Porcupine Village

For some reason both our batteries in the Toyota died overnight. Just as well we were still at Heathers and could roll down the hill to start the engine. A long drive was required to charge the batteries so we plotted a course which led us, via country roads to Bendigo (to purchase new battery!) and then to Porcupine Village. We tend to keep away from the touristy things...especially those that charge to get in......but we were drawn to this little place. The whole village was relocated from around Victoria to sit where some of the gold diggings had taken place in the 1800s. It truly felt like we were walking the dusty streets of an old mining town, complete with hotel/brothel, individual grocery/bakery/clothing/hardware store, dentist, funeral parlour, miners huts, surgery and even a bowling alley.
I must have had a previous life in this era, as I couldn't resist acting out the part and just loved immersing myself in the history.
Life was so simple in those days!

Fire!!!

Yesterday afternoon the sirens started. Fire trucks and police whizzed by and a plume of smoke could be seen. Steve and I were about to head off to see an extinct volcano and thought we would take a look down the road in the direction of the fire. A road block confirmed our fears. A fire had started and went from5 hectares to250 hectares in 40minutes. We joined half the population of Daylesford who gathered on the highest hill...the best vantage point, to watch the choppers and spotter planes do there dangerous work. I chatted with the locals, some of whom had already packed their cars, and comforted an elderly Russian lady who became distraught just watching the progress of the fire. I was told by a retired fire fighter that we would be safe unless there was a wind change. He had already instructed his daughter to leave if it happened.
After checking the website and listening to ABC reports we figured it was safe to go to bed.
This morning we hear the fire is still active north east of Daylesford. The choppers are continually flying over the house to collect water.....Steve has some video footage of Elvis, the multi million dollar firefighting chopper doing its job....stay tuned..

Daylesford- Luxury Living with Heather

Daylesford is a one and a half hour drive from Melbourne....spa country, where the wealthy come regularly to stay in boutique accommodation, drink the mineral water, eat fine food, visit the many galleries and be throughly pampered. We may be the poor cousins from Queensland, but we are staying in my friend Heathers gorgeous big house which overlooks the lake (see photo), and we feel thoroughly spoilt. What a place to hang out for a week!
We have been busy helping out with odd jobs.....my back caved in during a vigorous gardening chore leaving me waddling around like an old lady of a hundred for a few days..........and Steve has been great using his technical knowledge to set Heather up with a giant LCD TV and new laptop.
There are birds everywhere and great flocks of noisy, white cockatoos are our wakeup call. It is the perfect place for Steve to get out his video gear and he dissappears early one morning to get the best shots. Heather and I have checked out the shops and had a ball at the local markets, complete with its characters. The galleries are outstanding, particularly the Convent gallery, which not only houses fine artworks, but also has a beautiful church, conference/reception rooms, restaurant and gift shop, all surrounded by stunning gardens.
We have also caught up with our good friends Julie and Darryl whom we met in a campground right at the tip of Aus. They live in a wonderful heritage type home which they have beautifully restored in the traditional Victorian style. We are really looking forward to spending a few days with them next week.
I could easily live here....except I would ffff......reeze in winter! Oh, how I miss our glorious Queensland weather!.....and I miss my children too.....

Kilmore - Mary and Eric

I met Mary and Eric in the Cooktown gallery almost 2 years ago. Marys brother David instigated the retrieval of Cooks anchor from the bottom of the ocean many years back, and he gave a public talk at the Cooktown musuem relating the story of the expedition. It was delivered with great clarity and humour. They are all in their eighties and have a terrific attitude towards life which I so admire in the elderly. Mary commissioned me to do a pastel portrait of David for his birthday which I sent to Melbourne. We kept in touch and I vowed to visit if I should ever be this way.
This, then, led us to the 100 acre sheep farm they live on at Kilmore.
Again we here a story about bush fires. They too had lost their home to fires some years back along with valuable antiques and irreplaceable possessions. They have since rebuilt and filled their home with wonderful artworks and all the precious pieces others have contributed, as well as replacement antiques and furniture, which has made their house a home again. A relative collected broken bits of china from the ashes after the fire, and created a wall hanging as a beautiful but rather sad reminder of the devastation.
Mary does wonderful needlework, and Eric has an interest in old motors etc. They were lucky not to lose the sheds which houses all of Eric's toys. Eric is also creative in that he makes tiny, colourful, wooden replicas of the beach huts at Brighton. I was thrilled when he gave me a set.
Our day with them was simply marvellous.

Melbourne - Into the Big Smoke-Literally!

After liberally applying shampoo to my legs, believing it to be moisturizer, we head into a hazy, smoke filled Melbourne.
I'm in for as family fix, which includes a lovely lunch with Johanna and her man in Fitzroy....here for Valentines Day...but still no proposal...Seamus!!!! I am so happy to see her and then, ever so quickly, so sad to say goodbye that as I walk away tears stream down my face and I keep looking back to get a last glance of her.
Steve takes a trip down memory lane by taking me to the house he lived in as a child, other old haunts, and the lake where his Father taught him how to fish. He sees someone catching yabbies, just like he did as a child, and can't resist a chat......clearly he is reminiscing.
I have arranged to stay at my cousin Michaels place and am so happy to see him after 30years. I barely remember his lovely wife Jo , but she welcomes me very warmly and I immediately feel at home with family. They are wonderful hosts and spoil us with delicious meals and a very comfy bed. Their daughter Kristen is drop dead beautiful, very sweet and Johanna's age and I resist the urge to smother her with hugs, but find myself giving her, probably unwanted, advice.
We make a trip to Mount Dandenong and surrounds, stopping for walks through gardens devastated by the hot dry winds of last week, and visiting galleries etc.
It makes me nervous driving through these great forests, with the stunningly beautiful mountain ash trees, high up in the mountains, with so much potential fuel for more fires. I imagine everyone living and working here is more nervous than I. But, there is still beauty in the native bushland.

Lochsport - Happy Valentines Day!

Hello All!
Driving through Lochsport was like coming into a ghost town...where was everyone? Well, apparently there are only 350 full time residents and the rest appear on weekends and holidays. It's a quaint place with water either side and sweet little cottages and then some more expensive homes dotted here and there, at the tip of ninety mile beach. On the photo you can just make out the black ash on the beach that blew over from the fires just west of here.
We came in search of warmth after the cold and wet last few days camping at Lake Tyers. On our final night there it positively poured and we were melded together in the tent with multiple layers trying to keep warm. At 1.30am there was a great gust of wind, a crash, and our enormous tarp caved in on top of the tent. In our PJs and in the freezing cold and rain we were busy hammering in pegs and trying to stabilize our tarp.....not pleasant, but not complaining either.
Anyway we are in a cosy self contained unit now complete with central heating, electric blankets and recliner chairs.....I think this is called "glamping"...glamorous camping!

Seldom Seen

It was getting late but we found a spot on the map called "Seldom Seen". It begs to be discovered. There we meet Dave.
When we drive into his space we feel a little freaked out. There is crap everywhere...odd bits of junk lie in strange formations all around, including dead animal carcasses.....Different! A sign says, fresh eggs, so hesitantly we stop the car and meet Dave. I quickly introduce us and we start some friendly chatter. I ask about the eggs and he invites us into his house/dwelling that is as messy as the outside. With some trepidation, we follow. There is an evil smell and I look for signs of bodies.
Dave tells us he is a survivor. In 2003, almost 6 years tothe day, a bushfire raged through his area and he and his dog "Dasher" fled from the flames and sheltered in the dam. His service station and home were destroyed. He was joined in the dam by a kangaroo who later leapt out and perished. He produces a newspaper clipping to confirm his story.The latest news of bushfires has devastated him as he relives his own nightmare. I see in him a gentle giant and prattle on incessantly. He says his parents lived here for many years and he points to a tree in the distance, where, he says, they are planted.
Suddenly he asks if we would like to see the ruins of his parents old house. Steves face tells me it's time we should leave, but I see a lonely man with a story so I am eager to hear it. Behind his place are whats left of the old homestead. I listen as he tells us all about the old house, and I madly take photos. When he picks up a rock, Steve's heart rate goes up and he thinks we are about to be clubbed to death. Dave says he likes the colours and I warm to him even more. When he tells the story about his grandmothers special pewter teapot, he becomes very emotional. I pat him on the back and tell him to cling onto his wonderful memories.
It's very late when we leave and he says we have made his day and thanks us for being interested. Before we leave he tells us he felt suicidal for a a year after the fire claimed his home. I grab his hand and remind him that life is precious and I am very glad he is still around. He gives me a big toothless smile and tells me we'll see him in Cooktown and thatI look like a chicken with my hair sticking up in an untidy bun. I laugh and we drive off with our fresh eggs...What a wonderful character!