Country weekend in Echuca

We spend a couple of lovely days up at Echuca last weekend. We have

wonderful friends we've known for 20 years that we meet for a weekend of wine and conversation somewhere between Melbourne and Wagga. This year it was my turn to pick the accommodation, so I picked Echuca as Frans and I had never been there. I found a lovely B&B on the internet called Bon Nerrin. http://www.bonnerrin.com.au/ 

The hosts were ex farmers and were friendly and helpful. As the weekend got closer, we started to panic. Victoria was and still is flooding. I made a number of calls to make sure we'd not wash away. I was assured we'd be fine. And we were.

This is the mighty Murray River flowing very quickly past the property

What else is there to do but sample some good red wine and watch the debris float down the river

Or there's a pool table.... Frans and Belinda showing their stuff

Don't know what this tree is, but the flowers on it were just beautiful. I think it may be part of the Magnolia family. Could be wrong....

The town of Echuca has some lovely buildings. Here's the Catholic church.

Of course there's the touristy historical stuff. You could go on a wagon ride if you so fancied. We didn't. Instead we sampled the local wines in the cellars along the old historic precinct.

Got to love a man in a coyboy hat! This poor fellow is walking behind the horse drawn wagon scooping up the poop. Probably a council regulation...

Aussies are strange sometimes. Here's a 'thong' tree. Why? Who knows! In the pic: Ami, Frans, Glen & Belinda

Silverfox winery. Here you could taste fortified wines straight from the barrel. Looks like Frans has had enough!

Aahh... the end of a long day on a wine tour. Our host lit a fabulous fire and we just sat and nibbled and chatted.

Shheesshhh!! Who's that crazy man!

A lovely building in a country town on the way home. Can't remember where!

Yellow fields! Just beautiful. The scary fact is that the locusts are coming..... Let's hope the experts are wrong about the potential damage or size of the plague that is now just hatching after all the rain. The prediction is that the damage will be done to an area greater than Spain!