National Vietnam Veterans' Museum

Sunday, 27 September 2015

That's where I sat

Very mean helicopter

Tank and stuff

Wonder if it folds up?

When all else fails ...

Saturday was a beautiful, spring day – sunny and warm.  We visited the National Vietnam Veterans’ Museum on Phillip Island, which evoked many memories for Les.  Some time was spent perusing the many exhibits – more helicopters and tanks! – and photographs, as well as the introductory light and sound show.  We then joined the thousands of Victorians who seemed to be holidaying in Cowes and found a coffee shop for lunch.

As the Walrus said, the time has come …

Today, it is time to pack up for the final time and make our way to the Spirit of Tasmania later this afternoon.  The morning was very foggy and raw, so we spent a couple of pleasant hours wandering among the antique and collectable shops at the Tyabb Packing Shed.  By the time we left, the sun was starting to break through the mist and the afternoon has been glorious.

The seas are forecast to be smooth …

Melbourne

Friday, 25 September 2015

Storm clouds over Frankston Beach

Old mates having a chinwag

With Sandra and Trevor

Thursday morning saw us visit the Jayco factory to make a couple of maintenance purchases for the caravan – a new brake light and new struts for the front window cover.  We continued to Dandenong for a spot of retail therapy at the Black Pepper/Breakaway outlet and saved heaps of money at their sale!  We then joined Sandra and Trevor for lunch at Waves on the Beach, Frankston, and Cat was so excited to see his old friend again (they first met in Vienna on a tour of Eastern Europe and have remained in close contact ever since).

Today, we headed into the city with the intention of making our clothing purchases for a trip to Canada in December.  We decided to drive the slow way along the Nepean Highway to a ski shop in Elsternwick (google found a large website for this shop) and after negotiating traffic and trams, taking the first available parking spot within 500 metres, we set off on foot to find the shop, only to discover there was nothing there!  Walked all the way back to the car (good exercise) and continued into the city.  We found a few shops in Little Bourke Street which sell outdoor gear (eg Macpac) and one shop which specialled in adventure clothing and gear.  The man who served us had spent two winters in Banff and one in Russia so said he knew exactly what we would need.

The weather has been sunny for the last two days and a bit warmer today.

Family Reunions

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

With Kevin and Norm

Us with Sandy, Kevin and Norm

Even the coffee had a swan

With Len

With Len and Dina

Monday dawned very cold and overcast and didn’t improve much at all during the day.  We enjoyed a lunch with relations – Norm, Kevin and Sandy – at a restaurant on the banks of Lake Wendoree (famous for its black swans), with many “Do you remember’s” across the table.

Tuesday morning and the weather had deteriorated – freezing cold, windy and showers – for our drive to Melbourne; no standing about chatting with neighbours this morning!  The drive was uneventful, apart from the strong wind gusts and occasional shower and we crossed the West Gate Bridge without any problems.

We are staying at the Big4 Frankston Holiday Park and probably wont stay here again.  In the four years we have been coming here, there doesn’t appear to have been any maintenance on the grounds, which are quite muddy and unkempt, bushes and trees are overgrown and in urgent need of a trim.  We are unable to receive television reception because of the overgrown shrubs and the receptionist very grudgingly agreed to allow us to move to another site on Wednesday morning.  The afternoon was spent undertaking some retail therapy but I was shocked, disappointed and stressed to discover that Crabtree & Evelyn are no longer selling my favourite shampoo and conditioner; definitely a valid reason for a chocolate!

First thing today, we shifted the caravan to another site, after watching the previous owner get into a bit of difficulty when the drawbar of his caravan separated from the jockey wheel and came to rest on the rather soft ground.  No damage done, so we were soon able to hitch up and move.

Wednesday was another day to meet relations; for the first time I met a first cousin of my mother, together with his wife.  We travelled to their home in the Yarra Valley for lunch and to look at and copy the many photos that Len had found for me to view.  It was so amazing to see photos of my mother’s side of the family for the first time.  The Yarra Valley was very beautiful – the first time we have visited this region of Victoria and will definitely be revisited on a future trip.  We also had the privilege, with a return journey over the full distance, of helping reduce the debt on the Eastlink Motorway by a goodly amount!

The weather continues to be very chilly, but fortunately not as wet or windy today.

Ballarat

Sunday, 20 September 2015

Poppies

Flight from Pompeii

Cyclamens

Guess who this nose belongs to!

Plenty of room for more prime ministers

Daffodils

The sequoia walk

With the sun shining from a clear, blue sky and the temperature slowly rising, we left Bendigo bound for another famous “gold” city – Ballarat.  Instead of taking the direct route, we followed the Goldfields Trail to Ballarat via Maryborough, travelling through beautiful farm lands and many abandoned gold diggings.  We only had to travel less than 150 kms, so were at Ballarat well before lunch.  We are staying, once again, at the Big4 Ballarat Goldsfields Holiday Park, virtually opposite Sovereign Hill.

This afternoon we visited the Botanical Gardens, after a slow drive around Lake Wendouree.  The daffodils were nearly finished, but there were enough on show to remind us of what our garden at home would have looked like.  The poppies were very pretty and the tulips just starting to flower.  The displays in the conservatory were just beautiful – cyclamens, cinerarias, primulas and orchids mainly.  We also strolled along the Prime Ministers’ Avenue (there is a bust of every prime minister except the most recent) and the Sequoia Avenue with its massive redwoods.  We also stopped at the Memorial to Ex-Prisoners of War, with its honour roll of all Australian servicemen/women who had been held captive during conflicts from the Boar War until the present day.

Unfortunately, today’s 19 degrees is not expected to last.

Central Deborah Gold Mine & Talking Trams

Saturday, 19 September 2015

Kilns

Another kiln

Being kitted up

Ready for the descent (note the neat head gear!)

Original lifts

Two miners' lamps - candle and carbide

Laurie and his motley crew

"Dragon's blood" - not purple but mainly arsenic

All aboard!

Sacred Heart Cathedral

Charing Cross Fountain

Rosalind Park

Tram Depot

"Jimmy Possum" Tram

Lake Weeroona

Vertical stretcher

Carbide lamp room

Central Deborah Gold Mine poppet head

Ore bins and mullock heap

Trestle way

Pretty eucalyptus flower

Yesterday morning we departed Swan Hill, bound for Bendigo.  Unfortunately, the clear, blue skies of Swan Hill quickly became very cloudy, the temperature refused to move above 15 degrees and we had a steady head wind throughout the drive.

The almond and olive trees, the citrus and grapes, were replaced by green paddocks, sheep, dairy cows, wheat and canola – very pleasant scenery.  The road was good – and flat!

With only 190 kms to travel, we were at the Big4 Bendigo Ascot Holiday Park well before lunch and although there were only a few caravans, the park was full of children taking part in the National Gymnastics Competition currently being held in Bendigo.  During the afternoon, we paid a visit to the Bendigo Pottery which is just up the road.  Not being a huge fan of pottery and believing the $70 casserole (seconds) was a bit overpriced, it was fairly easy to resist the sales pitches.  However, there was a very interesting, and large, antique shop attached to the pottery and Himself did fall in love with a little Coalport lady by the name of Joanne.

Saturday morning wasn’t quite so cold, but we definitely did need the heater.  We decided to visit the Central Deborah Gold Mine and joined the tour which descended to the 2^nd level, 61 metres underground.  Laurie (a true showman!) was our guide and quickly had us kitted up with hard hats and miners’ lights before making the descent via a lift (thank goodness).  We walked around the 2^nd level in the dark, with only our helmet lights for illumination most of the time and listened to Laurie explaining about the life of a gold miner at Bendigo.  Thank goodness that OH&S has come a long way in a short time.  The return to the surface was fraught with the danger of drop bears (must be the cave dwelling species) and we did actually spot two specimens clinging to the shaft wall.

After our underground experience, we headed for the Vintage “Talking” Tram Tour through the main CBD of Bendigo, with a stop at the tramways’ depot to change trams, before continuing to the end of the route at the Bendigo Joss House Temple.  We then returned as far as Lake Weeroona for lunch at a lovely restaurant on the banks of the lake before once again catching the tram back to our starting point at the mine.  We then had time for a tour of the mine site and its buildings, as well as a climb to the trestle way and on to the poppet head, with its views across Bendigo.  Bendigo has some very fine buildings as a result of the gold, including the Shamrock Hotel where both Dame Nelly Melba and Lily Langtree performed.