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Beach Holidays, An Unexpected Workshop & Snippets of Melbourne

30/4/2019

 
Waihi Beach
Torquay Beach
Portsea Beach
Long summer days, warm ocean temperatures & beach retreats are a perfect end to my favourite season of the year.
Today as I'm writing this it is most decidedly autumn, it's grey, it's windy & it's raining on & off. 
Fortunately it's not cold.
Our days are shorter, now that daylight saving has ended.
It's a cyclical thing & let's face it, not unexpected.

March to April went like this:
Beach Retreat >> recovery at home >> 5 days filled with family >> recovery at home >> Holiday with family & friends in Australia >> recovery at home

woah ! that didn't leave much time for anything else really did it.

Nevertheless at the end of March I was able to attend a workshop which covered hand printing techniques you can do at home.
​I was going to write a post about it but actually can't be bothered ! Not because I didn't enjoy it nor that I didn't learn anything new, nor that it didn't spark a few ideas of things I want to try because it did do all of those things however I was kinda hoping it would draw a few things together & until that happens I have to let it simmer.

Instead, let me give you some snippets of Australia:

  • it's an easy & interesting drive from Melbourne airport to Bendigo
  • we saw amazing outcrops of granite around the Harcourt area
  • Harcourt is, these days, better known for growing apples
  • we also saw more dead kangaroos, presumably victims of roadkill, on the drive to & from Bendigo than I have ever seen before travelling around other parts of Australia - apparently this is usual 
  • ‘history’ of  Bendigo & surrounds ‘begins’ at the arrival of Europeans !
  • there are many old, elaborate buildings which speak of there having been lots & lots of money in the area - in the past anyway 
  • there is a 'high grade, low cost' underground gold mine located 20km from the city of Bendigo 
Sandhurst Gaol
Castlemaine Gaol

  • there are also many jails/gaols; some very old & some very new  
  • Castlemaine Gaol was opened in 1860 & closed in 1990 !
  • Sandhurst Gaol, in Bendigo, was built in approximately 1851, records suggest it was working in 1857, & closed in 2006 !
  • Sandhurst gaol has been converted into a theatre called Ulumbarra & there are 2 scar trees sited at the main entrance
  • Old Castlemaine Jail is sited up on a hill & probably has the best view of the entire town 
  • we were introduced to ‘prison eggs’
  • I didn’t cook at all ! & at my cousin's place I didn’t even think about doing anything - nor did I do anything even vaguely houseworky - it was AMAZING  ​
sunset view from our cabin
Surfside Cabin #1
Torquay Beach
  • it cost more to stay 1 night in a cabin in a caravan park in Torquay than for 1 night in the hotel in Melbourne
  • it was beautiful cabin in a beautiful caravan park beside a beautiful ocean & i would happily stay there again
  • Great Ocean Road starts, or ends depending on which direction you're travelling, at Torquay 
Victoria Bight
View from Queenscliff Ferry Terminal
Queenscliff to Sorrento Ferry
  • we were the youngest people in Queenscliff by at least 20 years - maybe 30 even
  • the car ferry ride from Queenscliff to Sorrento was superb, loading & unloading the car was seamless & skilfully managed & the views picturesque
  • Portsea is so flat we walked 4.3km, 6,223 steps, 0 floors 
  • the ocean temp, at 18 degrees C, in Torquay & Portsea was colder than at home
view looking from one window (Albert Park)
it's a city
view from the other window lol
  • we walked an average of 4.4 kilometres each day we were away (5.6 km/day in April)
  • we stayed beside the botanic gardens so easy to get to anywhere we wanted to be
  • eating out in Melbourne is great & easily accessible with superb quality produce & excellent flavours
  • i now look old enough that people offer me a seat on the trams 
  • people make eye contact & smile  
  • i love Australia

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    About
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    Hi, I'm Sally
    I'm a fibre artist who loves botanicals - especially NZ native plants
    you can find me on 
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