Kalorama Kapers

Although we often head out for picnics, we generally select our lunch venues based on what facilities are nearby when we are hungry.

However on this occasion we set out for the Dandenong National Park with a specific lunch destination in mind.  On our last visit we had discovered a "private"  BBQ pavillon with just two picnic tables nearby.  We liked it so much on that we had "a little something" (a la Pooh Bear) just because we wanted to sit at the one of the tables!

Being a weekday, it was not surprising that there was no-one else about and we were pleased to again have a choice of two tables and the whole pavillion to ourselves.  After setting everything up though, we discovered that the shiny clean BBQs didn't actually work - drat!

There was some joking about raw sauages for lunch but given that didn't appeal, Nick drove down to the larger, lower picnic area and pre-tested the (equally clean) BBQs there before we shifted camp and started again.  As much as we liked the area further up the hill, our new location offered even better views and we now had a choice of four tables and several BBQs - though the setup was the reverse of the smaller location in that the tables were under cover and the cooking occurred in the open.

After lunch I read a nearby information board and learned that the large BBQ shelter was built upon the site of what had once been a house on the Kalorama property.  Seemingly some of the original fruit trees are still growing on the reserve, though we didn't see them.