Velvet & Fashion - Counry Syle

This strikinginly bold red velvet jacket was one of the features in "The Gallery" at Mt. Macedon.

Taste & Sample

Tower Motel, Marysville

One of the few buildings left untouched by the Black Saturday bushfires, the Tower Motel in Marysville ia lovely choice for a weekend away. Only 90 minutes from Melbourne, it is within easy reach of the Yarra Valley, which is Victoria's premier wine region.

Griffiths Island Lighthouse

The Griffiths Island Lighthouse was built in 1859 by Scottish stonemasons out of bluestone. The unique stairway is cut with each step being inserted in the next course of stone in the outside wall.

Originally located on an area known as Rabbit Island, the island has since been encompassed by the neighbouring Griffiths Island.

The last lighthouse keeper that lived on the island was there from 1929 till 1954. There was one more lightkeeper for a short time before the light was automated.

Across The Water

Moyne River, Port Fairy.

Commemorative Cross

Commemorative Cross of the Ash Wednesday Bushfires 1983

This plaque commemorates the reopening of the Mount Macedon Uniting Church on 8th April 1984. Following its restoration after almost total destruction caused by the Ash Wednesday fires of 16th February 1983.

The cross is constructed with the old truss brackets from the original roof.

Mt. Macedon

Two of a Kind

Imagine seeing not one, but two - these lovely old chevies were parked outside the Bakery at Yarra Glen one Sunday afternoon. Wouldn't it just give you a thrill to go riding around in one?

Aged Antiques

Edward Clark Antiques

This lovely old weather-board on Mt. Macedon Road houses some wonderful antiques. Even the Ampol petrol pump is antiquated, plus it is still in working order.

Whitecaps

Port Phillip Bay
I am going on holidays today and shall try and post while on my travels. Ciào.

Alpine Wildflowers

Alpine Mint Bush (Prostanthera cuneata)

One of our beautiful native wildflowers that can be found at Lake Mountain in the Victorian high country. One of 1050 native flowering plants and fern species in the alpine regions it flowers from November through to April, and fruits from December to March and emits a lovely fragrance.

Once a wonderland of beauty, the Lake Mountain trails are currently closed due to the devastating Black Saturday bushfires on February 7th This year.

Mount Macedon

Mount Macedon in Winter

The Macedon Ranges are famous for their views, native forests, wildlife, historic monuments and, perhaps foremost, their substantial homes and garden flower displays in Spring. At the western end of the range, the 2427 hectare Macedon Regional Park dominates the skyline.

The towns of Macedon and Mount Macedon are well known for their exotic trees, gracious homes and gardens.

The small township of Mount Macedon has a General Store, Pub, Church, Art Gallery, Antique Shop and a plant nursery. The day this photo was taken the wind chill factor would have been on a par with Antarctica - it was freezing.

The Rugged Rock

Round and round the rugged rock
The ragged rascals ran,
But here in this wee photo,
They sat and got a tan!

Taken at Wilson's Promonontry near Squeaky Beach.

Chinese Joss House

The Chinese Joss House of Bendigo is still used as a house of prayer today and is the only one of its kind still surviving in regional Victoria. The Chinese people have a proud history since gold was first discovered in 1851.

Built of timber and local hand made bricks, it is painted red - the traditional Chinese colour denoting strength and vitality. The main temple is dedicated to Guan-Di, the god of war and prosperity. The Chinese saw Guan-Di as a wise judge, guide, protector and provider of wealth and prosperity; factors needed for Chinese worshipers in this strange land.

It is now a National Trust property and is open to the public Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 11.00am to 4.00pm. Bendigo is 149 km norht of Melbourne. The Joss House is a short drive north west of Lake Weeroona.

The Redcoats Are Coming!

Each afternoon at Sovereign Hill, the Redcoats march down the main street, fire a salute to the Queen (Victoria) then the "charges" are read out. The culprit is brought forward to answer these charges (he never wins), is found guilty and is "tarred and feathered" as punishment.

It is great entertainment and to the crowds of jeering people gathered to watch a scene of amusement.

I shall be doing a post about Sovereign Hill later.

NOTE - Many of my photos I took with an Instamatic ($24.95 from the local chemist) and have used my digital camera to take photos of the photos - hence the blurriness.

Sailing, Sailing Over The Ocean Blue...

The ferry, the MM JJ Farnsworth took passengers across Point Nepean from Sorrento to Queenscliff and back. As you entered the heads and went through "The Rip" it could be quite rough - fortunately I have a stomach like lead.

The little boat no longer makes the journey, now only the larger car and passenger ferry makes the trip.

Sovereign Hill - Cobb & Co

The Old Courthouse Healesville

The Yarra Valley Visitor Information Centre is housed in Healesville`s "Old Courthouse". Opened in 1890, the Courthouse is one of only five similar timber courthouses built in the 1880's. Now recognised by the National Trust, it is home to the Yarra Valley Tourist Information Centre and is in Harker Street, Healesville.

"The Rip"

Treacherous waters

At Point Nepean lies "The Rip", the treacherous divide between Point Nepean and Point Lonsdale that has claimed many ships since European settlement due to large tidal flows through the relatively narrow channel from the bay to the ocean, and a high rocky seabed,
It connects Port Phillip and Bass Strait and is the only entrance for shipping into Port Phillip and hence into Melbourne.

A ferry takes you from Sorrento across to Queenscliff and as you enter through the heads - the stretch of sea between Point Nepean, Shortlands Bluff and Point Lonsdale you can feel the ferocity of the wsters.

Rock Formation - Wilson's Prom NP

Wilsons Promintory, colloquially dubbed "The Prom", is the southernmost point of the Australian mainland. Mountains, granite headlands, forests and fern gullies frame the 130 km coastline. Inside the park, Tidal River is the focus for tourism and reacreation and is a most popular camping area especially the summer months. Wilsons Promontory National Park contains the largest coastal wilderness area in Victoria.

Three Faces of Nature

Ninety kms north east of Melbounrne is Lake Mountain, a cross-country ski resort and one of the most popular in Australia. It is visited all year round - there are several mountain trails and when the snow has gone and wildflowers are in bloom it is a very pleasant place for a day outing.

Mt. Macedon Memorial Cross

Death cannot rob them of their glory, nor time efface the memory of their gallant deeds.

The Memorial Cross sits at the top of Mt. Macedon with magnificent views across the surrounding areas and commemorates those who gave their lives in the First World Waar. It is 21 metres in height and 1001 metres above sea level and is lit at night. The original Cross was unveiled in 1935, but was replaced in 1995 due to storm and fire damage.

Metal and Stone

These gates caught my eye. The fascination of the placement of the metal pieces and the amount of work that went into them. An artwork in itself. And combined with the bluestone of the pillars it brings into focus the elements of nature and how we can use them for not only necessary items, but also for fashioning them as an artistic work.

Memorial Cross Path

A Portal To The Past

Australia's Paddlesteamer CapitalLocated just over 2.5 hours north of Melbourne, the Port of Echuca is located on the banks of the Murray River, in the historic Port Precinct.

Echuca was once Victoria's most substantial inland river port with paddlesteamers transporting goods far and wide as they chugged along the mighty Murray on which this town is built.

Just over the Victorian/NSW border lies Moama, and many people stay at "Echuca-Moama" to this day, with free shuttle buses ferrying holiday makers and locals alike across the border to a night out at one of the numerous "Clubs" for a spot of gaming.

P.S. Adelaide 1866
Built at Echuca, the PS Adelaide is the oldest wooden hulled paddlesteamer still operating in the World!

Used as a logging boat for 90 odd years, she left the town briefly during the 1950's but later was brought back to Echuca as a community effort in 1960. 1964 saw her lifted from the water and put to rest in Echuca's Hopwood Gardens, where she lay for 20 years. However, in 1980 restoration commenced and she was refloated in 1984 and ahs the capacity to carry 12 passengers.

Maniacal Mechanicals

Austral Kerosene Engine 1928

These two exhibits were at the Gold King Festival. The Austral Kerosene Engine was manufactured May 1928 by Ronaldson Bros. & Tippett of Ballarat. Serial No. 7150
Previous Owners -
George Ovens of Geelong
Graeme Spitte of Ascot
Current Owner Rod Covey of Clunes.

The Igloo Roadhouse

A one and a half hour drive from Melbourne is the small town of Buxton at the foot of the Cathedral Ranges and it is here you will find The Igloo Roadhouse - well known for having the best burgers. The Buxton Burger was voted Best Burger in Victoria by the Age Epicure magazine in 2005, and the tradition is still going strong




The Buxton Burger (left) and The Cathedral Burger










The Buxton burger was "invented" by a former Igloo Roadhouse owner in 1991. The Cathedral Burger is ‘big brother’ to the Buxton and is named after the Cathedral Mountains just behind the Igloo Roadhouse. It is certainly a challenge – you definitely have to be hungry before you attempt eating it!

Fish Frenzy

"I caught a fish T H I S big - but it got away."
This colouful building backs onto riverfrontage along the Moyne River pedestrian walkway.

Art Sculpture

Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition





Each year between October and December, Yering Station hosts the Yering Station Art Sculpture Exhibition. A combined effort between the Yarra Valley Arts Council and Yering Station, the exhibition has grown since October 2001 and is now an iconic event on the Victorian Arts calendar with exhibitors from both Victoria and interstate.

Black Saturday Bushfires - An Eye Witness Account

Yarra Glen one month after the bushfires - 9th March 2009

AS I headed up to the Yarra Valley today, music blaring, I didn't know what to expect - not really. Turning right from Diamond Creek Rd then hanging a left into the Eltham Yarra Glen Road, what struck me first was the fragrance - it wasn't there. Except for a few fleeting seconds, then it was gone.

Each time I've travelled this road before there was the most beautiful smell which would linger as I'd wind my way up to Yarra Glen. A few kms past the Antique Store at Watson's Creek, the trees on the left were black and dead, stark and empty. A large, white, wooden cross was on one of them. I turned the music off. It was a sombre drive.

I'd intended going to De Bortoli, and mistakenly turned up the wrong road - Steels Creek Road. As I ventured further, I was surrounded by black trees, their leaves dead and withered. I passed a winery - Yileena Park, and pulled up, checked the map, then decided I'd go to this small winery instead. Turned round headed back. Dianne, the owner of the winery welcomed me, and tasting their wines, she began to speak of that terrible day. I didn't like to ask too many questions.

This is what she told me - the sun was blood red, and the last time she saw that was on the day of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and she knew it was going to be bad. The fire came from over there, she pointed to the west, over the gully and as it neared the winery, suddenly the wind changed direction and raced up the hill. Some of the vines were lost, she changed into denim jeans, long heavy cotton shirt, blundstone boots and heavy jacket.

The fires were all around - the cypress trees across the road survived, the house didn't. Her son fought the fire which had caught on the roof of her house up the hill, for 5 days she didn't have a bath or shower - there was no water. She spent the next three days on the roof with buckets of water.

City people don't understand, they think once the fire has gone through it's over, but it isn't. The trees can burn for days, or weeks, the underground root system is still burning, and can restart new fires. The eucalpytus trees were burning, and the oil from them rose high and exploded - fireballs the size of cars whizzed ahead of the fire front and started new fires - where they landed were random, the heat was intense between 1400 and 1600 º C - one lady had large bronze statues about 4 foot high, the radiant heat burnt them and there's nothing left - not even a melted blob to show they ever existed. A man in Kinglake - his pottery moulds for the kiln melted.

There won't be a vintage this year, even though not all the grapes were burnt, those
that survived cannot be used, because once fermentation starts, the smell, and taste will be akin to an overflowing ashtray days old. She said tell people we are open, for people to start coming back to the valley. The local councils have been turning a "blind eye" she said since that day - if you had dead trees on your property, you were not allowed to cut them down.

Many trees have blown over with the wind - helped she said by a chainsaw. Dianne told me since that day, you look at things with new eyes - all the possessions we have, that we surround ourselves with, do we really need them? She told me of one lady who had a "good" dinner set that she kept for a special occasion - the dinner set is gone, why do we have things that we don't use? Just to keep - better to use them now, while we still have them. She said we surround ourselves with possessions but in the end, they're not important.

What struck me too was patches here and there of greenery - I saw two purple flowers growing by the road side amid blackened grass and stumps. One hill is blackened and dead, the one to the right was untouched. Further up the road, I saw chimneys here and there standing, nothing else, just the chimney - debris and rubble around them. I took some photos but not of the chimneys, I felt that I was looking at something I shouldn't have, so I photographed the trees. I never knew there could be such a dark shade of black.

I overshot the mark for Pinnacle Lane, and couldn't pull over so kept on going, and the further I went, the darker and blacker and deader the area became. The road branched to the left - a gravel road heading to Kinglake, I turned around and headed back. Three burnt trees had large pink crosses painted on them. Going up Pinnacle Lane was almost worse. Turned onto the Melba Highway and went to Yarra Glen for coffee before coming back home.

This was the saddest drive I've ever done. I drove in silence - the music stayed off.

Autumn Colours

Nicholson Street, Healesville.

Steavensons Falls, Marysville

Steavensons Falls are Victoria's highest waterfall and descend 84 meteres to the bush and fern-fringed Steavensons River below. The Falls were named after John Steavenson, who first visited the site of what is now Marysville in 1862, the falls opened to tourists in 1866.

They are a popular attraction and at night are illuminated by floodlights powered by hydro-electricity created by the thundering water.

This photo was taken before the Black Saturday bushfires which decimated the area.

The Big Koala

The Big Koala is at Dadswell bridge on the Western Highway between Horsham and Stawell and houses a souvenir shop. There is a licensed cafe next door. Daswell Bridge also has a motel and caravan park. Technically speaking, it's called the Giant Koala, - it is 14 metres high, weighs 12 tonnes and is made of bronze set on a steel frame.
The sculptor Ben Van Zetton designed and constructed the piece in 1988.

Country Garden

In the garden at Summer Sensations Cafe & Berry Gardens at Teesdale. Their Sunday Breakfasts are marvellous - old-fashioned country style.

Kaboom! Fire the Canon...

1...2...3...FIRE!!!

Block Your Ears...

Every Sunday during the month of January at 12 noon precisely, the canon is fired at Battery Hill. It is a big attraction and both locals and tourists alike make their way up the hill to witness this spectacle.
Remembe to cover your ears - the noise is louder than a gaggle of teenagers at an all night party.