As we’ve started to do a lot more trips getting ourselves ready for ‘the big one’ we’ve also purposely started to check out some of the more interesting places to stay. Sometimes it’s a showground or Free Camp somewhere and at other times a caravan park.
Of course as most 'seasoned' travellers probably know there are caravan parks and then there are caravan parks. Personally we like the smaller, more ‘personal’ parks off the beaten track.
Like the one at Glenrowan – the Glenrowan Tourist park – just 2 Km’s off the Hume highway about 2 hours from Melbourne – But what’s special about this park is where it’s located… Glenrowan. Famous for being the place of infamous bushranger Ned Kelly’s last stand! – Brian managed to sit down with the park manager Kylie Cleal to find out more...
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BRIAN:
It's very interesting that we Aussies almost seem to celebrate this criminal! (yeah absolutely)
What's all that about?... that's what a lot of international tourists want to know…
KYLIE:
Yeah absolutely… and I think when it comes down to it… that thing about the ‘Aussie battler’… you know having a fair crack and that sort of thing?.. So was he a hero or was he a victim you know?... Was he a victim of the times? Did he really do anything wrong or was he forced to do what he did?
Of course there's no denying that he was a criminal and he did the things that he did but was he forced to actually do it so because of his religion or the politics of the time - maybe his wealth or rather his lack of wealth.
BRIAN:
Yes probably the lack of wealth… so then what what's attracted you here? … are you born and bred from Glenrowan – where are you from originally?
KYLIE:
Pretty much everywhere 😊… At the time my auntie and uncle were living in Wangaratta and I did a couple years at Uni in Melbourne and was looking to get out of town and ended up a couple hours up the freeway at my auntie and uncle’s place and didn't really ever leave…
BRIAN:
So this is a couple of hours up the freeway is it?
KYLIE:
Yeah from Melbourne, so I just sort of landed here with family and never left really!
BRIAN:
OK.. well what's so special about the place? … I mean it's got this history which we spoke about briefly .
KYLIE:
Well we've lived in a couple places in Glenrowan now and we just we love this side of the town. The community … it's a beautiful setting. Just a really really nice place. It's close to Wangaratta, so you've got all the services of a bigger town but just… hmmm … I don't know just the feel of the smaller town and yeah it's just it's lovely. We've got 40 acres just over the road so a little.
BRIAN:
There's 40 acres? (yeah yeah!) Well in Sydney we've got I think 680 square meters!! Okay 40 so acres …
KYLIE:
Yea so we overlook winter wetlands which is really lovely as well but we just really like that tranquil sort of feeling…
BRIAN:
Yes it's really nice and the people we've met are very passionate… now we're staying at the Glenrowan Tourist Park of which you're actually manager? (that's right yeah…) which is a brilliant place.. We got the best seat in the house I think! (absolutely) we can look at the kangaroos and the rabbits running by here… so tell us a little bit about the park, it's past present and perhaps future
KYLIE:
So the park is located about two kilometers from the center of Glenrowan, so it's far enough away to be in the bush settings over at the foothills of the Warby Ovens national park so you can walk up to mount Glenrowan directly from here.
We're located on the old Hume highway so it's just a two minute stop off from the Hume freeway and it's in a very conveniently located bush setting. About 35 acres of natural bushland and we have about 22 powered sites.
BRIAN:
And you've got cabins here as well… so a lot of people travel around you know with a ute or whatever and are quite happy to go into cabins?
KYLIE:
Absolutely yeah absolutely… so we've got 10 cabins here and they're all they all vary in what they offer. There's a three bedroom, two bedroom one, some with cooking some without so there is a bit of variety too… we've also got a camp kitchen, swimming pool…
BRIAN:
Ha ha!... the swimming pool is sensational… I haven't actually been in yet but Kaye put a foot in and said it was lovely and refreshing (yeah certainly)… Fantastic, well hopefully Glenrowan Tourist park can be put on the map - and you've got a statue of Ned Kelly!... we're going to get a photo up there shortly and these Kangaroos… are they a problem running through the park?
KYLIE:
We love it and our international visitors love it too. It's beautiful!
BRIAN:
I haven't seen Kangaroos in the wild for ages and our little dog Chica kind of I said (growl growl) back off!!
KYLIE:
Ha ha… yeah look, the local farmers probably don’t like them that much but for us it's quite an attraction and the other thing that's really big here that brings people in is the bird life.
BRIAN:
Yes so the birds are incredible… tell me what are those little blue with the blue rings?
KYLIE:
That’s the Turquoise Parrot … I haven't actually seen them for a couple of days either and I think with all the rain we had they've they're in hiding a little bit but previously I'd see them every day and people come here all excited to find this parrot and they say “oh do you know where I could see them?” and I tell them most likely just out there and there they are sitting on the grass and they're quite gobsmacked to see them, but they are very very popular and they bring a lot of people to the region.
BRIAN:
Well we come from I guess you can call it suburban Sydney - geographically in the centre of Sydney & we've got a lot of trees around us, but coming here it's just really really nice!
Well done & thank you for your time today!... thank goodness you're passionate about what you do and the fact that you've got this tourism background and the fact that you're going to move forward and hopefully make this a bigger and better park than it already is…
KYLIE:
Aww thank you 😊
