Sept 7th, 8th, 9th

                             Bendigo 

Saturday, Sept 7.

After arising at the late hour of 8 am, I saw lots of kangaroos up around the houses and in the paddock nearby. They seemed very inquisitive and kept their eyes on me as I moved about. Shortly hey would be moving off to the cover of trees to lie down for the day.

Nicholas and I went for a walk along the O’Keeffe Trail (more of that later) and came back by the shop to collect the paper (and the post from the boxes)

At breakfast we had a great talking session of catching up with no pressing issues to rush us on.

country.

We had arranged to go to Rose and Kane for lunch and that was a 40 km drive northwards to Raywood, a very small town. On the way he directed my attention to so many interesting items along the way...Eaglehawk, its interesting little jail, the ironbark woods etc. Raywood is beyond those woods in sheep/grain 

We arrived as Rose was dealing with her horse and she was decked out accordingly. Kane put up a tasty souvlaki on the veranda and we washed it down suitably with a few beers. So pleasant out here with not a sound around.

Today is Polling Day so we accompanied them up to the Town Hall. Voting is compulsory here and non-voting carries a fine of $50. Such a small community that there was just one or two arriving. Canvassers at the door told me that there would be around 400 ballot papers in by closing time at 6pm.

Viewing of the ’Footy’ match that night was compulsory which saw Port Adelaide upset the ODS and beat Collingwood. At half-time it was a matter of switching over to catch the election results coming in, and by full-time Tony Abbott was the new Prime Minister. It must have been approaching midnight as we arrived back in Bendigo where revellers paraded up and down Pall Mall.

Sunday, Sept 8.

After breakfast I took off on the bike into Central Bendigo (5km) and attended 11 am Mass in the Sacred Heart Cathedral. A good crowd there with a full choir. Lovely and sunny at this part of the day.

I was just in time to join the 12.30 tour at Central Deborah Gold Mine in the centre of the city.

This mine was operational from 1939 till 1954 and so is in good condition as a tourist attraction. During this time almost a tonne of gold was extracted from the quartz here. Older mines that closed earlier were stripped of equipment and allowed to fall into neglect. With all the various mines that were located in the city since gold was discovered here in 1851, there are 6000 km of running mine tunnels  in a 22km by 16 km area. We went down to level 2 (61 metres i.e. 20 stories). Central Deborah goes down 17 levels although the lower 6 levels are now flooded.

John took our group of 15 on a 75 min tour explaining and pointing out all the aspects of the miners day and the geology of gold. Most interesting.

Afterwards, I walked around the outdoor museum and even tried my hand at panning for gold. No luck.

In the afternoon, I cycled out along the Bendigo Creek Trail to Crusoe Reservoir and No 7 Reservoir, a spin of 9 km. In 1850s, Joseph Brady, an Irish engineer was responsible for the development of these two reservoirs and purification systems. I had the trail to myself this Sunday afternoon. 

The last part was unsealed but smooth enough for the bike. Water was and is such a big issue here and throughout the country. No rivers worth talking about. Even now after the winter rains they have just a trickle if anything at all.

I returned home on the O’Keeffe Rail Trail, a19 km walking/cycle trail on a closed railway line. It passes just behind Nicholas’s house and he has direct access onto it. Andrew O Keefe, from Ireland  in 1854, constructed this line in  1888. Its main purpose was ,to bring timber to the mining area to fuel the many steam engines and to prop the mines. It then declined with the switch to oil and briquettes and also due to the disappearance of the supplying forests over time. The last train ran in 1958 with little ceremony and the line was dismantled in 1970s.

Nicholas and I went for dinner to the Shamrock Hotel, an iconic venue in the centre of Bendigo. In the foyer are many photos of royalty signing into this hotel over the years. Being Sunday night, it was relatively quiet.

At a a late hour, I tuned into RTE radio and had all the excitement of the All-Ireland. Nearly 2 am by the time it was finished but the tension and excitement was worth it. And, I’ll be home for the replay.

Monday, Sept 9

Nice pleasant Spring day with temperature of 20 deg. No wind of ang significance.

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First I called to Nicholas’s surgery and he showed me around. There was a dog and pet rabbit in for surgery so far. It has a good stand on a corner near the centre of the city and ample parking.

After a coffee, I cycled through Rosalind Park, Bendigo’s distinguished ’city park’ and climbed the poppet head lookout and had a birds eye view of the city. The park is the site pf the government camp of 1852 and a statue of Queen Victoria. Later, dropped into the fernery with its dense growth in this arid land. Here, I noticed the back wheel gone a bit soft and gave it a few blasts of the pump.

Off then to the Golden Dragon Museum in the Chinese precinct. It covers the history of the Chinese people of Bendigo; they have had a presence here since the gold rush days of 1850. Their presence wasn’t always accepted and were often the target of racial abuse. The museum is also the home of the world’s oldest imperial dragon, Loong (brought from China in 1890) and the world’s longest Imperial dragon, Sun Loong. Sun Loong has 90,000 mirrors along its body to frighten away all bad spirits.

The museum complex also contains the peaceful Yi Yuan gardens (Garden of Joy).

When I came out, the back wheel was flat and a new tube had to be fitted. So this is puncture No 2.

On the way home, I passed by City Hall but didn’t enter as light was beginning to fade.

Back at base, I repaired the punctured tube to be ready for tomorrow. As I did so, the kangaroos began to congregate in the field while keeping an eye on me.

Tonight, Nicholas and I had dinner in the All Seasons Hotel near here. Time now for rest in order to be fresh as I hit off again in the morning. 

.....and thank God for a lovely day.