Day 4: Bendigo to Ballarat

Well... it was one of those days where simple things turn out to be not so simple. It has taken me literally all day, two flat (phone) batteries, several phone calls and quite a lot of stress just to obtain four living social vouchers so that we can do our swim with the dolphins and seals tour next weekend.... grrrr.... the whole ordeal was frequently complicated by 'intuitive' mobile phone apps that do not have all the options you require to perform all functions.... grrrrr.... but enough of that... what did the day entail in terms of sightseeing?

Well, it was round the corner to see the final things that we didn't have a chance to finish at the Central Deborah Gold Mine yesterday... the interpretive museum was a hit as was the panning for gold experience.

It was then outside and 'all aboard' the talking tram to get an audio run down on the local history and key landmarks while we trundled and rumbled and lurched our way across town. The boys were quite happy to be sitting right next to an open space while moving along - appealed to their sense of thrill, danger and adventure I think. The conductors are all entertaining and engaging and full of helpful bits of information. It was lovely and I wished (not for the first time) that this mode of transportation was more prevalent.

Ballarat is yet another town full of beautiful architecture, lush parks and very helpful and polite people. The main cathedral (Catholic I believe) is quiet imposing with the combination of size and being located atop a hill. I really enjoyed taking in the amazing masonry and the detail of the craftsmanship on building such as the soldiers memorial and old post office (now the tourist info office). It is a little sad to think that these sorts of buildings will one day no longer be as new buildings obviously aren't built so ornately nor to last so long.... Unfortunately my boys were more interested in playing tips most of the time, but I did try to get them to appreciate the awe of these grand constructions.

Travelling right through town we ended up in the area where the Chinese used to have kilns, garden markets and dwellings. The Chinese Joss House is the oldest one in Australia and is still currently used for worship with many people travelling to visit it, especially on significant occasions such as Chinese New Year and Easter.

After a bit of a look around and reading about the history of the area we travelled by tram back into town to visit the Chinese Dragon Museum. This was a hidden gem and well worth the visit.The visual delight begins before even entering the building with large sculptures of bright red lotus flowers, lilies and ginger flowers that can be walked through and played in. Inside and the entrance into the exhibit rooms are guarded by a pair of blue ceramic dragons (lion-like)... the male with a ball under his foot and the female with a baby dragon under her foot. The inside ranged from life-size manequins depicting various activities of Chinese families during the goldrush era to artifacts I had never seen before (such as miniature 'scales' made using a tiny chopstick and housed in an ornately decorated case that looked a lot like a violin), right through to amazingly valuable items such as a life size carriage made entirely of intricately carved jade. Just incredible. A highlight however was the oldest dragon called Loong. Now permanently in retirement however, Loong has been replaced by a newer and longer dragon called Sun Loong. The prevalence and prominence of Chinese heritage is more so here than we have seen in other towns on this trip. Everyone is gearing up for the highlight of the year which is the Easter Celebrations. I have decided that I am going to return for this event as some stage in my life.... I can just imagine the vibrancy and energy... how wonderful! Apparently everyone gets involved... even our tram conductor has a role, throwing fire crackers down in front of the dragon as it dances down the street. He chuckled as he told us how he now needs a clearance from ASIO to do this when he can remember throwing them willy nilly as a child - Easter time or not!

A quick stop in at Pretzel World for a large fresh pretzel doused in caramel syrup (looking and tasting suspiciously like a donut!), Subway for lunch, and a quick walk about 6 blocks back to the car.... us walking was actually quicker than catching the tram!

We then drove out to Bendigo Pottery and had a look through their interpretive centre which winds its way through the currently operational parts of the site. It was amazing to sit inside a disused kiln which felt very much like being in a beehive. I didn't realise the inside would be glazed. Apparently this was a result of throwing salt and borax into the kiln to achieve a high gloss glaze to products, but also ended up coating the inside walls in the process.

The boys and I did an hour lesson on the pottery wheels and managed to make a few keepers so we have picked our glaze colour and have paid to have it fired and posted to us. I'll be sure to have our fine art pieces (he he he) on display for those wishing to see our skilled efforts! At one stage I was very concerned as Khi had managed to produce a very phallic lump of clay and of course combine that with the necessary actions of a potter manipulating the spinning clay.... well, I will leave that to your imagination but needless to say it was a shocking site for me as I glanced up from my wheel ever so briefly!!! Both boys enjoyed the experience and one of the last things Bryn said before going to sleep tonight was... "wouldn't it be good if you could just play with clay a little bit everyday".... maybe there is some hope that they are just a little bit artistic/creative somewhere deep down!

After clay play it was time to hit the road again - this time bound for Ballarat..... across some very small little roads (not sure if this was the normal road or if the nav system was having a bad day)... beautiful country towns and lush green fields. I just loved Castlemaine and wished we had time to stop. Beautiful old properties in abundance. I think I live in the wrong part of the world as I have never experienced such pleasure in the everyday scenery as I have so far on this trip.

We arrived at Kryal Castle, well, we arrived at the service section which is apparently where you also check in to the accommodation! The kids were most excited to find out we were actually staying INSIDE the castle walls and it was a novelty to have to haul our bags across the 'cobblestones' and past the gallows to find our room which comes complete with faux fur rugs and pillows on the beds... very cosy....

A quick change into warmer clothes as it is suddenly quite cold. Then in to town to find something to eat which ended up being a burger and hot dog car in the corner of the woollies carpark. Absolutely delicious and a reminder of many a late night feast after a night out with friends in our younger years. We then drove to Sovereign Hill for the light and sound spectacular which tells the story of the Eureka Stockade. Very well done, extremely theatrical and interactive including a train ride out to a 'set' where the conflict occurred complete with pyrotechnics. The explosions had Bryn and I jumping in our seats and Khi laughing nervously!

Looking forward to two nights in one place.... tomorrow we will explore what the castle has to offer and then head into Sovereign Hill for the afternoon. Our pass gets us in for two days so we will also return the following day to finish off anything we missed.

Night for now.

Bendigo - Central Deborah Gold Mine (again...)