found a spot at the end of a dead end road...

 literally dead end, because it ends at a cemetery!

Should be a quiet night!

Here's Sunday's drive...

Sunday's drive, 185 kms (115 miles).

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