We are staying in Moama at a pet friendly caravan park. We weren’t really sure what to expect because “pet friendly” hasn’t ever been on our list of criteria before. I just couldn’t bear the thought of 9 weeks without The Captain so he had to come along, regardless of what the accommodation was like.

We are actually really impressed with our accommodation at The Murray River Holiday Park. We have a concrete pad, nicely bordered with pavers and we are surrounded by lush green grass. It is quiet and the amenities are spic and span. even though our caravan has everything we need (toilet, shower etc) we still like to use the amenities where possible because that is where you meet people and stop and have a chat. We have met the most interesting people over the years on the way to and from the toilet blocks (not particularly in the toilets).

The Captain particularly loves the shade from the gum tree between us and Ross and Faye (our neighbours) which is helping him to get used to the heat.

Echuca is known for its paddle steamers and has a rich history on the Murray River for its steaming industry. We ventured to thePort of Echuca to see if there was a pet friendly paddle steamer that The Captain would consider stepping paw on.

Our luck was with us. The PS Canberra was pet friendly and leaving in 15 minutes. Captain was happily sniffing his way around and his recuperating leg was in good form so Ray went I. To buy tickets.

“Two adults and one dog, please”. Ray said pulling out his wallet

“ Oh, fur babies are free, we love them”, said the counter assistant, “it’s the children we tolerate,” she said with a laugh.

The Captain was able to board for FREE! My mind was cast back to our year long trip with our 10 year old Caleb (see previous blog posts) when that kid scored all manner of free stuff, privileged positions on tours, souvenirs, you name it, he got it for free. Maybe we should keep an eye on this….

We were hopeful that Captain would walk the thin plank onto the Paddle steamer without a fuss. It would be embarrassing to have to carry him. Luckily, a (I’m assuming) cute looking sausage dog caught Henry’s eye on the plank in front of him and in pursuit of a good bottom sniff, he followed him/her hose. The plank and onto the steamer.

It was a lovely trip up and down the river with a very informative guided tour over the loud speaker as specific vessels were pointed out. We saw the oldest Paddle steamer in Australia (third oldest in the world), Emmy Lou the star of “All The Rivers Run” an Australian Tele series and the remnants of many original buildings along the Murray River.

Henry was well behaved and given a bowl of water halfway through the tour by one of the workers. He was unconcerned with the steam whistle, the other canine passengers and the creaking of the boat. What he did have a small issue with was when Ray decided to go and take a look at the engine. Once Ray was out of Henry’s line of sight he gave a bark. I’m sure it meant, “be careful Dad” or “ make sure you read all signs” (Ray notoriously ignores all signage) or even, “ don’t fall overboard”. However, we have noticed this is a habit that he needs to kick. Whenever one of us leaves to go to the toilet, bin or into a shop we get a bark. We will address this.

Back on dry land, we stopped for a coffee and orange cake at the local pub. (Too early for wine!) We decided to go back to the caravan for lunch after picking up a few necessities. Even though I had thoroughly planned out everything I needed to take for this 9 week trip I still forgot a few things. So after a trip to Priceline and Dan Murphys (!) we ventured back to the van to read the newspaper, watch The Captain relax on the grass and partake in a glass of Chardonnay- or two.

Loving the way this trip is stacking up so far.