KOOYORA STATE FOREST: Melville’s Caves Campground

Single Mum Camping
Jan 31, 2015
4 min read

After being stuck at home in a particular bad-luck rut and kids-driving-mum-bananas mission for several weeks on end, I found myself with a bad case of cabin fever and climbing walls. I simply HAD to get out of there! So: grab my mate, the dogs, and stuff the Tardis (the rav4, it’s bigger on the inside) with all the gear and off we went!

The route there from St Arnaud was easy, much easier when I separated from my mate who insisted he was going the right way - because his phone told him so!!! Needless to say, I did my u-bolt back to the Logan Pub, and subsequently beat him to the campsite!

The drive into the Kooyora was AMAZING. From relatively flat land countryside, typical of the Wimmera, to this hilly area with GIANT granite boulders spilling out of the earth was flabbergasting! I must remember when I finish typing this article to go and research how that part of the earth was formed. Before you reach the campsite, you first find the Melville Caves Picnic Area, which is spacious and pleasant, boasts the beginnings of three hikes around the park, and the hill-climb walk up to the

lookout and old Captain Melville’s own hidey hole. The dogs had to be kept on leash, which was probably a good thing for old Buster-boy, the Jack Russell, who is elderly, suffers from senility, and has arthritic legs. By lifting him with his leash and harness, I was able to help him get up over the rocks that his elderly legs just couldn’t cope with. I tell you, that dog did well. And you should have seen the big smile on his face!

The Picnic Ground has a large rock shelter with fireplaces inside at each end. There is also running water nearby, which is handy for giving the doggies a drink after that big climb. There are toilets which were clean, and functional and solidly built. There are also plenty of maps and information so you won’t get lost during your stay in the park.

Driving up the hill further you reach the camp ground. This is a pleasant area, not too structured, which gives it the ideal layout to set up a tent, camper trailer, caravan, swag, motorhome, whatever you damn well please! This is how it SHOULD be! Plenty of fireplaces, firewood collection allowed from the forest, with dry wood aplenty, and picnic tables. The toilet was small, but tidy, and even had toilet paper! The toilet itself is a composting toilet, with a sign explaining how this works. Councils should be allowing these more often in new homes, such a great way to recycle your waste, with no electricity or water required. Sustainability at its best!

The stars were amazing once night fell. The wood on the fire has the most incredible smell. The only complaint I had is that the spot I chose to plonk my camp chair in gave me the wind blowing straight

on the back of my head, and I forgot to bring my beanie, grrrrr.

Sharing the campground was a family with several tents – one of which I noticed was a Jackeroo folding tent, an instant-up style that Kmart sells for $109, I’d seen this in the store and wondered how it was in reality, and it looked pretty sturdy, even if it was a garish fluoro green! They kept to themselves up the other end of the camp ground, as did another family/group of mates/couldn’t really tell who were in a camper trailer. In the later evening a small hatchback car arrived and out poured 6 backpackers, setting up 3 small tents, and getting a bbq going. I have no idea where they stored all their gear in that car, much less fit themselves in!!! Either way, they were all nice, came and spoke to us for a while and stayed up chatting late by their campfire, great atmosphere!

On previous overnighters in my swag, I’ve always slept with the top open, like a bed - just outdoors. You see, I have a slight problem with claustrophobia. I could never stand the enclosed feeling of a swag. On this trip I was determined to be brave and push past my limits. And push my limits I did! I set up all the poles for the first time, found all the faults in manufacture of my Aldi swag, and enclosed

myself in my canvas coffin. I was fine, except for the annoying Kelpie who kept trying to sleep up the head end GRRR! Anyhoo, all was good until about 3am, when I awoke with a start to find myself in a frantic panic until I could get the head window opened up. What a relief! So I have learnt that I can sleep in swags properly at last – as long as the head end is opened up like a tunnel! Next time I buy a swag – it’s going to be a double ridge pole type, nice and roomy with big opening flaps each side and self supporting. Darche – Adventure Kings – Kulkyne: come at me!

The following day was about packing up and exploring. After a big brekky of bacon and eggs, and the mandatory multiple coffees to get me going of course, it was turn the Tardis on and get the music happening while I charge my phone so I can take photos and pack everything away. And a good morning on 3BO it was too – lots of hard rockin pub classics.

I was determined to find the waterholes, so we drove the tracks until we found them. Of course, it was all dry as a bone, but seeing where the water had carved its way through all the rock formations was breathtaking, and I found a few extra campsites along the way – self sufficient type sites though.

Once we returned to the Picnic Ground it was time to tackle the hikes to the other lookouts. Now THAT was a workout! In fact, such a good workout it inspired me to get back onto my fitness regime at home. (I did too, for a while...) The views and photos were phenomenal, and as you look out to the flat farming land you wonder how on earth this pile of granite bouldered hills ever happened? It made me start to think back to the Aboriginal dream time stories I’d heard as a kid and imagine mythical creatures that placed them here, or laid their eggs for the next world...

I wholeheartedly recommend Melville Caves campground to families. In fact, I recommend it to anyone at all. But especially to families. What a place to visit. I felt so humble among all those rocks. There was a sense of spirit there within, people of time long past. This earth really is beautiful, ya know!

Pros: Easy to access, close to Dunolly, St Arnaud, Bendigo. Amazing , breathtaking views. Great nature walks, erm, hikes, erm, workouts. Fantastic lookouts. Historical info. Great facilities. FREE!

Cons: None that I can think of! Hang on - being so good that I keep coming back, and miss out on discovering other beautiful campsites around Australia!

http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/313806/Park-note-Kooyoora-State-Park.pdf