Long Ride (Drive) 2014 - Day 19 - Mildura to Melbourne

Mildura, VIC to Melbourne, VIC
Distance - 540km (8585km)
Weather - Sunny, 22 Degrees

The final run of the Long Ride saw us return to Melbourne from Mildura.

We left in absolute glorious weather and returned to something far from great, a haze hung in the sky and dark clouds looked like they would be bringing rain.

The way home saw us head straight down the Calder Freeway however, it was just as varied as many of the road we had already been on.  Leaving Mildura we passed through many beautiful vineyards, some for wine however, many for the delicious sultanas that Mildura is famous for.  There were also plenty of citrus orchards, the area was so green and lush, compared to what we had been seeing it was amazing.

Big Lizzy, you can't comprehend how
big this thing is.

Towards the outskirts of Mildura you come to Red Cliffs, once a town on it's own but now more a suburb, Red Cliffs is famous for a giant among farm machinery called 'Big Lizzy'.

Big Lizzy is absolutely amazing, in fact if you are into 'big' monuments, then Big Lizzy is a must.

The giant machine was built in 1915 by Frank Bottrill who saw a need to replace the camel trains that carried goods across the sandy terrain. Over 12 months Big Lizzy was constructed and became a legend of the area.  The machine was constructed in Richmond,

Big Lizzy must have made a hell
of a noise.

the suburb of Melbourne.

The plan was to drive it from Melbourne to Broken Hill, it would take one year to get it there.  Almost a year behind schedule and not yet earning an income Bottrill and Big Lizzy were still in Mildura.  By 1920 it was being used to clear land at Red Cliffs.  This pretty determined the future for Big Lizzy until it was dismantled in 1938.  Thankfully it was rebuilt and is now display for all to see.

After taking a look at Big Lizzy we were on our way and soon passed through Ouyen and then Sealake on the banks of Lake Tyrell, another dry, salty lake, much like Lake Eyre only smaller and much easier to access.  These lakes make you realise just how inhospitable this area of Australia can be.

The road past these towns soon became long, straight and uninspiring, that is until we reached Wycheproof.

The first thing you notice is that like some American western movie there's a rail line running right down the middle of the main street.  We were soon to discover that the trains now only run an average of once per week when the harvests happen, the last one hadn't actually come through for 6 weeks.  It must be a sight to behold when they do come through.

Mum, you going to this?

In town we went to a sandwich shop and I was pleased to see a sign that was close to my heart - Bogan Bingo, billed as being 'crude, politically incorrect and downright rude', it just doesn't get any better.  A word of warning, if you intend attending be careful, my dear old mum will be the one fighting to get the best seat.  Having a laugh I turned and noticed something across the road.  A yard full of amazing sculptures, at first I thought it was a display, I soon found it was one man's work.

The yard was full of amazing shapes which, soon became apparent that they were all made of farm machinery, engine parts and rail spikes.  Meandering through the yard I noticed an old bloke sat on a couch, at first I thought we were intruding until I noticed the grin on his face.  It was clear he was keen to show off

Giant sculptures made of
all sorts of things.

his work.

There must be a thousand
rail spikes in this.

We began to chat, he explained that he makes all of the sculptures and when asked why, his response was "why not?"  If you question having a crack at anything then you will never succeed, I told him he had certainly succeeded and his response was that every one was a failure that got out of hand.  We had a good laugh as he motioned us inside.  

Entering through the door brought a world of wonder.  Here was many sculptures made from old coins and basketball's.  This old guy was truly amazing and living a great life, doing what he loved and when he wanted to do it.  I walked away thinking this is what life

should be about.  His words of wisdom were certainly something to consider.

Charlton, a pretty little town.

A little further down the road we came across Charlton, a town that was the complete opposite of Wycheproof with it's extremely wide open streets. Charlton was narrow and twisting, and with it came a very different character, it was a beautiful town, and one that I'd like to visit again.

We continued on and it became apparent that the Long Ride was coming to an end, the roads were becoming more congested and the drivers more aggressive, there was no point

looking back and thinking about what could've been, just what had been achieved and what was still to come.

Melbourne, we were home and already planning what needed to be done to complete my Long Ride ...