29 May 2023 - Marlo to Bairnsdale via Bruthen

Up betimes to have a bit of a look around Marlo. 

The Prop and Mrs P had been to Marlo twice before, in 2016 when we stayed at the Marlo Hotel and 2017 when we stayed in the Tadpole at the caravan park but never really had a good look about.

The Marlo Hotel - lawns almost certainly kept in order by kangaroos

Snowy River at Marlo

We drove back in the direction of Bumm River (which would probably have looked pretty good today as it was clear and sunny) to the Snowy River Estuary Walk. At its mouth, the Snowy River runs parallel to the coast for some distance and is separated from the Tasman Sea and Bass Strait by a long seaward sandbar.

Snowy River billabong (foreground) Snowy River and Bass Strait (background)

Snowy River East of Marlo

Travelling further east we reached Point "Ricky" Ricardo which inevitably reminded the Prop of the Jimmy Buffett song, "Pencil Thin Moustache"

Point Ricardo - possibly named for Lucille Ball's husband?

Jimmy Buffett possibly preparing to sing "Pencil Thin Moustache"

"I wish I had a pencil-thin mustache

The "Boston Blackie" kind, or a

Two-toned Ricky Ricardo jacket

And an autographed picture of Andy Devine..."

Apparently, Point Ricky Ricardo is a good location to observe the migration of various whale species. We had a good look but saw nothing today, despite the shamelessly exaggerated signage on display.

Misleading and deceptive signage by Victorian Parks Service. Not a whale in sight!

Cape Conran viewed from Point Ricky Ricardo - much more water and sand than whales

The Tadpole - pointing Ricardo at the porcelain?

Then to Bairnsdale by way of the small town of Bruthen where the Prop obtained an outstanding Steak & Kidney Pie from the Bruthen Bakery - just the right balance of kidney and tender, but not overcooked beef.

The half-eaten Bruthen Bakery steak & kidney pie. Magnificent (but maybe too much tomato sauce?)

The Bruthen Bakery -  a hidden culinary gem in the Gippsland region

Arrived at Bairnsdale mid-afternoon. Uninstructed, the Prop would probably have thought that "Bairns-dale" was Geordie for "baby's paddock". However, the truth is much less interesting!

It turns out that in 1844 an early settler, one Archibald McCloud, named his property  or "run" (presumably "granted" to him by the Colonial authorities who thought it was theirs to give away) after his birthplace - Bernisdale, on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

Presumably, as a result of McLoud' s Scots accent and a bit of the Chinese Whisper factor, Bernisdale soon became Bairnsdale, and that was that!

The Tadpole at the Bairnsdale Riverside Caravan Park - in among the big boys

Perfick!