Picnic at Hanging Rock is a novel by Joan Lindsay that I studied in high school. It tells the story of 3 school girls and their teacher from a private boarding school that disappeared on a picnic at Hanging Rock on Valentine’s Day 1900.
The hanging rock that named the site – Hanging Rock
Joan Lindsay is said to have dreamed up the story and for decades no-one knew if it was based on real events or totally fictional. This was how the author wanted it. A true mystery.
We recently visited Hanging Rock in Victoria. It is a special place.
Originally formed out of a volcano. This amazing rock formation is eerie in places and filled with mystery. If the story had been based on true events it is easy to see how it was possible.
The walk to the summit is about 1.5 kilometres, although in many places it is quite steep and involves rock scrambles. We spent several hours exploring all aspects of Hanging Rock, not to mention enjoying the amazing views in all directions.
Have you ever planned to go somewhere, never made it and had the best day ever? This is what happened to my husband and I when we started out to visit Oberon.
Oberon is on the western side of the Great Dividing Range, a 45 minute trip from Bathurst, where we were staying. Oberon is a small rural town 1113 metres above sea level. The day we wanted to visit, a major cold front arrived and we were stopped by SNOW. Yes. Never before have I traveled on a normal road in Australia and been stopped by snow. We drove as far as we could but eventually the road was closed. So we got out of the car and had some fun.
I was born and bred in Newcastle during the 60’s and 70’s. Back then it was an industrial city, BHP was the biggest employer, smog was everywhere and many places were covered in a layer of black grim. Today, Newcastle is a beautiful, clean, modern city with everything you could want and a relaxed way of life. The biggest employers are Hunter New England Area Health Service and the University of Newcastle. Newcastle has a modern working harbour and in summer many cruise ships visit.
Newcastle is located at the mouth of the Hunter River and has always been known for its coal. Today, Newcastle is the largest coal exporting harbour in the world. It was first discovered by John Shortland in 1797 when he traveled north from Sydney looking for some escaped convicts. As a result Newcastle was the second city of the new colony and is steeped in history.
Sport is huge in Newcastle. We have the Newcastle Knights in the NRL (National Rugby league), and the Newcastle Jets in the A-League soccer. Newcastle is also home to Surfest on the world professional surfing tour. Our son recently had his wedding overlooking Merwether Beach and at the time, Surfest heats were going on in the background. At present, Newcastle is also home to the final round of the Supercars championships, Coats Hire Newcastle 500. After this final race the Virgin Australia Supercars Champion is announced.
My favourite thing about growing up in Newcastle is its amazing beaches and the two ocean baths. There is something special about being able to quickly go to the beach for a swim after work on a hot summers day.
The surrounding Newcastle region is home to the Hunter Valley, Australia’s oldest wine region, beautiful Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens and national park and state forest areas. Lake Macquarie is the largest saltwater lake in the southern hemisphere and is twice the size of Sydney harbour. It is the home to many water sports and outdoor activities.
If your ever in the area come for a visit, whatever your taste we’ll have something to interest you.
We took a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) last December. It was something that I was looking forward to as every year it hosts the AFL (Australian Football League) grand final. My team the GWS Giants had played in their first grand final 2 months before.
The MCG was built at it’s current location in 1853 after it was forced to move from its prior home as Australia’s first steam train was to go through its oval.
Touring the MCG the history is palpable. Many of the guides have been members of the MCG for decades and are very knowledgeable.
As well as the home of the AFL grand final, the MCG is the birthplace of Test and One Day Cricket, It was also the main stadium for the 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Up until recently the MCG was the world’s largest cricket stadium with seating capacity of 100,024. It now takes second place to Motera Stadium in India.
Australia’s National Sports Museum housed in the MCG is full of history and memorabilia for many sports. It also includes the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
The artwork throughout the MCG captures many amazing moments in our sporting history.
During our tour we were taken to the spot just outside the MCG where the first game of AFL was played. The game was between Scott’s College and Melbourne Grammar School in 1858. Apparently initially the cricketers didn’t think much of the new game being played outside, however as the crowds gathered weekly the MCG saw a need. So they found away to reverse their grandstands to support cricket in summer and AFL in winter. Overtime, as AFL grew in popularity they moved into the MCG.
Walking around the MCG is just as fascinating as the inside tour. It is lined with a ring of statues dedicated to famous athletes important to the MCG’s history.
On 30th June, 1867, during our winter, 3 young boys left their homes to go on an adventure. Brothers William Graham (6 1/2) and Thomas Graham (4) along with their friend Alfred Burman (5) went to look for wild goats.
When they didn’t return home for lunch the alarm was sounded. Over the coming days, 100 men on horseback and a further 600 people on foot did what they could to find them. Aboriginal trackers and dogs were also involved and the boys town of Daylesford was so concerned it shutdown the shops so everyone could help.
Unfortunately the night of the boys disappearance saw the coldest night in the area in 20 years. Despite a few sightings of the boys during their travels during the day there was no further sign of them and nearly a month later the largest search in Australia’s young history was called off.
The following Spring on the 13th September a local dog brought a child’s boot complete with his foot home to his master. The next day, the boys remains were found at Musk Creek in Wombat Forest. The two younger boys were found huddled together in the hallow of a large tree and the elder boy was found next to the tree, where he was believed to be on lookout for a rescue party. It is believed that the boys most probably didn’t make it through the night due to the extreme conditions and lack of food and water.
Over a 1000 people attended the boys funeral. It was a chance for the community to grieve and say goodbye to the three young boys who had changed their lives.
To mark 100 years since this tragedy The Lost Children’s Memorial was built in the approximate area that the boys were found. When my husband and I found the sign indicating The Lost Children’s Memorial was down a side road on our way to explore Daylesford, we had no idea what it meant. We turned off to investigate and were rewarded with a very significant part of our Australian history that we knew nothing about. Spending time at the monument and reading the love left behind by fellow travels to the spot over the last 50+ years was heartwarming.
In 1889, in honour of the boys created the Graham Dux Award which has been given to a boy and a girl each year since. The children each recieve a medicllion and a certificate that states ” In Memory of the Lost Children.”
There is also a formal Three Lost Children’s Walk which takes visitors along the path that the boys traveled that fateful day. The walk is 15 kilometres in length and takes 6 hours one way with breaks to complete.
Last year for my birthday holiday we spent a week in Kyneton, 1 hour north-west of Melbourne. It is a country town in the Macedon ranges region of Victoria, Australia.
We stayed at the Kyneton Bush Resort, which is set on 50 acres of natural Australian bushland. To make it educational and fun, the resort has created bush walks with information maps the describes the sites, flora and fauna in the area.
The resort also has fun ways to play games outdoors. Here we have wildflower chess, snakes and ladders and hop scotch.
Today there are two sections of the Kyneton township – the commercial and the historic. One of my favourite places was the Kyneton museum. It is housed in the original the Bank of New South Wales building built in 1856. The downstairs old bank area holds changing special exhibitions. When we were there this was a creative display of young peoples fashion design. Upstairs, which was the bank managers residence is a permanent display of what daily life was like for him and his family. Outside there are also displays in each room and the stables. The displays were fun and full of information and I enjoyed seeing the past come alive and going down memory lane.
We loved our Japan Rail Pass (JR pass). For anyone who isn’t aware, a JR pass is a rail pass that gives you unlimited travel around Japan. It is valid for a specific number of days ( 7, 14, 21). You must purchase your JR pass in your own country before travelling to Japan.
To chose the number of days you need your JR pass for, think about your itinerary. We were travelling around Osaka for the first few days so we didn’t validate our JR pass until we wanted to take our first long trip on the shinkansen. For us, this was to Hiroshima. To get value from your JR pass you need to be taking a few big trips to offset the initial cost. After that, the sky is the limit. Once validated our JR pass also covered most of our local travel around Osaka.
When my husband and I had traveled to Tokyo for the last week of our holiday, we both became sick with flu like symptoms. I was okay for my long awaited day at Disneyland. However, I was sick the next day at Disney Sea. I could hardly stand up. Ironically I liked the long queues to some of the rides as I got to rest. By the next day, neither of us had any energy for sightseeing, so we decided to change our plans. Instead of exploring Tokyo, we decided to use our JR pass and travel to country Japan. It was perfect.
The trip on the shinkansen each day took about 2 1/2 hours each way and we then spent approximately 4-5 hours slowly exploring the city. As we had two days left in Japan we visited Matsumoto and Nagoya. We chose these cities because of their castles. Without our JR pass this would have been a very expensive. Instead our JR pass was a lifesaver. We loved exploring regional Japan from the comfort of our train seats.
A 10 minute ferry ride from Hiroshima, in Hiroshima Bay is the special island of Itsukushima. It is seen as a scared island. Itsukushima means island of worship and from ancient times the whole island was worshiped as a god. For this reason we were told no-one is allowed to give birth or die on the island.
Visitors are welcomed to the island by the Floating Torii Gate. An ancient Shinto shrine that marks the entrance to Itsukushima Shrine. Both were deliberately built on piers to give the appearance and feel of walking on water. The true success of this look is because the Itsukushimi Shrine and Floating Torii Gate were built where the tides rise and fall. This is said to have been done to make it easier for the god. In 1996 this area was also added as a World Heritige Site. It is also listed as a Japanese National Treasure.
When we visited The Floating Torii Gate it was very low tide which meant that we could walk all the way out and fully investigate the Torii Gate. As I had never seen a Torii Gate before I found this fascinating. It was truly sensational standing beneath it and looking up at this enormous ancient structure. I noticed thousands of coins that had been in cracks in the pier for good luck over the years.
Unfortunately, our visit to Itsukushima was time limited so we were not able to explore inside the Itsukushima Shrine or climb the beautiful Mt Misen.
For me another fun thing about the island was the deer roaming freely about because they are deemed sacred. I had never seen so many deer up close in their natural surroundings. They were very curious and calming.
Taking a day trip to Hiroshima’s atomic bomb site was on my bucket list when we visited Japan. I wasn’t sure what to expect or how I would feel but I thought it was important to connect with this turning point in history.
When we got to the bomb site, I was surprised at how peaceful it was.
Hiroshima was bombed on the 6th August, 1945 during World War 2. This building is all that remains of that tragic day. Known as the Atomic Bomb Dome, it was originally a grand promotions hall until the atomic bomb exploded 600 metres above it and 160 metres away.
In 1996, the Atomic Bomb Dome was added to the UNESCO world heritage listing as a remember to the world of the dangers of atomic bombs and the importance of peace. The Atomic Bomb Dome is surrounded by an amazing peace park as a reminder to everyone to never let this happen again.
Last Christmas while holidaying in Melbourne, my husband and I got a very pleasant surprise. We were asked by the lady at the tourist information centre, if we had seen the gingerbread village yet?
“No,” I replied.
“Oh you must, it’s just around the corner” she said.
So off we went in search of the gingerbread village, not having any idea what to expect, but we had no real plans so we were happy to take a risk.
Wow! The Gingerbread Village by EPICURE, is an amazing fundraiser for Royal Melbourne’s Children’s Hospital. It is a village made of gingerbread, marzipan and royal icing designed to replicate the famous landmarks Melbourne has to offer. It was spectacular. We spent the next 1 1/2 hours absorbing the creativity and the intricate detail of the displays.
The Gingerbread Village 2019 was the biggest one yet and used 600 kilos of gingerbread, 460 kilos of royal icing and 200 kilos of marzipan.
Some of the landmarks in last years display were:
Grand Prix at Albert Park
Flemington Racecourse
Melbourne Zoo
Luna park
MCG – Melbourne Cricket Ground which we had toured that morning
Royal Children’s Hospital – completed with a meerkat enclosure and a giant aquarium both of which I am told in in the hospital for sick children to enjoy.
Osaka Castle – this one had special significance to us as we had visited it the evening Alex and Mizuki got married in Japan. Apparently Osaka and Melbourne as sister cities.
Here’s hoping that there is a Gingerbread Village 2020. If there is and you get the opportunity I agree with the lady at the tourist information centre.
