Mansfield

Mt Stirling, Mt Buller, and Paps Walk

Today was an easy day. I had emailed a bunk a biker host a few days ago and unfortunately wasn’t available to host at this time. We decided to stay an extra day in Mansfield and take an unrushed tour of the mountain along with laundry. Upon checking in, we were given a bag of detergent so we decided to use it! As we waited on our clothes, we decided to check out the town and grab a few items along with the elusive hat I couldn’t seem to find. We toured an old Catholic church and grabbed breaky! Good news! I found the hat! It is collapsable and will fit in my bag nicely!

After the laundry was done we piled into the car with water, a windbreaker, and TimTams. My new addiction!!! Holy crap they are good!

Our original goal was Craig’s Hut. A piece of the movie set from “The Man From Snowy River”. Unfortunate for us, the road was closed but we did get some awesome pictures of the landscape and some birds. Right now, the beginning of spring, everywhere we look is green and beautiful! We followed ideas, once again from Graeme and Katrina and ended up giving Liz more practice with twisties! She still does not like them. I should have been recording every eep and shudder she made as we made our way through more twisty roads both up and downhill. Following are some pictures from Mt Stirling and Mt Buller. Almost done, I promise I am saving the best for last.

I saw this next picture in the pubic toilet at the base of Mt Stirling.

Now to Mt Buller

The view from the top

On the way down

So we were again given a suggestion on our way down the mountain to take a side trip to the Merijig pub. Trust me, this was the best pub ever! Liz and I went in and had a meal waiting for a horse trainer and actor that played in “The Man From Snowy River”. I don’t recall his name but as we waited, Liz and I struck up a conversation with a young bloke who had a passion for motorcycles as well. He reiterated all the information we have heard such as how dumb the animals in Australia are, don’t drive at night, stay on the left side of the road, ect. The one bit of information that piqued my interest was the fact that there supposedly a herd of brumbies (wild horses) nearby at a place called Paps Walk. We said our goodbyes, piled back into the car and headed west about 20 kilometers!

Let me describe Paps Walk. It is a large mountain in the middle of a sheep field where you can climb or drive to the top and get a 360 degree view of the area. As I mentioned, everything right now is green and blooming it is beautiful. With the possibility of brumby sightings, we were taken aback by the beauty as the sun was setting.

There was a gate at the entrance and we weren’t sure if we just open it and drive in or if this was someone’s property and would get shot. That thought quickly fled our minds when we remembered there aren’t that many guns in private use in Australia, lets open the gate. (I also asked google for more information about Paps Walk and it stated you opened the gate to get in but be sure to close it and not let the sheep out! I’m a mindful heathen!) We started the drive up the mountain. It was primitive roads but relatively smooth but then came the choice. Do we take the north side entrance, which was steep, or the south side entrance which was flatter. Liz asked me what to do and I said, take the north side. it is steep now, but maybe it will flatten out. WRONG CHOICE! We got to a point where Liz was too uncomfortable to progress, and I got to drive the car for 30 seconds to turn it around in an area that was too close to the edge for her comfort. Even though we didn’t reach the top, we got spectacular photos of the golden hour here in Oz. That is the hour just after sunrise and just before sunset. We also saw wild roos and wallabies. We saw wild animals that were not dead on the side of the road! Relaxing day complete, time for wine and relaxation.

Paps Walk