Bendigo

The last couple of days of our Bendigo trip were quite busy. The weather was fantastic and we made the most of it! We visited the 'Central Deborah Gold Mine' and did a Mine Experience tour.

 

We all put on hard hats and travelled 61 metres underground to wander an old mining tunnel. There are kilometres of mine tunnels under Bendigo stretching down well over 200 metres in depth.



 

We then wandered around the other displays back on ground level, including some gold panning. It was then to the top of the Poppet Head we went!

 

After lunch we went and toured the Tram Depot - where they not only store the Bendigo trams, but they restore and repair trams from all over the world. They often fix them up then send them off to other tourism destinations.

 

Our tram ride ticket used yesterday was valid for 2 consecutive days, so we rode a complete circuit again, this time on the quaint old number 17, the 'toast rack'. Had to explain to the children why it was nicknamed that and what a toast rack was / is... when was the last time anyone used one of those?

 



 

Zac punching a hole in our tickets... helping out the conductor.

 

This morning we drove a few kilometres up the Calder Hwy from Marong, heading north/west and then took some very little used dirt roads to do some 'Geocaching' - treasure hunting using a GPS and looking for deliberately hidden boxes or containers which contain note pad to log your find, plus sometimes some small 'treasures' to swap. The kids love this new pastime! Caches are generally hidden in hollow stumps / logs, under bark, hanging from trees etc.

 

 

This little journey got us to some remote little spots we'd never have known about if it wasn't for Geocaching, so it was a great experience. Loved this old truck parked under a tree!

 

One of the Geocaches was near the 'Great Stupa' which is a massive Buddhist temple under construction on the land of 'Old Sandhurst Town' - the former old village, like a mini Sovereign Hill. A different experience, but we got to go inside the concrete temple, with hardhats and have a look.

 

 

Driving back to Bendigo, we got some pictures of Sacred Heart Cathedral which we'd visited on the first day here, which was drizzly and wet. It looked so much better today!

 



 

We walked around, the kids scootered around Lake Weerona to finish the afternoon.

 



There was a nice sunset out the back of the caravan park tonight, followed by a great view of the Lunar Eclipse! A pleasant evening... heading home tomorrow.

Bendigo

Today was a busy one, which began as a cool but sunny morning at the caravan park!

 

In Bendigo, we began with a wander through the tranquil Chinese Gardens which form part of the Golden Dragon Museum which celebrates the remarkable achievements of the Chinese in this part of the country, all beginning during the gold rush.

 



 

 

The children got to feed the many goldfish of various sizes.

Morning tea in another Chinese pavilion, before going into the museum itself.

 



 

The forecourt of the museum features this colourful Lotus Flower which contrasts beautifully with the classic architecture of Bendigo!

 

Sun Loong, the dragon that requires more than 115 people to operate is due to come out of the museum for the Easter parade next week, if the weather is okay!

 

After some lunch, we walked up impressive Pall Mall, past the courthouse, GPO (now the Visitors Centre) and the Soldiers Memorial, all the way to the Alexandra Fountain. It was there we caught the 'talking tram' and rode a complete loop.

 

If that wasn't enough, we then drove back out to Bendigo Pottery to pick up the works the children created the other day. Then, with more energy to burn we took them back into the city centre to ride their scooters in Rosalind Park. They loved the downhill sections and showed no fear in tearing down them! We also climbed the poppet head lookout to take in the views of town.

On the way back to the caravan at Marong, we stopped and looked for some hidden Geocaches. Were successful on both searches. This has become a new hobby of ours when we are out and about! Tomorrow we are booked in for a Mine Experience at Deborah Central Mine.

Bendigo Bound...

Rain... rain.. and more rain as we drove to Bendigo on Wednesday. It continued to rain lightly all night and then pretty much most of Thursday too! After a visit to the Visitors Centre and the old Post Office Museum next door on Thursday morning, we went and looked inside the impressive Sacred Heart Cathedral.

 

 

Then we met our good friends the Jacksons - they were on their way to visit their Great Nanna in Echuca and were in Bendigo around lunch time. We all tucked into yummy burgers at 'Grilld'. Continued the 'burger crawl' to McDonalds for coffee and a chance for the kids to play on the playground.

 

After lunch we said goodbye as they continued on their journey. We drove out to the famous Bendigo Pottery as the rain continued to steadily fall. We arrived just in time for the afternoon pottery wheel sessions and signed the kids up for a new experience! They had a ball and kept surprisingly clean... meal times are sometimes messier!

 

They were able to make two items on the wheel and with a little bit of help from the instructor they made vases and bowls, which we can pick up later in the week. We looked around the museum part of the pottery as it was included in our 'Experience' Pass we'd bought in the morning. Interesting history of Bendigo Pottery and exploring through the old sheds, old kilns etc.

 

On Friday morning the weather had cleared and looked a lot more promising. We drove up to Echuca for the day, the main reason being to visit Jeanette's Great Aunt Evelyn.

 

'Measured' Zac alongside the old barge 'Alison' in Echuca - something we first did when he was just a few months old.

 

Had lunch down by the river watching and listening to the paddle steamers tootle by, before returning to Bendigo Marong Caravan Park where we are staying for the week. The kids had fun on the jumping pillow and at the playground.

 

The flying fox was a hit...

Heading Home

Time to pack up and begin the journey home. We've had some great weather in Corryong except for one day, but this morning made up for it with continual rain as we packed up. Kept the kids dry, but we got quite wet!

The drive towards Wodonga of around 100 km's was wet, with some quite heavy rain at one point while descending a steep, winding hill... so it was slow going!

Once past Wodonga it was only another 30 km's to Chiltern where we planned to have a night. It's nice just travelling short distances and taking our time. Chiltern is one of those places we've heard of, seen the sign for it on the Hume Fwy, but never ventured off to have a look. What a nice little town it is. The caravan park is called Lake Anderson Caravan Park, right next to a small lake and only a couple of minutes walk from the historic town centre. Once set up, the sun again shone and we had lunch.  After lunch we walked around town, admiring the well preserved streetscapes, checking out some antique shops and junk shops (personally, I can't tell the difference!) and got some afternoon tea at the bakery (one of the best coffee scrolls I've ever had!)

Gemma at one of the many 2nd hand shops

After our walk around, Zac and I went for a bike ride around Lake Anderson twice - it's not very big. We met these interesting sculpture people on the way...

Our campsite in Chiltern

Later in the day, I returned into town for some more photos once the cars and people had all gone, then caught a nice sunset over Lake Anderson.

Wednesday we head to Mansfield for a night, then head home on Thursday.