DAY 36 - ECHUCA (Rest day)

Today we caught up with our friends Simon and Judy (see days 1,6 and 10) for a very enjoyable rest day, which involved a lot of bird-watching and  photography. We were picked up after breakfast and driven (in a car) to the Barmah National Park, near where we had ridden yesterday. 

We had coffee at this establishment in Echuca on the way

Just as we arrived at the national park, the Kingfisher was setting off on its morning cruise. We returned the waves of the passengers, and then set off on a walk through the forest. 

The Kingfisher starting its cruise

We immediately started seeing some interesting birds. 

We saw this bird as soon as the Kingfisher had left

While we expected it to flit rapidly away, the bird stayed for quite a while, so we took a few more photos of it before moving on. 

The bird was in no hurry to move on

So we took a few more photos of it

The walk took us a couple of hours, as we stopped to examine all manner of interesting things on the way.

Like these interesting-looking fungi 

Or these interesting-looking trees

We didn't miss the opportunity to photograph some reflections in the water. 

Reflections in the water - always a favourite

There is a population of brumbies in the national park, which also hosts horse-related activities from time to time. The evidence of horses' presence was noticeable along the path.

Evidence of horses on the path

And here are some of the culprits - brumbies in the park

Of course, we also saw lots of birds.

We saw these birds

And these birds

And these ones

It was very pleasing to be seeing so many different birds, and having time to photograph them. 

Taking time to watch the birds

A few more birds

And one last lot before moving on

Leaving the national park, we headed to the nearby Barmah Hotel for lunch. 

Barmah National Park - a wonderful spot for cycle tourists and their friends to spend a rest day

Barmah Hotel - nondescript from the outside, but excellent lunch

After lunch we headed back to Echuca and the historic port area.  We were fortunate to see a few more birds on the way. 

Including another one of these

And his mate

The river at Echuca, with its port and steamboats, was very photogenic, so of course we photographed it. 

Photographing on the river at Echuca

We photographed some boats, and we wandered around the historic port.

Some boats

Port area, Echuca 

Not a hamster wheel

After just a few more bird photos, we ducked in to the excellent local secondhand bookshop (Read Heeler) for a quick look around and a chat with the owner. 

A few more birds,  Echuca

An attractive shop

And with that, Simon and Judy left us for Bendigo, and we returned to our b&b to prepare for tomorrow's resumption of our bike tour. 

Day:  36

Distance: 0 km

Cycling time:  0 hrs 0 mins

Elevation gain: 0 metres

Cumulative Distance: 1709.5 km