Had a pleasant country drive from Ballarat through Daylesford and Castlemain through to Bendigo.
Daylesford is a smallish hilly country town surrounded by many (water) springs and plenty of cafes.
I was a little surprised at the scale of Bendigo. Suburbs stretch for a long way all around the historic city centre. I thought it looked much larger, but apparently Ballarat is even bigger. I had chosen the Big 4 Ascot Caravan Park, next to the main horse racing track, to the North of the City, so had a drive through town and the major roadworks on the highway north. I settled in to the park and later in the afternoon caught up with Hugh & Maureen Robertson, who were parked with their van not too far away. They had arrived yesterday, so were well established with the annex set up for a nice outdoor space. I shared a meal with them, a great curry that Maureen had prepared with her Thermomix, all powerful kitchen implement. Very enjoyable catchup with much gossip.
On Wednesday, we headed into the City & the Tourist Information Centre, which was located in the former Post Office, one of many magnificent buildings in the CBD. There is an excellent walk pamphlet with a route and information on many of the heritage buildings. The lady in the information centre was very helpful and we purchased tickets for the Vintage Tram talking tour as well as information about the Tudors to Windsors exhibition at the Art Gallery.
We started the tram tour at Central Deborah Gold Mine, not far from the centre of town and with all day parking available. In the end, we did not do a Gold Mine Tour but I have to say there is a wide range of timings and experiences available at Central Deborah. Something I would do if I returned to the City with a bit more time on my hands.
Bendigo preserved a generous chunk of it's old tram network for a tourist attraction and it has a mixture of paid & volunteer positions for the Community.
Hugh & Maureen enjoying the tram ride.
The tramways depot and workshop is large and comprehensive. There are many trams being renovated / maintained and the workshop has also provided services for old Melbourne trams. Really impressed that it has been preserved on this scale for visitors and for the City itself.
The impressive Soldiers Memorial Hall with the old Post Office in the background.
Nearby was a "drop in tram" advertising the Tudors to Windsors exhibition at the Art Gallery.
The nearby gardens were busy with workers setting up "A thousand doors exhibition" and also a weekend Winery and Food Producers Fair. Meantime, we had a very pleasant light lunch in the Gallery Cafe, which was of excellent quality.
The magnificent Bendigo Art Gallery old entrance.
Maureen with a poster of the Queen from a modern "hologram effect" portrait inside the gallery.
We had a walk around a number of the exhibitions in the gallery, which were varied and interesting. We had discovered that the Tudors to Windsors Exhibition occupied nine rooms at a cost of $22 per head, so decided to come back tomorrow to have as much time as we wanted. As an interesting aside, we also discovered that the extensive exhibition from the National Portrait Gallery in London, was on tour in only two places. Houston Texas (where it had already been last year) and Bendigo in Australia. Quite a coup for the Gallery, which appears to put considerable effort in bringing the special and exotic to the City.
Not far from the Gallery we came across this old Willys Jeep parked in the street. Wonderful restored condition.
Thursday 4 April 2019
Mid morning we returned to the City and found parking near the Art Gallery and entered the Tudors to Windsors Exhibition.
So many impressive portraits.
A portrait of Queen Victoria.
Modern portraits of the Queen and Prince Charles.
The impressive entrance poster again.
Just a tiny selection of nine large rooms of the exhibition. Well worth the money and quite an amazing collection.
We had another nice lunch (not quite so light) of home made ham & cheese croisants at a nearby recommended cafe then went to have a look at the Golden Dragon Museum and a little of the nearby gardens at Rosalind Park. Chinese heritage is an integral part of Bendigo, going back to the gold rush days. There is a large display at at the Golden Dragon Museum.
This includes Sun Loong, the world's largest Imperial Dragon, which parades annually in Australia's oldest continuous fair - the Bendigo Easter Festival Gala Parade. A new Dragon was being prepared after having been imported from Hong Kong for the next Easter Parade.
The large main pavilion with the body of the dragon extending over the upper balcony.
Included in the exhibits was an amazing carved jade ceremonial Dragon Chariot of Ten Thousand Sages.
Painted beams in one of the exterior garden pavilions.
On the way back to the car we had a walk through the nearby gardens, where we came across a man wearing a set of "3D goggles" and piloting a tiny drone. The speed, maneuverability and tiny size were all a revelation to us.
We all had a bit of a rest in the afternoon and then had an early evening meal at restaurant called The Woodhouse in the City. Even on a Thursday evening they were fully booked except for a very few tables at 6pm and 8:30pm. We opted for the early opportunity and had a very good meal to celebrate our catch up and my departure in the morning. Maureen had duck, whilst Hugh & I tried different steaks. Followed by some share desserts and an excellent coffee. I was ready for an early night after a busy few days.
Friday 5 April 2019
I set off at a reasonable hour for about a three hour journey to back to the South East and Geoff and Sandra's beautiful farm at Yellingbo. Geoff & I keep contact, mainly by Facebook since I looked after the farm the Christmas before last, whilst the family went on a holiday in their Bushtracker caravan. Geoff mentioned they were going to be away over School Holidays and Easter with their boys and asked me if I would like to stay at the farm again. I was pleased to be able to oblige and look after the dogs and cattle whilst they were away. Victorian School Holidays started today for a two week period, finishing on Easter Monday.
As usual, there were still many things happening on the farm, so Geoff was busy with last minute jobs. In the early hours of Sunday (6 April) Daylight Saving ended for another year in the East. Geoff & the family had a trip to Shepparton on Sunday morning to pick up a new car for Sean, then much preparation work and packing up for the drive to Sydney to pick up the Bushtracker, which Geoff had been using for accommodation during a long contract there over the last year or so. I shared a very pleasant family evening meal cooked by Sandra and finally, after more last minute jobs on Monday morning, Geoff was eventually ready to leave with the family for a long drive to Sydney.
It was beautiful Autumn weather and I was rewarded with this sunset view from the Bushtracker window.
I settled back in into the routine of the farm life and gave a little assistance to Neil, who does contract work for the family and was preparing a paddock for seeding for Winter feed (amongst other things). Just a few minor incidents to get started with the dogs going walkabout one afternoon (found several kilometres away near Hoddles Creek) and a few equipment issues with Neil having tyre problems on the Bobcat whilst moving logs in a lower paddock.
A couple of old implements left on the farm.
The rest of the herd always hungry and going through about a round bale of hay a day as not much feed left on the ground.
Silva is the older border collie and is happy to have a ride in the RTV when offered.
Sammy, like our dog Pippi, is completely obsessed by the RTV, but at least he does not bark. He just runs and runs and runs.
One of the tracks back up from the lower paddocks through the trees. Beautiful.
On Tuesday (9 April) I had made an appointment with Dr Stan Osmon, a local GP (who had dermatology listed as a focus in the medical practice) in Lilydale. I wanted him to check out what my Skin Cancer Specialist had described as a "barnacle" on my lower back. Over the last few weeks it had become more pronounced, hard and scaly. Very difficult for me to get a decent look at. Dr Stan diagnosed it as a solar keratosis and recommended burning it of with liquid nitrogen, which he did. Ouch, but I am always very vigilant about any new or changed skin conditions.
Thursday 11 April 2019
Neil gave me a a few local tips for a day's outing, so I took a drive to see the Ada Tree in the heart of the Yarra State Forrest, about 90 minutes drive from Yellingbo.
The walk in to the tree through the forest was peaceful and serene, with a few remnants of other giants that had not survived early logging in the area.
The "blurb" tells the story, if the camera has captured enough detail to read it all.
Such a magnificent tree reaching up into the sunlight.
The walk back out to the carpark was also most impressive with many younger towering Mountain Ash dominating this part of the forest.
After a few adventures with the GPS, I eventually found my way back to the road to Mount Baw Baw and finally to Noojee, where Neil had recommended the rustic Toolshed as a good place to have lunch. On Weekends, it is apparently packed, but today and after 1pm it was fortunately quiet.
The old Toolshed has benches out the front,
and a beautiful "overflow" area out the back.
Inside, it is both cosy and rustic.
I ordered a chicken parmigana with salad and mash, with a beer. The meal was huge and very good.
After a very pleasant lunch I returned past the Mountain Trout Farm to the nearby historic Noojee Trestle Bridge. Another remnant from earlier logging days.
A very impressive structure rising from a deep creekbed.
These days, there is a picnic area and a walk around and over the bridge for visitors.
On the way back to the farm, I took a drive around Tonimbuk, which is at the Southern end of the large Bunyip Wildfire, which was burning at the same time as the (much smaller) Walyunga Fire near Folly Farm, before I left on this trip.
Massive devastation and cleanup work along many of the roads was still in full swing.
Large areas of forest were burnt and many houses and sheds lost.
The Bunyip State Park is still closed as cleanup work to make it safe for visitors again continues.
Life at the farm continued.
Chow time for cows again. The Kubota tractor is a pleasure to drive & was of course the inspiration for our own new Kubota tractor that replaced the very tired Belarus at Folly Farm last year.
The steers were hungry as well and got a new round bale today.
Beautiful afternoon light on the lower paddocks.
Silva enjoying a swim after running after the RTV.
Sammy too!
A tough life for dogs.
On Monday 15 April I took a drive back to Healesville, which I had visited on a previous trip. Did a little shopping at the very busy Coles Supermarket and then had an early lunch at Giant Steps, a restaurant & winery on the edge of town. Their wines are superb and generally are all sold out fairly quickly in the year of release. Worth checking out online, but you need to keep most of it for a few years and the selection is not cheap.
The restaurant is modern, bright and fortunately for me very quiet for an early lunch on a Monday. According to staff it had been absolutely packed out for the weekend with a series of "Masterclasses" running to feature special wines and food.
Both the seeded and plain sourdough breads were excellent and the rich, thick Osso Bucco served on polenta was even better. Yum.
A very intense lemon tart, with vanilla bean icecream with a superb flat white coffee to follow made for a very special lunch out. Not too often, but still very hard on the diet.
On Thursday 18 April 2019 I drove into Lilydale and caught the Metro Train into Melbourne. Busy trains and so many people. I disembarked at Richmond Station and walked through the park up the AFL walk to the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground), these days also known (particularly in Victoria) as "The G".
Along the AFL Walk outside the stadium are a series of statues of greats of the game. This one is of Ron Barassi.
After a security bag check, I entered the stadium through Gate 3 and was just in time to buy a ticket and join the first (9:45am) tour for the day. It was worthwhile and took about 75 minutes covering many areas. You can also combine the tour with a visit to the National Sports Museum, which is also close to Gate 3 inside the Stadium.
A view of the playing surface from ground level.
The Melbourne Cricket Club is an integral part of the stadium and the tour covered many of the members areas and memorabilia.
The tour also included club rooms in the underground complex, plus the media area used for AFL Coach's after game press interviews. Kids on the tour had a great time being quizzed by the very entertaining Guide.
Birds had gathered in the goal area. The ground obviously gets a huge amount of attention as there was much spraying and activity in preparation for the next game, between Melbourne and St Kilda scheduled for the coming Saturday afternoon.
Nice panorama shot of the ground taken from high up on level 4 with the iPhone camera.
I had a coffee at the end of the tour, then walked through the other side of the park and caught a couple of trams through the City to the Queen Victoria Market. The City and trams were quite overwhelming with just so many people everywhere.
The size of the market is quite staggering, including the area that was once the City's wholesale fruit and vege markets. There is huge number of butchers, delis, fruit and vegetable stalls, plus many general goods and lots of "market" type stallholders.
The market covers several blocks and still uses many of the old covered, but otherwise open sheds.
The market lanes with a backdrop of many enormous new apartment buildings is quite a picture on another cool, but stunning Autumn day in Melbourne.
By this time, the legs were tired, and I had received a call from Neil letting me know that some of the hungry cows had escaped to the next door neighbour's "greener" paddocks. I took a very busy tram down Elizabeth Street to Central Station (City Loop Underground) and caught a convenient train back to Lilydale. I was lucky as a number of the many railway lines into the City were shut down due to extensive trackwork and level crossing upgrades being done through school holidays.
I recovered a couple of the remaining cow escapees from next door's nearest paddock and shut a couple of gates Geoff had suggested might limit access to an area where the fence was not quite so robust.
The rest of my time on the farm seems to have disappeared rapidly with a number of beautiful calm, warm and sunny days. Today is Sunday 21 April 2019 and we had a little bit of rain overnight and it is much cooler after the front has passed through. Geoff and the family are due back this afternoon or evening as the boys need to be back at school tomorrow. I plan to leave for Wangaratta tomorrow morning to continue my journey and visit a number of places I have not been to before, heading towards the Victorian High Country.
Seems like this would be a good place to pause and publish another long chapter.......
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