"Hepburn Springs VT Meet" a Hepburn Springs Travel Page by cassiejoy42

Well you may have already figured who attended the Hepburn Springs VT meet - each one of us has visited each other's pages. What I liked about the VT meeting was the camaraderie, friendship and kindness that people extended towards each other. It was nothing for someone to drive all the way to the airport to pick up a fellow VT to bring them down to this meeting. Even getting people home again or to the airport was not a problem - somebody drove Doug to the airport and Andrea was driven to Melbourne to meet up with the rest of her tour.

As it was my first meeting I was glad that there were not too many people here. It was nice to be initiated into a VT meet with a small, sociable, quiet crowd. I think we had 14 people all up. I am still learning all your names so if I haven't mentioned you please email me and let me know.

Even with a small group it was hard to get around and chat to everybody - but I did try and circulate.

Let me see if I can work out who is in this photo:
From left to right - Sarah, Jen, Susan and Laurie.

Sarah saraheg77 is married to Mark. Sarah and Mark are originally from Texas. At the moment Mark is working in Melbourne and Sarah and Mark are trying to travel and see as much of Australia as they can while Mark is out here working.

Jenny aussiejen is from Melbourne. Jenny came with her husband and her friends from Melbourne - David relax47 and his wife. I am sorrry I cannot remember Jenny's husband's name nor can I remember David's wife's name. I did chat to David's wife for quite a while so I do apologise if I cannot remember her name.

Laurie australia2 is also from Melbourne. He is a lovely, quiet fellow - until you get him started on a topic he likes. I found him pleasant and polite and it was nice chatting to him.

The Red Star Cafe is one of Annie's favourite haunts so we were well cared for. The service was excellent and I think it helped that Annie knows the staff at the Red Star Cafe so well. The meals were excellent and the prices were quite reasonable. Some people even photographed the meal to use on their Tips pages.

Annie Anne12 is from Hepburn Springs. She was our gracious tour guide and she entertained people from Friday evening until Monday afternoon. On Friday some of the group arrived so they had tea with Annie Friday night and toured with her Saturday. When the next group arrived on Saturday Annie once again organised dinner for Saturday night and a tour again on Sunday. Then on Monday she drove Andrea all the way to Melbourne.

In this photo you can see Annie, Susan (Susan and Sue live in Williamstown) and Laurie. Sue and Susan kindly drove Doug to the airport so that he could connect with his flight home to Sydney.

Sue SPW and Susan are from Williamstown - I spoke to them both briefly on Saturday night. I hadn't met either of them or spoken to them via email before. Even when I got to Hepburn the only people I had really met (via email) were Annie and Doug.

Doug aussiedoug flew in from Sydney and was met at the airport by Sarah and Mark (I think) and driven down to Hepburn Springs.

Andrea holidayjunkie is from Wales and she captivated us. Her accent was lovely and I liked the way she said "bollocks" and "fab". Andrea had organised quite a tour for herself and was going to see all of Australia in three weeks. I hope she is okay and is travelling well.

We will be seeing her again in May 2006 when the VT meet is on in Melbourne. Andrea once again returns to Australia about the time of our VT meet in May so she can catch up with us again and meet more VTers.

David and his wife are a nice couple and I had a chance to chat to them both briefly on Saturday night while we dined at the Red Star Cafe.

Mark ATXtraveler and his lovely wife Sarah are from Texas. While Mark is in Australia working they are trying to see as much of Australia as they can. I think they have seen more than I have of Australia now.

Sue homeandaway is from Daylesford. Sue is a relatively new member. She is a good friend of Annies.

Jenny is a real character and had us in fits of laughter. She is a fun person to be around and I found her company delightful and entertaining.

If you click on any of these photos you can see the interior of the Red Star Cafe. The walls were lined with book shelves of books - you could pick out a book and read it. There was ornaments, vases of flowers, and bric a brac lining the walls and shelves. It was a lovely restaurant with a real old world feel to it.