An epic journey en route to Alice Springs

More than 200 Recreational vehicles set up camp in Cohuna last November as part of the Campervan & Motorhome (CMCA) Solos Rally as they ventured into the town for a 10 day stay within the area. On return to the creek community recently, a contingency of thirty vehicle travellers stayed in the town as part of a tag-along journey enroute to Alice Springs. 

Mayor Lorraine Learmonth said that the visit last year with the CMCA Solos Rally was one of the biggest events Cohuna has held since the Cohuna Recreation Reserve was last used as an overnight campsite for Murray Marathon participants in 2010.

“Having such a large number of visitors in the town at the one time will give the Gannawarra’s retail sector a significant boost,” she said last year.

Ros Edwards ‘Tag-Along’ leader for the Murray River journey from the Corryong to Cohuna section of trip shared with ‘The Bridge’ the love for the town and the decision to return to the area.

“The itinerary was worked out six months ago with a choice of Echuca, Moama or Cohuna and the vote was ‘Lets all go to Cohuna!” she said.

“We absolutely love the town!

“We contacted the Gateway information Centre to advise of our travel plans with the response, ‘we’d love to have you back!’

“It was great that we were able to stay where we did before and we were very grateful for this,”

“Some stayed for a couple of days visiting the region (we had 7 new ones on board this time) and some stayed longer to attend various functions and activities within the town.

“We love joining in the community activities, meeting different people, we are the lucky ones.

We are living the dream.

The fact that we have the opportunity to go to towns like Cohuna, if there is something we can do for the town or become involved, we often do it.

“Quite often if we stay for a length of time in some towns we have made contact with the retirement villages to see if they would like some visitors and they welcome us with open arms.

They love it when they have visitors!

“Many stayed on to enjoy visiting entertainer Gavin Chatelier’s performances whilst in the area.

“You get so much out of it yourself. I was having such a great time and a feel good thing. We all love it. “

With the final destination of Alice Springs in May, the trip has been a rewarding one for the ‘Solo’s since starting out in Corryong on the 4th February on way to Cohuna.

In a compassionate gesture many of the ‘Solos’ worked in the Corryong region replacing damaged fences caused by the recent bushfires within the area.

“In conjunction with the Rotary, Lions Club from Albury/Wodonga and the army, we spent a couple of weeks volunteering hand in hand with ‘Blaze Aid’ volunteers in the fire recovery, which was absolutely awesome. There were at least a dozen of us.

“It’s the best thing that I have ever done in all my life. It was such a win, win! The others working there, the organisers that were doing it all, were absolutely unbelievable.

“There were teams of people pulling down and rebuilding fences. It was such a fabulous comradery amongst all the people.

Everybody was there knowing that they were helping in some way. It was fantastic!”

For the remainder of the journey to Alice Springs there will be 170 people tagging along with many joining in along the way coming from many areas.

“We don’t go in convoy, so not to hold up traffic.

We just go in our own time and meet at the next locations. The companionship and the security of knowing that other people are going to be there is wonderful. It’s our joy to do it!”