Corowa - Farmers Market and Chocolate

On our return journey from Cobram back to Melbourne, we took the long way back, choosing to see some to the towns along the Murray River before we head south, back to Melbourne. We opted to cross over to Barooga, NSW and head east, passing Lake Mulwala towards Corowa.

Corowa is another shire town located along the bank of the Murray River, the border between New South Wales and Victoria. The town is within easy travelling distance to the rural cities of Albury, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Wagga Wagga, Shepparton and the Nation's Capital, Canberra.

This morning happens to be a Farmers Market Day at the Bangerang Park. It opens from 8:00 am till 1:00pm, which provided us just the opportunity to sample some of the local food for breakfast and for me, a hot cup of coffee from the mobile coffee van, at the same time enjoying the country music playing from a mobile DJ van.

Took are time browsing the stalls, looking at some of the produces, plants and artwork on display. Most of the time however, we just enjoy the music and the family atmosphere of the market.

Next we went in search of the chocolate factory Corowa Chocolate, we saw advertised.

A heritage listed flour mill from the 1920’s that was transformed into a thriving whiskey and chocolate factory. Did not know about the whiskey part of the factory nor did we see any. Just chocolate and there is also a range of liquorice products. Their web-site however says that the whiskey portion of the business is a work-in-progress.

The chocolate it offers is a smooth, full flavoured Belgian chocolate, the white and dark variety. Their manufacturing process uses all the cocoa bean rather than substituting some of it with other ingredients. The result is said to be good for your health.



There is also a Café serving beverages, Devonshire and light meals. The cafe is also a popular meeting place for the local out for dinner and some music. There was even a country singer rehearsing his music for his evening/night gig.

There are even table outside the cafe, to enjoy the outdoor air. What's interesting however, was the two little playful goats that was fenced up at the back. Somehow, the brown one always manages to escape, jumping over the fence much to the distress and humour of the people working at the cafe.

Did not find out if the goats were in transit or part of the 'entertainment' of the place, especially for the children while the parents relax and enjoy the ambience of the place along with their light meals over a cuppa or two.

Whatever the reason was, they were a joy to watch and take photos with.

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Days of Elijah - Paul Wilbur

Matthew 17:10-13 (NLT)
¹⁰His disciples asked, "Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?"
¹¹Jesus replied, "Elijah is indeed coming first to set everything in order. ¹²"But I tell you, he has already come, but he wasn't recognized, and he was badly mistreated. And soon the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands." ¹³Then the disciples realized he had been speaking of John the Baptist.

Luke 1:17 (NLT)
¹⁷He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom."

Luke 1:5-25 The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

Romans 5:8-11 (NLT)
⁸But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment. ¹⁰For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. ¹¹So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God--all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.

Leviticus 27:24 (NLT)
²⁴In the Year of Jubilee the field will be released to the original owner from whom you purchased it.

Cobram - The Beach

The sign board says "The Beach 2km".

When I first saw the sign, I thought to myself 'The Beach'? At Cobram? We are so far inland, hundreds of kilometres from any coastal sand, how could there be a beach at Cobram?

As it turns out, The Beach is a licensed cafe kiosk, on the banks of the mighty Murray River overlooking the world famous (as advertised) Thompson's Beach. Yes, it looks like a beach, it feels like a beach and so, it is a beach, just not the kind by the seaside.

Thompson Beach is a readily accessible beach located near the bridge at the north-eastern edge of town that cross over to Barooga, another small sleepy town at the New South Wales side of the border.

Beside the kiosk, the beach does have picnic-barbecue facilities, boat ramps, toilets and a playground.

While at the beach, we found it to be a lovely spot to soak up the peace and quiet of the river running by. So we took the time to enjoy the moment, before our stomachs reminded us of the reason we came to the beach, apart from our curiosity.

The Beach is OPEN ALL DAY for all your cold drinks, ice-creams, snacks and treats, available for eat-in or take-away. Breakfast - weekends only and only for the winter months. It is fully licensed.

The food menu looks interesting with a selection of local wines, the most expensive at $8.00 a glass.

The ambience of the place is in keeping with the casual beach theme with fancy lightings and paintings by local artists, for sale on the wall. There is even a small fireplace at the far end of the kiosk.

For lunch, we had a bottle of the local red to go with our minestrone soup and pasta with lots and lots of fresh ingredients.

Amazing food. Did not disappoint.

Cobram - Highlights

Cobram is a quite sleepy small town located on the Murray River which forms the border between Victoria and New South Wales. It is 244 km north of Melbourne on the Murray Valley Highway and 113 metres above sea-level.

Surrounding Cobram are a number of rich pastoral, dairy, fruit and wine-growing farms, thanks to the irrigated water supplied by the Murray River and the warm, Mediterranean like climate; hot dry summers and cool wet winters. In reality Cobram has quite a diverse agricultural district which produces citrus fruits, vegetables, wheat, oats, barley, canola, sunflowers, wool and beef cattle.

The concept of irrigation caught on after the Chaffey brothers proved its workability at Mildura in the 1880s. Thus, in 1892, a local farmer set up a windmill to draw river water for the irrigation of his orchard and others followed suit. In 1915 a pumping station was built to irrigate several local properties. However, change was not dramatic and the town grew very slowly until the 1940s when a major boom occurred. Even then, Cobram population based on the 2006 census is around 5,531.

In a year, the region has about 300 days of sun hence it is also known as the "Sun Country on the Murray". There is even a blog about the happenings in the region.

As it is early spring, there is not really much to do as a tourist this time of the season, as the land is just awakening from its winter slumber, but we got to see the canola and fruit trees bloom as you can see from the photos.

We were also surprised to see cattle roaming about in a winery but then the vine leaves has not come out yet.

However, Cobram is still a popular holiday destination, with its chief attraction being the Murray River. The Murray River around Cobram features some attractive sandy beaches lined with towering gum trees and grass picnic areas, ideal for swimming, fishing, boating and camping ....popular river activities during the warmer months of the year.

There is always the local golf clubs; Cobram-Barooga Golf Club, Tocumwal Golf Club or the Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club.

Guess, summer is a better session to come to Cobram.

The other attractions we visited around Cobram are the Rich Glen Olive Oil Estate, the Big Strawberry and Cactus Country.

Each of these places takes a bit of a drive to get to, around 15 minutes, but they are worth the drive.



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Easter 2012 - Good People, Heaven and The Christ

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)

²¹"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Have you heard of this quote: "Only good people go to heaven."

What is your own response to this quote?

Many a times when I ask this question of others, the response invariably is 'Yes', 'That's true', 'I agree with that' or simply nodding their heads in agreement.

That quote however is not true nor is it biblical.

Good people implies that the people would have done something in their lives to reflect that goodness in them, that others would have seen evidences or benefited of that goodness.

If the above quote is true, then a very few if any at all, will be able to enter the gate into heaven.

When Jesus was crucified at the cross, there were two thieves/criminals (Luke 23:32:33) who was crucified alongside him. Certainly, the one who acknowledge Jesus (Luke 23:42) would not be in paradise with Jesus by the end of the day. He would not have been able to show that he is a good person, to qualify entry into heaven. There was no time or opportunity for him to do so, afterall he was hanging at the cross. Yet Jesus reply to him was Luke 23:43.

⁴³"And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."

No, heaven is not a place for good people. It is however a place for people who are forgiven.

Easter is a day that reminds us of God's forgiveness through Christ; when Jesus died on the cross, with his blood shed at the cross, we are made right with God (Colossians 1:20) ...and on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24:6-7). All it takes to receive that forgiveness is to believe in the one who God send.

John 3:16 (NLT)
¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷"God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.

It is also important to note that Jesus did not condemn the thief/criminal who called on him, for being a criminal but received him into heaven. All it took of him was to believe in Jesus.

The symbolism of the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus, is simply that both are criminals (sinners), one criminal represents life, the other death. The difference between them is in their response to Jesus. This is better explained in John 3:18-21.

Whoever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you too can receive this forgiveness and belong to a people whom God has forgiven. You simply confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

If you choose to receive God's forgiveness through Christ, the following is an example of a confession you may use:

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for your amazing love
Thank you for you forgiveness
Thank you for giving me life and eternity
But above all, thank you for dying on the cross for me.
I welcome you as my Lord and Saviour.
Now I am a child of god, which means you live in me
I belong to you
I will live my life for you and I will love you
Amen.