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Birregurra is a little town just east of Simpson where we were staying on our way to Geelong. We missed it about three times when we were in the region so kept it in our plans for our way back to Canberra from Lorne. When we arrived we met Chris, Brian and Gary who confirmed for us there's training this arvo. They said we could park our van there so it suits us perfectly. It's a nice little clubhouse. There's just one plastic synthetic green. It's about 18 months old. Chris told us they sold the block of land next door, the old parking area, to cover the cost. And a little verandah area under cover where you can view the action. There was a game of 100-Up going on when we arrived. We loved the little cow plant stand! The boys told us the club's been here since 1958. We're not sure what was erected but it's a nice memorial. Mal stood and chatted with Graham (who won the match) for about half an hour about all things bowls and caravanning. We went into the van for a little rest. Later in the arvo some more people turned up for another 100-Up. Pahulu and Fran rolled up with us. Mal put the kitty in the ditch right on the boundary and Jean drew to it. Mal tried to claim her bowl was out but she checked. It was in! It took us a while to get the line and weight. Jean had a go. She managed a shot. Mal bowled next. Of course he had to out-do Jean! Graham came up and told us his wife Janet is Editor of The Birregurra Mail and would like to do a story about us. She took a nice photo of us and Jean sent her background information about our trip, and the blog. Fran finished and Gary came and joined our rollup. We played a game of 2-4-2 up to ten. Lots of people turned up for practice. They opened the bar and Marshall served our drinks. We only had one good shot in the whole game! Pahulu and Gary were practising for their last two Pennants games so we were happy for them to take us 12 zip. We sat down for a few drinks and watched the practice. Marshall wanted a photo with our cat Jerome. Birregurra - we're so glad we left it to last!

On our long drive back up to Canberra from Victoria, we're stopping for a day in Lorne on the Great Southern Ocean. We decided not to stop in Apollo Bay. Had a rollup and came straight here. When we arrived we met Marilyn who found us a mat. Marilyn was here to set up for a big corporate bowls event. She'd seen Jean's hat so went inside and found her a Lorne badge. Jean was busting for the loo so we just did a couple of ends. We got the grass fine but had trouble with the weight. Mal was impatient and bowled Jean's bowl and took shot. Jean claimed it! Jean tried one of Mal's bowls and got close. Then he bowled hers. She ended up with two. One each! Lorne - I'll race you to the loo!

So we're starting our month-long journey back to Canberra before we head to Queensland. Our first stop is Apollo Bay - on the coast, East of Warrnambool. We are only here for a day but Bernie gave us his number so he could get someone to play with us. Bernie's apparently not involved any more but told us there's a number on the door we can ring when we get there. We parked our van out the front and decided on a quick rollup then off to Lorne so we didn't bother calling. We couldn't get a good shot of the clubhouse from the window. We saw the sign out the front to say "Bowlers wanted". We wondered how they'd go with $10 for a rollup. On an old carpet. There's a nice outdoor area though. And good permanent shades. There's just one old synthetic green. It's the 'Albert W. King Green '. Mal went first. We thought it was quick. It wasn't! Jean went next. We only did a couple of ends. Mal had a go with Jean's stick and nearly took shot! Jean managed a couple of shots in the end. Apollo Bay - we liked the little bit we did!

It's our last day in the Warrnambool region in southern Victoria. We wanted to play a game at Port Fairy. We were told that social day is Tuesday but of course it's the last week of Mid-week Pennants so we think we'll just get a rollup (and perhaps watch a bit of the comp). We met Alan. It turns out all their matches for the last game of the season were away today. Alan was setting up for a Pennants end-of-season party. The clubhouse is like a nice big barn. There are some lovely old photos from the men's club. One of the photos is of their last winning Pennant team. That was 1988. It's a very new building. Very nice with a great outdoor area. The two synthetic greens have only been in since December. They cost half a million dollars. The permanent shades are new as well. While we waited for the bowlers to turn up we rolled up on Green A. It's the Stuart Brown Green. First end we were pretty much on it. The green was slowish. Neil, Ian and Jenny arrived and told Jean nobody had a win today. Jean found it hard to get the line. Last end she finally worked it out. Alas too late. We came in to say gidday to the members. Many had perplexed looks on their faces about who were these strangers at their party. Bob served us at the bar. They offered us some of their food but we didn't want to intrude. It was great to see all the Pennant players come together. Port Fairy - commiserations and congratulations on a finished season.

When we were at Dennington on Wednesday they told us about Warrnambool Lawn Tennis Bowls Club. We didn't have it on our map. Jean added it. We dropped in on Thursday to check it out. THURSDAY We met Monty and Karen at the bar. They told us their social days are Monday and Thursday. We were happy about being able to play on Monday SATURDAY Since it's next door to our caravan park, we dropped in on Saturday to watch them play Pennants against Dennington and Koroit. Some great bowls were put down. The green is new - one year. The club is owned by the Lawn Tennis Club. The bowler's have a separate little clubhouse out the front. There's a good barbecue area that seems well-used. And an outdoor seating area that looks inviting. We met Ian who we saw at Dennington on Wednesday. Ian wanted to see Jean's Bowls Eye. He was intrigued when he saw Jean use it at Dennington. Lots of Lawn Tennis bowlers came over to say gidday. They were happy they would see us again on Monday. MONDAY We came back on Monday as planned for social bowls. Robert and Janette looked after the money. They put the names on a board. There were three games with Fours and Triples. It was Gary, Jean, Cathy and Monty. Against Peter, Janette, Leo, and Graham (from Hervey Bay). Mal played against Graeme, Gerard and Neville. We didn't manage any photos of our good bowls. We didn't do many. Mal's team lost and Jean's won. Second game Jean's team played Don (Flo), Mal and Brian. Jean finally did a photo-worthy bowl (though she had some help). Mal got a good shot until Cathy pushed him out and took it. Garry (Jean)'s team won the game again. We came in after game two for a cuppa. 3rd game Jean played Mick, Shirley, Peter and Sean. Mal played Bob, Peter, Betty and Fini. Jean finally did two good bowls but then Peter stole shot! Mal lost again. As the only one with three wins, Gary's team won the money. Warrnambool Lawn Tennis - a Green day for all!

We came to City Memorial Bowling Club (the big one) on Thursday to find out about Saturday social bowls, we met a bloke who told us it's not on because of Pennants. He told us to turn up for a rollup on Monday Morning . Ewan (board member) Mal and Brian had a chat. They were full of information about the club. We saw that non-members are supposed to pay $10 for a rollup. Given at most clubs one pays $5-$10 for a full game we thought that was outrageous. We wouldn't have minded paying a couple of bucks to help pay for the covers. Unusually the club has four synthetic greens. One oldish looking one out the side. Three others including two under cover. We're told the covers cost $3 million. We bowled on the front green. It's the carpet Jean likes. The seats are nice and donated by members. First bowl down Mal was on it. Next end Jean got two. Jean met Pam and Sandra who are new bowlers and loving it. Sandra asked Jean why she didn't have purple bowls to match her stick and outfit. The head looked tight until we got up there. We only did a few ends. Mal won but Jean had the last laugh. As we were leaving we met Keri, Paul and Jan.. Paul and Jan moved to Warrnambool recently from Melbourne and took up bowls. Warrnambool - nice but not worth $10!

Jean found out on Messenger that Warrnambool Bowling Club has bowls on Friday which suits us well. We dropped in on our way home from Koroit and put our names down. We met Bill and Digger in the office. The club is big. Many bars. There were lots of players. It was pairs. Two games of ten ends. There are two newish synthetic greens. Both greens are in use today - eleven matches. We played on the 'W.E Burns' Green. There's a beautiful shade down the middle. The club flags were out. We played together Against Ian and Cybil who are staying near us in the caravan park. Jean started well. We won the first end. Mal kept rolling heavy but got it from time to time. Jean capped it off for a win 12 to four. Next game we played winners Jeff and Phil. First end we both started well for two. Phil's bowling arm broke so he tried Jean's. It didn't work for him so he went back to natural with a (almost) good result. We were down when Mal came in and gave us two. Second last end we were eight up then they got a one. Last end they got a six. We won 13 to 12. Money is won on the 2nd game margin so we definitely were out of the money! Warrnambool - a broken arm and a win.

When we were at Dennington yesterday, we had it confirmed that they play bowls at Koroit on Thursday. Jean's been in touch via Messenger so we knew it was a 12:30 start, names down 12:15.. We took the 20 minute drive from our caravan park to arrive at 12pm. When we arrived there was not a soul around. We were worried. Around 12:05 Bob turned up. He's been bowling about four years. Then Laurie (Tom) and Maureen arrived to managethings.. They are first cousins. The clubhouse is nice. The club was founded in 1913. We're told Koroit has a big Irish population. There are leprechauns on the tables. We saw their new shirts. All the sports clubs here are St Kilda colours. They are looking for a sponsor. The club sponsor is currently Daly's IGA. There's a great verandah out the front. There are good permanent shades and some temporary ones. They have lovely wooden seats that Kevin said came from the church. There are two synthetic greens. The back one is small. Four rinks. They don't play on it much so it looks newer. It was constructed in 2011. The front green is normal size. Jean asked what the format was . They said "Depends on who turns up. It might be pairs, triples or fours. Either two games of ten ends or one of fifteen or so." They decided on triples/pairs. Two games of ten ends with two bowls. They put us with Bob. (Mal, Jean and Bob) We played the first game against Murray, Kevin and Bernard. There were just enough players for two games. We were doing ok. Mal was on the money. Jean came in on the wide side. She bowled a rink and a half wide on the backhand and came in and took shot. Mal was on fire. We won 8 to 6. Second game we played against winners Ruth and Laurie. The raging wind played havoc with all our bowls. Jean wasn't getting any bowls near the kitty until Bob knocked her in. We were one down going into the last end. They got one. Eight to ten. There was no bar. We all came in for a cuppa. Ruth and Laurie won the day. Koroit - we didn't have the luck of the Irish!

We drove this morning from Hamilton to Warrnambool. Jean checked the information about social bowls on her map and Dennington seems to be the best option for us today. Mal rang Mark who was busy and gave us Phil' (Secretary's) number. Mal got our names down. Clive took.our money. The clubhouse is small and nice. There's a picture of the members in 2016. Kevin, Mal and John chatted for a while. A few years ago they pulled down the old clubhouse and built a new one. One of the bowlers, Pat a former builder, managed the project. He told Jean the club has more members in their eighties than any other club. We're told volunteers put their blood, sweat and tears into the building project. They named the shades after the workers. It was pairs. 2-4-2, ten ends and two games. We played together First game was against Jason and Sue who play together in Division Three. There were four games of pairs all up. There are two synthetic greens. An old one out the back. We played on the newer one. It's been down since 2005. Jean had shot then Mal came in for two. We were both bowling well but Sue always pipped us. Going into the last end it was eight all. Mal got two for a win. Our second game we played against Ian (Symo) and Lorraine. Ian told Jean the club is on the site of the Nestlé factory. The green is where the pig farm was until the Manager, a bowler, built the factory a green. They got a five first end which freaked us out. Pan gave Jean shot before Lorraine took it away. We got a four though. Going into the last end we were square. Jean scored one for the game. We came inside for drinks. Kevin the Treasurer did presentations. Phil turned up and Mal wanted to thank him for putting our names down. We only got three points so we weren't hopeful. We got runners up. Our money back. As we were leaving everyone shook our hand said how much they enjoyed our company and wished us well on our trip. We felt very welcome at Dennington.

We're in Hamilton now for a week and have two clubs to visit. Hamilton and Grangeburn. We were told by the Grangeburn guys at Heywood that there'd be social on Wednesday. We turned up at 12:30 for 1pm and not a soul was around. We waited a while and finally Rowley turned up at 12:40. Rowley rolled up with us. There are two synthetic greens. They have owls on the green and clear plastic cats fly above. There's an impressive shade out the front. Jean said "Yay I'm coming back here to polish my bowls. They have a Bowls Polisher!" The front green looks new. Rowley said it's been in about a year. The new green was a bit slower than the other green. Jean liked the spongy feel of the new green under foot. She won the first end And the second, third and fourth. She got ones then Mal started to get twos. And again. We didn't keep score but we'll call it a draw! It was getting hot so we finished after about eight ends. Grangeburn - let's come back and polish our bowls! FRIDAY Jean sent her blog to the club via Messenger. Wendy got back and said there's bowls on Australia Day. We got our names down. Mal wore his Melton uniform and Jean wore her Weston Creek for Green and Gold. First person we met was President Nettie who Jean's chatted with on Messenger. She was all decked out for Australia Day. We got to check out the clubhouse. Nettie plugged in the Bowls Polisher so Jean could polish her bowls. Wendy came and introduced herself. There were twenty-four players so we had four games of triples in the morning. It was Raylene, Julie and Jean Against Nettie, Sally and Irene. Mal, Jim and Rowley Played Fred, Allan and Bluey. Jean felt she bowled well. Sally said "Look at those red bowls!" We both won our games. Mal by a lot! We came inside for lunch. We'd seen people bringing plates all morning. Nettie found us Grangeburn badges. Second game Jean played Mal's team. It was Peter, Jean and Keryn. Against Irene, Mal and John. Jean continued to bowl well. She had two but Mal knocked her out and stole shot. Mal won. Then he got first prize. We left and came back at 5pm for Happy Hour. Jean donated a jar of jam for the spinning wheel. They have a thing they do called 'Joker Poker'. Mal won a bottle of wine in the spinning wheel. Then Jean won liquorice. They were a happy bunch. Grangeburn - we'd have missed all the fun if we didn't come back!

We're in Hamilton for a week. Yesterday we rolled up at Grangeburn. When we were at Dartmoor the Hamilton boys told us to come Thursday for social. We turned up and they didn't have our names but President John fitted us in. We met Ron and Gavin in the office. The club has an upstairs And a downstairs where the bowlers gather. On the wall there's an article about the club's 125th birthday in 2009. That would make it 140 this year! There's a beautiful old building that we're told is the old Men's clubhouse. It's over 100 years old. It's now the Men's locker room. There are two synthetic greens. One out the back. Everyone was hanging out to play. The top green has only been in a couple of months. It's the Syd Barnes Green. Syd is the workhorse of the club. Jean met Syd on the green. We played together. For us it was pairs against triples. Three games of eight ends. We had four bowls each, they had 3/2. Against Rob Jenny and Gerard, who we met at Dartmoor. Mal did well until skip Jenny drove him out. Then Jean did a Resting Toucher. We drew five all. Then we played Graeme, Dennis and Diane. Jean was on the money again. Mal did very good shots but he gave Jean the shot every time so no photos of his bowls. We lost by two though. Third game we played Rex, Ray and Alan. We won by six. We came inside for presentations. We enjoyed their humour. Hamiltons are all Jean's family! (Jean's Grandma was a Hamilton).

Friday when we were at Heywood, Paul suggested we ring Rose at Macarthur as he thought they were short of Pennant players. Mal rang her to find out that apparently they can't use subs in the last two games. Rose invited him to come on Monday morning for a practice game. First person we met was Libby Outside on the footpath Mal found Ken to ask him about an ATM. He said he lives 15 minutes out. He used to come into town to do stuff but there's nothing left here now except bowls. No ATM. Rose (who Mal spoke with) Carol and Libby look after everything. It's a little clubhouse. Small but functional with a long table down the middle. We saw the club got a big grant of $300k. They built new toilets. They used to have a competition 'The Throne of Power' - last played in 1995. There's one old synthetic green. We played three-bowl triples. Two games of eight ends. It was Ken, Peter and Jean. Against Libby, Bob and Nan. Rose, Mal and Maureen Played Carol, Mary and Fran. There were just twelve players. Four blokes and eight women. Jean couldn't quite get the grass though she was close. Mal liked the long ends. Ken's team won 11 to 3. Mal went down 7 to 8. Next game Jean played Carol, Mary and Fran andal played Libby Bob and Nan. Ken loved Jean's bowl where she drew in in front of Mary's shot. Mal was bowling spot on. Jean's rink did a great caterpillar. Mal called "Jean, Jean, get a shot of this!" Ken's team went down two on the last end. Mal won 10 to 3. Mal came second. There was no bar so Mal didn't want to hang around. Macarthur - a small game with nice people.