A Stroll in the Park

We deliberated for quite a while and then came to the decision that we really did want to go for a walk in these amazing ranges around where we are staying so we would stay one more day and sooooo.....

on went the trusty walking shoes (they were so pretty when I left home)  and off we went.

After arriving in the car park at Badger Weir our attention was drawn to all these beautiful birds. I tried to take the above photo and they landed on me (that is a tail feather over the camera)and they seemed to be sitting all over this little girl nearby. We walked over for a closer look and the little girl sweetly offered us some wild bird feed and this is what happened. Why do husbands always take these photos??

They came from everywhere. Once I realised what they were going to do it was just so lovely and they are so beautiful. And oh the colours of them. There seemed to be several different kinds of birds.

They were very well mannered and took their turns or just came in to check me out and say G'day!

The little girl insisted Gary take some too and he got to enjoy the same experience.

There were several birds that had green backs and wings but brilliant bright orange heads and chests....like they were wearing "high vis" jackets.....so gorgeous! As Gary and I are both animal lovers we were both enthralled and enchanted by these feathered friends. We know they only wanted the seed but that's ok. Now I ask you WHY??? would you want to see these beauties in cages.

It was hard to walk away but finally we did and set out on the 1.4km Lyrebird track around to Badger Weir. The track meandered along side the overflow creek which tumbled over rocks and around  huge Tree ferns on the edges of the stream. There was moss and lichen on fallen trees and rocks and I am sure a haven for bush faeries.....

We wandered amongst huge majestic Mountain Ash and Stringy bark trees and as my family regard me as a tree hugging hippie type I just couldn't resist giving this beauty a special hug. It went back in depth twice as far as what you can see in this photo.

Some of them were monsters (in a good way) I took so many photos of these gorgeous trees and I am sure they will appear in other posts many moons from now.

We finally arrived at the "weir" which was interesting but I would have to say we were more enamoured with the natural wonders around us.

We made our way back to the picnic area (which is so lovely and pretty) via "Stringy Bark" track and could here Whipbirds calling along the way. Tiny wee fairy wrens were popping on and off the track in front of us as we walked along. It was quite magical apart from the comedian with me who kept uttering
"Feel the Serenity" (aussie movie joke) and received a punch on the arm for his trouble. The track was barely visible in some parts.

 Soon we were back in the car park area near the little bridge where we began our walk over this gorgeous scene.

As we were leaving the car park another "treasure" was spotted by Gary and had to be included in this post.

Well what else would you expect from a dyed in the wool "Holden" enthusiast.
A lovely way to finish our time in the Yarra Valley and as the song says tomorrow we are "On the Road Again, Can't Wait to Get Back on The Road Again". Not sure where we will be, just heading North towards Albury and then on to Wagga Wagga.
So take care all,
Blessings Michelle xxx

Some Days are Diamonds......

Some days are definitely "Diamonds" and today was one of those days for me. I had the great pleasure of spending the day with some very lovely blogging friends. We had talked about it 12 months ago and it seemed to take so long to eventuate and then here we are.To meet them in person and discover they were just as wonderful as they appear on their blogs was a joy. I was very humbled that they all travelled to Warburton to meet up with me and a couple of the girls came quite a distance and at such a marvellous place too. "The Patchwork Teahouse" is an absolute delight.

And inside beautiful fabrics AND beautiful food. What more could you ask for. Marilyn the lovely owner was a delightful hostess and did the usual blogging ritual of lots of photos with lots of cameras for us. As I have been very good this trip I felt I was due for a little retail therapy so I gave into it wholeheartedly. Some beautiful fabric (new Tilda range), braid and a little tin (you know how I love a nice tin) to remember this special day. Not that I will forget the yummies in this shop for quite awhile.

My Purchases......

I was also very spoilt by Christine who had made me a gorgeous felt rose brooch. It is so beautifully and delicately stitched and lovely Rosalie who gave me the sweetest notebook and pen with such a lovely saying on the front.....Thank you so much. Look aren't they lovely. I also have a beautiful early birthday gift from Melody to open on the day....only gentle squishing allowed so I shall show a photo on the day giftie intact!

Now of course the most special and important part of the day was spending time with these gorgeous ladies.

Front Row from left to right Liz (elliek) Melody (house on the side of the hill) Bronwyn (korumburra quilting)
Christine (macdonald's patch)
Back Row Rosalie (briar rose) Herself, Marina (maisie and the boys) Tracey (mistea crafts) Sorry girls I couldn't add your links as I realised I left my mouse at home (oops!) :(
Christine and I had a special piccie taken as she came all that way and then and to dash off to a family wedding. Christine has not long ago done the trip we are doing in a similiar camper to ours and has been giving us encouragement and hints and sharing along the way which has been so great. Hope you had a great time at the wedding!!

I would also like to say a huge thank you to my gorgeous friend Melody (who I feel like I have known forever) for organizing this get together for me. You are an amazing woman. I appreciated it so much and I had the most fantastic day meeting you all in real time and getting all those great hugs too. Another reason to love Victoria.
Now the other half of this "travelling dynamic duo" also had a diamond studded day thanks to Melody's very generous son Sam a fellow steam train enthusiast. Gary has been over, under and on Puffing Billy, took great photos and video from special vantage points and all in all had a ball. Thank you Sam for your generosity in giving up your day to make a certain old chappy very happy. We can see generosity runs in the family.

Well after tearing apart the campervan when I got home because I was sure I had put in my sketch book (wrong!!) I commandeered a piece of trip paperwork as I came home very inspired after buying that gorgeous fabric and had a little birdie whispering in my ear...."draw me! draw me!" So that's just what I did and I must say she is very cute. So when I find my black pen and finish her off I shall give you a peek.
Once again thanks Girls for a wonderful, laughter filled day. I shall always treasure it.
Bless you all,
Michelle xxx

Beautiful Yarra Ranges

Just a couple of pics today. We took a drive through the beautiful Yarra Ranges and I got to admire those majestic Mountain Ash Trees that seem to reach the sky and today they were definitely had clouds and mist touching them.

This is a little lookout which I am sorry I lost the note I wrote it's name on but it is the catchment for Melbourne's water supply.

Artistic attempt at photography gone awry....but I love it anyway. There aren't any spots where you can stop to take a photo so it had to be from the car.

As we went further up the Ranges through Marysville it was very obvious where the terrible bush fires had been and how Mother Nature has tried to regenerate the forest. Some however stand like ghostly reminders on the mountain top and today looked stark but beautiful shrouded in mist. This drive was not for you if you don't like twisting and turning roads. It is such a beautiful place.

We finished up having a quick look at Badger's Weir but had to cut it short as the park was closing but we are hoping to go back and do the walk there before we go. I couldn't resist taking these photos.

The water looked so crystal clear.

What did I say about a couple of pics.....can't help myself!!
I am very excited as tomorrow I get to meet up with some of  my lovely blogging friends. Woo Hoo!!
Blessings Michelle xxx

The Big Smoke

We have gone from this...............

To this......we were a little shell shocked not having seen so much traffic for ages (except the hour Gary got us lost in Adelaide but I forgot we are not talking about that)

We were momentarily excited to being going over the Westgate Bridge and all was going extremely well.

Until the navigator (namely me) discovered what I had determined to be a toll road was in fact a toll exacting tunnel with huge trucks on either side.....aarrghh! I don't do tunnels just ask my friend Ann. Being extremely claustrophobic, mass panic ensued and I had my head in my hands trying to do my Yogic breathing and wishing that daylight would announce the nightmare had ended. Helpful husband kept telling me it was fine and to look up and face my fears....yeah right! Could be why I ended up with a headache.
Finally I was advised that daylight was visible up ahead and I was very thankful indeed. Apart from this hiccup we were very pleased to know that all the signs sent us where they said they went and we arrived in lovely Healesville. We discovered a bakery called Beechworth Bakery claiming to be Australia's best bakery and so Gary was sent in for a little something to have with our coffee back at the van and of course he cannot be trusted leading me astray at every opportunity and came out with "Death by Chocolate" x 2 !!!!!!

We shared one and saved the other for tomorrow because it was so rich and very decadent even I couldn't have eaten a whole one.
That is it from me. For the first time in many weeks a small post.
Blessings Michelle xx

The Great Ocean Road.

This is one part of our journey I have really been looking forward to after visiting here 10 years ago. If you have been along here and will be bored by lots of photos and me waxing lyrical about it turn away now and don't say I didn't warn you. For those of you who choose to stay I hope you enjoy this favourite of mine.

We began at the "Bay of Islands" with a slight drizzle but their beauty was undiminished.

By the time we moved on to the "Bay of Martyrs" the weather had started to worsen and so a cuppa in the car and a quick pic was it for here. Although we did sit and enjoy the wildness of the ocean while we had our cuppa.

I have 2 favourites along this magnificent coastline the first being the "Grotto" and by the time we reached here it was wild and fairly coming down in sheets but I had not come all this way not to see it again and anyway anybody can see it with the sun out she says as she fought against the wind and rain to get there. But it was as beautiful as I remembered and I am so glad I made the effort soggy though it was. This is the top of the gorge at the top of the stairs that go down to the "Grotto".

 And at the bottom you get to see this. I just love the way you can see through to the ocean thundering in on the rocks. I think this place is awesome and the noise of the ocean......wow!

As you can see by the next photo I was like a drowned rat. But a very happy drowned rat.

I just had to show you that even Gary got out of the shorts. Couldn't give up the Queensland SOA cap though  even if it was pouring with rain.

Next it was off to Loch Ard Gorge named for the Shipwreck I mentioned in yesterday's post and where the gorgeous peacock came from. It is a truly wild place and it is my 2nd favourite spot. The young sailor clinging to an upturned lifeboat was washed between those huge rocks above on to this beach. What bravery to turn around and swim back out to rescue Miss Carmichael who he could hear calling for help.

Looking back at the gorge. Tom found a refuge for Miss Carmichael in a cave on this beach while he went for help.

On the other side of the gorge it is called "Razorback" and is equally as spectacular.

A feature of this incredible coastline is the huge pillars of limestone that were once part of the shoreline itself and have been ravaged by the ocean until only these sentinels of the sea remain.
The most famous of these sentinels are the "Twelve Apostles" which we were lucky enough to see with the sun gracing us with it's presence. We did notice that nature and the sea has changed the coastline sculpting it and taking back parts and creating new pieces since we were last here. It is ever changing.

The beautiful scenery continues as you wind your way through Otway National Park before moving on to more spectacular coastline vistas on the other side.

If you are living in Australia and you have not driven the Great Ocean Road put it on your "must see" list now. It is simply spectacular. We called it a day at a little village called Angelsea and set up in the semi dark. What a hoot. Caravan & Motorhomes on tour we ain't. LOL! For the moment it is fine and freezing. Tomorrow we shall continue along this amazing coastline and then try and navigate our way through Melbourne to another favourite of mine "The Dandenong Ranges".
Blessings Michelle xxx

Stepping Back in Time.

Gary was very keen to visit Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and as we tend to support each others sightseeing must do's I agreed we should visit it. Then I discovered that a story that really interested me....the magnificent Minton China life size peacock that washed ashore in the Loch Ard shipwreck of 1878 undamaged was housed at this museum......sooooo guess who suddenly became very enthusiastic. And it did not disappoint. It was truly beautiful.

I think I must have watched it revolve a dozen times and as an old retired potter I studied every inch with awe. It is just a miracle that apart from a little damage to the beak it was in perfect order when unpacked from it's wooden case on the shore. It is now insured for $6 million.

There were only two human survivors from the Loch Ard Shipwreck. A passenger Miss Eva Carmichael and cabin boy Tom Pearce. Tom survived because unlike most sailors of that era he could swim. He made it to shore and then swam back out and rescued Miss Carmichael.....amazing story. We decided to join in with a tour of the complex with one of the volunteers who was dressed in that period.

I took so many photos and I have spent ages trying to decide which ones to share especially in the Lighthouse Keepers cottage but I decided to just show you the only quilt I could discover... a hexie one on the bed.

The tour was really well worth it and then we discovered in the yesteryear village there was a tea room.

We didn't have to convince one another and I was quick to find the warmest spot in the place.

Their speciality is Homemade Vegetable Soup with Damper.....yes 2 please!!! it was so delicious and hit the spot at once.

Gary didn't have to be told twice to tuck in.

After lunch we wandered around the large complex and checked out the 2 lighthouses on site and the restoration work on a Tasmanian ferry "The Rowitta" and visited the resident sheep and some other volunteers who were in costume and spinning the wool from these sheep. Lovely ladies to chat too.
I really enjoyed my visit here and it was great value.....$16.00 per person....free tour with guide and the ticket is a pass for 2 days. It really is a credit to those who created it and run it.

I wanted to see more of this shipwreck coastline so we ventured to the foreshore and went for a walk and we noticed wooden steps on an island very close in shore. We discovered it houses a colony of fairy penguins who several short years ago numbered only 10 due to fox and feral dog attacks and people unknowingly stepping on burrows and crushing baby penguins. It was decided to stop access to the island and to install Maremma guard dogs to look after the penguins. They are an Italian breed and great at looking after animals. Now thanks to their isolation and the work of these lovely dogs eliminating predators the penguin numbers have risen to 140 in a short time. Aren't they gorgeous?

Of course I had to include some more "rock & ocean" shots and I had to get as close as I could to it all much to the disgust and horror of the photographer....Who is that daggy woman down there?????

These photos were taken on our walk along the cliff tops.

and also....

Lastly I would like to dedicate this beautiful bloom to my best friend Ann and her family and send her all my love and sorrow for her loss. I am with you in spirit.

Blessings Michelle xxx