CASTERTON

At Coleraine, stopped for fuel then kept going to Casterton. I absolutely loved this drive. It was so green and so pretty driving through the hills. 

We found a nice little caravan park in town, so we set ourselves up then went off to the pub to pay our fees as per the notice board instructions! 

The caravan park was right near the small bowling club, and Ed soon found a friend and had a game together. 

There were lovely old shops, and there were three very old pubs in the town but unfortunately they have closed their doors as have a lot of the shops as the people aren't coming to the towns anymore. The kids grow up and leave town as there's no work for them.....quite sad really as these towns will never prosper again. 

I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but back in one of the towns we stayed in, the council sold off house blocks for 1 dollar....just to try to get people to come back to the town. 

We went for a drive from Casterton to Dartmoor. Another very small town that's struggling, with more shops closed than open. 

There is a free camp here, with showers available in the town. There are some lovely tree carvings which is what we came to see.

Going around this lovely carving, you can spot all the nursery rhymes! 

This one is called 'sad news' from war times.

There is a lot of pine plantations, ferns and wildflowers that you travel through which makes the drive a 
very pleasant one. 

We are really loving this town, lots to see and the people are so friendly. There is an antiques and collectibles shop here that you could spend the whole day in and not see everything, and the things are so reasonably priced. Just as well we live in our caravan as I could have gone nuts!!!

********Note to self...........