Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my parents who were staying in Mansfield, in regional Victoria. We were staying in a small cottage located on a hill, which meant some pretty stunning views, especially in the evening light.

The cottage in the late evening light View from the balcony

We didn’t do a heap during our trip, although we did manage to do the The Paps trail on Saturday, which involved a 700 metre climb.

Annotated image of The Paps

(Apologies for the photo, I had another one that was zoomed in a bit more but the photo turned out quite muddy. Might need to consider another phone or camera.)

It was a bit of a challenge — the trail was quite steep at times — and there were a few instances when we considered turning back. But we did eventually reached the summit, and got some spectacular views of Lake Eldon, which was quite full thanks to all the rainfall we got over the last few months.

One the path Approaching the summit View of the lake Another view of the lake View up the highway towards Bonni Doon The summit

This was followed by a pub lunch at the Bonni Doon Hotel. The place was chokers, probably with people eager to get out of the city at the end of lockdown (likewise for the cottage we stayed at, which has been booked solid for the next couple of months). But the food (and beer) was good and it was perfect weather to be dining outside, with the sun shining and temperature in the low 20’s Celsius.

All in all it was good to get out of the city, and out of my weekend routine, for a spell.