We set off from Lakes Entrance before the planned departure time of 8.30am. It had been raining all night and we were sure glad we had packed everything up yesterday and gone to the Bowling Club for dinner last night.We were headed for Traralgon, only about 150 kms further west on Princes Highway.  Heading towards Melbourne.  We met a couple at Bateman's Bay who own an egg farm near here and Laurie said to us "If we were ever in the area he would love for us to visit and he would show us over their enterprise".  So that is happening tomorrow.So now back to today.  By about 9.30am I was needing a comfort stop.  Drizzly rain was not good for the bladder!  While I was looking in the Camps Australia book for the next roadside stop, Peter spotted that Stratford on the Avon River was 7 kms away.  So I said to him "I've seen something about that historic town in one of the many brochures we have picked up (and continue to do so).  I think we should stop there".  The rest of the conversation went something like this. ...."Remember when we were in England in 1984 and Uncle Bill assumed we would want to visit Stratford on Avon and we looked at him dumbfounded.   So we didn't visit!  Then later we found out it was the home of a famous author or poet and then we realised we should have visited there.  I need Delma to tell me who it was"!So we pulled up in the main street and when we got out of the car, there it was on the Shire building.  Sister city to Stratford-Upon-Avon in England, the birth place of William Shakespeare.  Why couldn't I remember that?  I studied Macbeth at school too!  So we ended up having our morning coffee at a very nice little cafe just back from where we had parked.  Following morning tea we continued on our merry way, in the drizzling rain.  Windscreens wipers were going all the way to Traralgon Caravan Park.  We had great drive through sites and were there by 11.30am.  Now why call this blog 'A Delma of a Day'?  Travelpod do suggest we come up with a catchy name!   In a recent email from Delma she suggested we may like to visit the town of Walhalla, seeing we seemed to be enjoying this mountain touring!  It would be close by if we were travelling via Bairnsdale and Sale.   She advised that we shouldn't take the caravan to this place.  It was a great drive, a gorgeous little place and there was a cemetery on the side of the hill.  Definitely sound advice about the caravan!  So Peter had decided that was where we were going for the afternoon.  Kevin & Val said they would also like to come.  Thank you Delma.  We had a lovely afternoon despite the rain.  There was no wind with the rain and it was not cold, otherwise I think we would be tucked up in the van.  These words from the brochure describe the historic town well.  It is a town blessed with natural beauty.  It is the jewel not only in our local areas crown, but also for Gippsland and Victoria.  The mix of the township's picturesque location in a deep mountain vally and its gold era heritage gives Walhalla the 'wow' factor that draws people from all over the world to visit Australia's 'Valley of the Gods'.On the way up to Walhalla, we stopped at a lookout for the views over the Latrobe Valley and the coal mines down below.   Coal has been burning underground here for quite sometime.  On February 9th on a day of record heat, arsonists lit fires in the area and the Hazelwood Mine had been burning since.  We saw more evidence of the destructive fires when we went through Morwell the next day.A group of prospectors lead by Ned Stringer found gold in the valley in 1862.  The settlement was first known as Stringers Creek.  Later it became Walhalla after an early mine that had taken its name from Norse Mythology - The Valley of the Gods.  In its peak 3,500 residents lived in the town.  There were seven churches, a hospital, several hotels, a school for 500 students and over 50 shops.  During the gold era over 70 tonnes of gold was mined from the area.  One really does marvel at those old diggers mining in these locations!  Once again we twisted and turned and drove in the clouds to get there.  Pete loves these mountains!  By 1914 Walhalla had pretty much been abandoned and most of the building and mining equipment had been moved away.   Today Walhalla has a population of fewer than 20 permanent residents who are guardians of this beautiful valley.  What a credit it is to them.  A little village has been rebuilt along with a section of railway line through the valley.  We took a ride on the Walhalla Goldfields Railway.  Victoria school children went on holidays last Friday and the train engine and two carriages is running every day during the school holidays.  We were lucky not only with the school holidays, but the fact that they had found a rock fall on the track in the morning and had managed to clear it and run two train rides in the afternoon. Volunteers man the two stations, make cups of tea, drive the train and become a conductor for the day.  Where would we be without volunteers?  And yes it was still raining!  Everything was very wet and Stringers Creek was running well, so that made for a scenic train ride.  At times we were looking down very steep embankments and we crossed the Thomson River over the old Thomson rail bridge, to yes. ..Thomson Station.  That was where we could purchase a cup of tea or coffee while they turned the train around to take us back.  Despite the rain I really was keen to visit the unusual cemetery perched high above the valley.  It was on a steep hillside which Delma had mentioned in her email.  She also mentioned other things which she may relate sometime!  As it was raining and I was the only one keen to climb the hill, it nearly didn't happen!  But I just couldn't get a good enough photo from the road, so Peter said "If you want to go, now is the time, you won't be back"!  So back we went and one became four and up the hill we went.  Now carrying a coffin up that hill would definitely be a big ask, or payback Delma!  And obviously it does still happen (carrying the coffin up the hill, not the payback), as the most recent headstone was of a death in 1997.  The man had been born in Wahalla, his wife who died in her forties was buried there and when Jackey died in 1997, he was also carried up the hill for internment.  I think we were all pleased we had climbed the hill despite the weather, although I'm not quite sure what effect the experience had on our travelling friends.  They should have worked out by now, that with Peter out in front and me bringing up the rear with the camera, they shouldn't get that close!  Just what were they up to?  Real bum buddies.....I'm not sure what was going on there!  Anyhow despite the rain, we had a lovely afternoon and had yet another trip to the mountains! 

Tonight we were talking about "rain" over dinner.  We have actually had rain on at least one day (most times more than one) in each of the locations we have stayed at.  That is since getting to the east coast of Australia.  We really do need to somehow send some rain back to the west.  Hopefully it is coming.  12 photos