Our search for the site of the old Delatite school bore some fruit. Eventually! Not much was left of the school from which Uncle Willy went to war, just two rows of large pine trees. We learnt that the school buildings were probably relocated to the Mansfield State School site sometime in the late 1970s.
Since the excitement of our discoveries at Mansfield, we have spent a few days enjoying some rare Victorian sunshine on the beaches of East Gippsland, firstly in a nice isolated spot on 90 mile beach just outside Sale and then at the mouth of the Snowy River at Marlo.
Spring is gradually taking hold and, as we crossed into New South Wales this morning, clear skies and warm sunshine greeted us. Here on the south coast of NSW, towns are close together and the ‘tree changers’ have taken a firm grip on the real estate market.
Australia is, of course, not highly populated. Twenty two million people are scattered over an area roughly equivalent to Western Europe or the USA, but this part of the country, the south east, is far more heavily populated than the enormous hinterland that lies to the north west. It has come on us gradually, but we are increasingly aware of the differences in services and facilities available to those of us who live in this more populous part of the continent. We consistently have internet and phone coverage and, frequently, HD digital TV, even in bush camps. We no longer need to carefully plan food, water and fuel usage. All these things are assumed by the bulk of Australians who live in the south east. The isolation and distance we have experienced in the more remote places along our path are not insurmountable problems, they just take a little more thought to manage and, in fact, this all adds to the travel experience.
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