Macedon Regional Park

We are settled in Mount Macedon and we made an outing to see the area a bit. This town in the side of the mountain about 600 m above sea level. At the top of the mountain, about 1 km high is a park and a tea house. So we drove up for a look about.

Dookie

We took a ride through the country and about about 15 km from the farm is the small town of Dookie. It is among a small group of brown hills north and west of the house. However, here the dirt is bright red in places and the contrasts are interesting. The tan/brown hills put us in the mind of visiting northern California with its similar hills. There are also vineyards in the area adding to the general impression.

A Last VIsit to Winton Wetlands

We found it irresistible to make one more visit to the Winton Wetlands before we left the countryside. The day was clear and breezy and not too hot. I took time to make a long exposure (about 4 minutes) of the landscape. The motion of the clouds give the sky a smooth look in contrast with the prickly character of the dead trees.

A Few Scenes from the Farm

A few images from around the farm on Stewarton. Water comes from a well (a bore) and there is a windmill that pumps it into this holding tank in the front yard. The water we drink is pumped by an electric pump but has to be filtered heavily to get the minerals out of it. After filtering it takes pretty good. Without a filter, it is pretty bad. the water from the this tank is only used to water the lawn and flowers.

Mooving Art

Shepparton has a park as you enter from the east and in this park are cows. Not real cows, but painted fiberglass cows. We are in dairy country and cows are an important part of what drives the economy hereabouts. For a bit of fun, Shepparton has a display of what they call Mooving Art.

Winton Wetlands

About 30 minutes from the farm is a large wetland. It sits in a depression in the valley where water collects when it rains and it is really huge. Apparently, it used to be dry and people farmed this area. But starting some years back, it has taken to accumulating water and the farmers left. As a result there are lots of dead trees about, the result of having been drowned. These cows, are what greet you at the entrance.

Cemeteries

A visit to a new place would not be complete without a stop by a cemetery or two. On our visit to Rushworth, the old gold mining town, we found a great cemetery with lots of stories.

Moving on

Today we end our stay in the vast farmland of northern Victoria and head back in the direction of Melbourne. Our next sit in Mount Macedon, in the hills just under an hour from Melbourne. Here we will take care of a little girl cat named Zac. And we will pack for our (temporary) return to the US. I expect it to be cooler than we've had here at times since we are further south, a bit higher in elevation, a bit later in the season, and surrounded by lots and lots of trees.

Stayed tuned for posts about the Stewarton area to continue for a few days before you start seeing images of the Mount Macedon area. Mostly, we will be packing and stowing in preparation for our return. We have to empty the ute, something we haven't done in months, and sort everything into piles of what we need to take and what can be left behind for our return. We need to make a visit or two to Melbourne to secure ute storage for our absence and do a bit of last minute shopping. Going to be a busy couple of weeks.

About the Farm

Just a bit north of us, maybe a couple hours drive, is the border with New South Wales. And there is a record-breaking heat wave hitting them now. Places are reaching 45C and a couple even more. A couple days ago the power was shut off for some customers in South Australia to avoid a complete crash of the system (you can believe that created a brouhaha!). So, needless to say, it is hot here. Not 45C, but still hot. As a result, I've been pretty timid about getting outside to photograph about the farm and bring you some rural scenery. The photo above is my first attempt and and I fairly well roasted while I took it.

Tatura Internment Museum

In a surprise to us, we learned that Australia housed Internment camps during WWII. Several were located near Tatura and there is a museum there that tells the story. It also tells about how the region was irrigated, but that is for another day.

Rushworth

About an hour from our housesit is a the small town of Rushworth. This is is a town settled in the 1850's during the gold rush. the folks here has done a great job of restoring and maintaining the old buildings even though there is not much here now.

Meet Raoul

Since everyone like cat pictures on the inter-toobz, here is our charge for the current housesit, Raoul. He is a Devon Rex with a quite unusually shaped head. It probably is about the same as other cats, it just looks different without most of the hair.

Arriving in Stewarton

About 100 m from the driveway to our pet sit in Stewarton, we had to pull over and wait for a bicycle race to pass. Near the end of the pack, we saw this group. I thought is was interesting to see the guy in blue looking kinda bored, the guy in pink next to him clearly in it to win, and the fellow behind him who just seems to be in pain.

We are on a farm about 30 minutes or so outside of Shepparton. The network is indeed limited so I posting from the library in a little town about 20 minutes away called Benalla. Now that we know where to get a reliable (and unlimited) access to the network, I'll be getting more posts of the area ready for you.

West Terrace Cemetery

We can't really pass through a new place without visiting a cemetery. This is on nearest the city center. It is located on the west side in the park zone around the city.

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral

There is, of course, a Catholic Cathedral in central Adelaide...St. Francis Xavier. We stopped in for a look about as it started to sprinkle a little. There is only one tram line in Adelaide that tooks us to and from the Central Market and this Church. This was a stop on the way back to the hotel from the market.

Adelaide Central Market

Melbourne has the Queen Victoria Market...Adelaide has the Central Market. Given that Adelaide is about 1/4 the size of Melbourne, the Central Market is pretty large, but of course, it pales in comparison to the one in Melbourne.

Rundle Street Mall & Environs

Adelaide is an interesting place. In some ways, just like the other cities we visited here in Australia, but in other ways quite different. While we've seen drive through bottle shops everywhere, this is the place that had one on the street for pedestrians.

West to Adelaide

When we left Broken Hill, the weather report was calling for a high of 41C. In fact, it reached 45C that day. Fortunately, we were on the road before the worst of the heat and as we headed toward Adelaide, it got cooler and cloudier.

Broken Hill's Night Sky

No visit to the outback would be complete without a trip out of town at night to see the sky. We drove maybe three minutes out of Broken Hill (north, toward the Living Desert State Park for those of you with a map in your hand). In about 40 minutes, here's what I got.

The Palace Hotel

Our visit to the Palace Hotel in Broken Hill was like stepping back in time to a movie set. The walls all painted with landscapes and the definite gay overtone.

The Living Desert State Park

We've now made two trips to the Living Desert State Park. This is just outside Broken Hill and easy to get to. In fact, you can see Broken Hill from the top
of the hill in the park. The first time we went it was about to rain.

Railway Mineral and Train Museum

A visit to the Railway Mineral and Train Museum reveals lots of interest to see. There was several nicely maintained trains from the history of the area and wide range of other items.

Stewarton, Victoria

Today we arrive in Stewarton after 5 days on the road. I hope that I am able to get images posted from the stay in Adelaide. Our internet access is limited at this house sit so we have to go to the library or something to be able to upload pictures. We'll see how this goes.

There are a few more posts from Broken Hill to come before the blogging slows.

Silverton and the Outback

Another day of cool weather and we headed back toward Silverton. A few kilometers on the other side of town are the Mundi Mundi plains. This is the outback for real. Here is one of the original sheep stations in this part of Australia. And the history continues.

Silverton

About 25 km outside of Broken Hill is the original mining town of Silverton. The town was built here and when they figured out that the main lode was at the site o Broken Hill, they literally moved the town. With camels and the train, the buildings were moved to Broken Hill. There is not much left.

Royal Flying Doctor Service

Broken Hill Airport is the largest port for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. These hard working people provide emergency and routine service for the people living where there is no other medical service.

Menindee Cemetery

We're learning that cemeteries in the outback have more than their share of children. Menindee Cemetery is no exception.

A Visit to Menindee

About an hour's drive south east is the small town of Menindee. Lots of straight road and heat. There are also lots of Emu.

A Visit to the Miner's Memorial

At the top of a hill on the south side of Broken Hill is an old mine entrance and a memorial to all the miners who died during the operation of the mine. The large building with a memorial to most of the workers was closed today, but outside there is a separate monument to two miners who are still 500 feet below the spot marked.

The Albert Kersten Mining and Mineral Museum

Broken Hill is a mining town by origin although these days tourism seems to be the strong element of the economy now. There is mining and mineral museum here is gives a good explanation how the lode of ore got to where it is (was actually, most has been removed). Above is a pretty large silver nugget from the mine.  The caption you can't read says that there were nuggets over a ton in mass and so large they had to be broken up to be removed. Impressive.

Headed Back to Broken Hill

On the way back from White Cliffs and Wilcannia, we saw that the sky was filling with clouds. A storm was a'comin'. Off in the distance was a small spot where it was raining and the sun streaming through a gap in the clouds illuminated it to give the appearance of a sword hanging from the heavens.

White Cliffs

There just isn't much in White Cliffs and this time of year, we learned there is even less. There is opal mining here and lots of places that look like they were tossed together in haste and then ignored.

In the Outback

After our night in Broken Hill, we headed east and north toward White Cliffs. This took us out the Barrier Highway into the emptiness that is the outback.

Broken Hill - 1st Try

As we drove north from Melbourne, the countryside went from green and lush to less green, then to brown and finally to red with spinifex scattered everywhere.

There is a feeling that a drive into the outback is to drive back in time. Back to a point in prehistory where the earth has not yet fully developed. Arriving in Broken Hill we find that we really on traveled back 50-100 years, mostly - not entire millenia.

Mildura

On the northern border of Victoria where the Murray river forms the border with New South Wales, is the town of Mildura.

Sea Lake

Our first stop on the way north from Melbourne was Sea Lake. This small village is on the shore of Lake Tyrell. This is a lake with never more than a few inches of water, most of which had evaporated at the time the of our visit.

On the Road Again...

We are in to Broken Hill in the New South Wales outback. Once we get settled in a little, I hope to have some new sorts of posts for you. After nearly two months in the Melbourne area, it is time for a change. If you go look for Broken Hill on Google Maps, from a certain distance all you see is a place where two roads cross. You have to zoom in pretty far to see that there a town there. It is a place with nearly 20,000 people. It just happens to be a place with nothing else around it. I try to show you some of this "nothing else" soon.

St. Kilda

St. Kilda, just on the south side of Melbourne is a hip community on the shore of the bay. Along the esplanade are a series of kiosks for the Sunday market. In one of these we find a person even more rare than finding another person with my last name - a person with Elizabeth's last name. Meet Kirsten Haworth. The pronunciations vary across the Pacific, but the name is the same. We bought one of her prints to remember this meeting.

South Melbourne Market

A visit to the South Melbourne Market reveals another place in Melbourne to find gastronomic delights as well as a wide range of stuff.

So Many Cemeteries, So Little Time

Our last visit to the Melbourne General Cemetery reveals a few more surprises aside from the Elvis memorial. Occasionally, there is a statue that happens to be in a good place for a photo and is photogenic. The one above does this very well.

The King is Dead! Long Live the King!

Imagine my surprise when wandering the Melbourne General Cemetery and finding a gravestone for Elvis Presley! I took three pictures of this site to introduce you to the impressiveness of this memorial. While the one above is indeed impressive, stepping back a little way gets much more so.

Last Visit to the Western Treatment Plant

We've made our last trip out to Werribee to the Western treatment Plant to see the birds. At the end of this visit, we turned in the key and got our deposit back.

Puffin' Billy

Not far from Melbourne, is a steam train from the turn of the last century, Puffin' Billy. We signed on for the Steam and Cuisine lunch aboard.

Important Security Information for Everyone

Item 1:

I just learned about a web site called FamilyTreeNow that aims to help with genealogical research. But it does so much more. Using publicly available information (so it says), it also provides free information on the living, ie. you and me.

If you visit the web site, I can pretty much guarantee that you'll find the amount of information displayed about you to be more than a little creepy.

Here's what I suggest. Visit https://www.familytreenow.com/optout and follow the instructions and link there. The process goes like this:

1. visit the web site
2. find your record and see what it says
3. get really creeped out
4. hit the opt-out button

This seems to work for me. After opting out, a subsequent search does not find me.

Item 2:

We've reached the place where camera phone technology is threatening our security. Photos taken from up to 3 meters away have enough resolution that your finger prints could be stolen from the image. This means making the "peace sign", a thumbs-up, a hand wave,...in short anything where your fingers can be seen, a security risk. Since our phones new use fingerprints for access and some use the phone for banking and Apple Pay, this is potentially serious.

The article even warns that parents are at risk of having their fingerprints stolen by their children while they sleep. So you parents out, there...stay awake!

Item 3:

This is now new, but I include it for completeness. Be very careful using ATM's anywhere. The technology to steal your information when you go get money from the ATM is getting more common.

Stay safe.

Shrine of Remembrance

Just a few blocks south of the Flinders Street Station is the Botanical Garden. In this large park is the Shrine of Remembrance. This place is a tribute to many Australians who fought and died in the wars in which Australia has participated.

Our New Friend in Parkville

Our current house sit is to take care of this little cat, Sasha.

The Bay of Martyrs

Our last stop on the Great Ocean Road was the Bay of Martyrs. Like at the other stops, we found amazing water, islands separated from the mainland by erosion, and a glorious beach. This one is not the empty, undisturbed place we found in other places, but it was still great.

Razorback and London Bridge

One the second day of our adventure along the Great Ocean Road, we visited points along the beach as we continued west toward Warrnambool.

A Night on the Road

So, after a long day on the road and see wonderful sights, we arrived at our hotel. It was an interesting place but nice. What you see above is the garage. Our host met us to direct us into the garage. He noted that if we didn't close the door, the kangaroos would come sleep with the cars and they were worried about damage. Not clear what would happen if we just parked outside.

The Twelve Apostles

After our long drive to the sprawling metropolis of Lavers Hill (two restaurants and a general store) to find our hotel, we headed out after a rest to see the 12 Apostles at sunset.

The Great Ocean Road

Between sitting engagements, we took a couple days to drive the Great Ocean Road (GOR). From Wikipedia:

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243 kilometres (151 mi) stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and dedicated to soldiers killed during World War I, the road is the world's largest war memorial. Winding through varying terrain along the coast and providing access to several prominent landmarks, including the Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations, the road is an important tourist attraction in the region.

Here is the first installment about the trip.

On the road

We're off on the road for a day or two and will be at our next pet sitting gig. Stay tuned for for update by the weekend.

Boroondara General Cemetery at Kew

We visited an new cemetery and found some very interesting memorials. This one is in the Melbourne suburb of Kew. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Victoria with the first burial in 1858.

Melbourne General Cemetery

You just can't keep us from cemetery browsing. We visited the Melbourne General Cemetery and discovered a really large place filled with interesting people and cemetery art.