Moama, New South Wales – Day 317

After enjoying the Winter Blues Festival for a few hours yesterday afternoon we spent the next couple of days wandering around the border towns of Echuca (Victoria) and Moama (New South Wales). This morning, we started off with Moama and its monthly market. Given that the Winter Blues Festival was still in full swing it came as no surprise that the market was particularly busy when we visited.

Despite not being fond of crowded places we make exceptions for markets and were especially pleased when we arrived and immediately got a prime parking spot, just as someone was leaving. We had worried that we would have had difficulty parking.

The market is well spread out and has around 120 stalls at peak times making it one of the largest regional markets in Victoria. It has a bit of everything except fruit and vegetables. While there are food stalls they certainly do not predominate as they often do.

A cute little coffee and donut van

‘Platform’ Ugg Boots – now I have seen it all. Having spent most of the past year in the Outback I wonder if these are now all the rage in Melbourne, the fashion capital of Australia. I would soon find out.

As we travel we are always on the lookout for little souvineers – quality as opposed to quantity. These days we typically acquire unframed prints or pictures that are light and relatively easy to carry. In our new home in Adelaide there are three hanging lights over the central bench in the kitchen/dining area. On one of these we have a hanging crystal so when we saw some hanging crystals in the market we decided to get one for each of the other lights. Bargain as we might, with the lady on the stand, she would not budge on price. We walked away and came back an hour or so later – she still would not budge on the price. As it was reasonable we bought the crystals below to add to our collection of one.

As we finished up with the market I noticed a track heading in the direction of the river (Murray) and a quick look on MapsMe confirmed that I could indeed reach the river if I followed it, so off we headed. If you have been following my more recent entries you will not be surprised to hear that the track, about halfway to the river, was flooded and there was no longer access to the river.

The walking track comes to an end some distance back from the actual river or, yet again on this trip, the river had come to greet us.

A flooded Murray River at Moama

An old tree stump converted into a fire pit and a convenient place to dispose of old beer bottle caps

A short walk from the market, across the road and still on the Moama side of the river, is a formally laid out walking trail along raised boardwalks – the Horseshoe Lagoon Walk. Alas, the boardwalks were not raised high enough and again most of the path was closed due to high water levels. That said, enough of the path had reopened to allow us to have a pleasant walk and actually see the river.

The river comes to meet us again!

Walkway above the water level

Walkway below the water level

A gnarly tree with a line showing how high the river had risen earlier in the year. By the time we visited, it had dropped two to three metres

The Murray River by Horseshoe Lagoon at Moama

On the way back to our car we passed a monument (which replaced an earlier drinking fountain) celebrating the diamond jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria, in 1897.

With a reign of 63 years, seven months and two days, Victoria was the longest -reigning British and Australian monarch and the longest-reigning queen regnant in world history until her great-great-granddaughter the late Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her record on 9 September 2015.

A local newspaper (Riverine Herald (Echuca, Vic. : Moama, NSW), 23 June 1897) on reporting the monument’s unveiling noted that:

“The Mayor of Moama, who was very heartily received, said that the council had erected the drinking fountain in honour of the Diamond Jubilee Commemorations. He referred in terms of pleasure to the beautiful Queen’s weather(*1), and, after referring in earnest terms to the splendid reign of the Queen and the vast amount of good she had accomplished he unveiled the fountain amidst cheers. The band struck up ” God Save the Queen” and the children and assemblage generally joined heartily in. The band played ” Rule Britannia.” “

(*1)  ‘Queen’s weather’ was a new expression to me and it means Good weather, especially on a day that an outdoor event is scheduled to happen. The phrase originates in Queen Victoria’s time as she tended to have favourable weather conditions at her public appearances.

Queen Victoria’s birthday, the 24th of May, used to be called `Empire and was celebrated in Australia into the 1950s. Today there are a number of statues of Queen Victoria in Australia, my favourites being one in Sydney (this one has a particularly interesting, and indeed amusing, history) and one in Adelaide.

Returning to the caravan for lunch, we stopped off at the local train station in Echuca.

Echuca train station

Seeing a Melbourne train here got me thinking that an impromptu day trip to Melbourne might be an option but I suspected that the cost would be prohibitive for what really just amounted to a joy ride. My regular reader will be aware of my love for any form of rail travel.

I approached the ticket office expecting a fare of $60+ only to find out that a return trip (over three hours each way) would cost just $10. As you will see, a couple of days later we went to Melbourne for the day – more on that trip and the cost in a later entry.

Later in the afternoon, I took a short walk down to the river in the campsite, passing assorted old farming equipment on the way. To finish up my sightseeing for the day, I sat by the river for a while contemplating the meaning of life and, more importantly, wondering what I would have for dinner.

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The next review from my Adelaide to Canberra road trip can be found HERE.

Should you wish to follow this road trip from the beginning please start HERE.

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