Category: Blogging from A-Z April Challenge 2022

N: Natural Surroundings

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During our recent holiday we meet many Australian animals. Some were cute and exciting while others scary. Either way it was fun to see them in their natural surroundings. The following grey kangaroos, echidna, and emus we found roaming around the picnic at Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve. We had a barbeque dinner there at about 7.30pm just as they began feeding for the day. The koalas you can read more about in my previous post Koalas in the Wild.

The emus were very brave and kept coming up to us as we were eating our meal. Fortunately they didn’t steal any of our food but we still kept our guard up until they went back into the bush from whence they had came.

This echidna was huge. He sudden revealed himself out of the litter on the ground and wandered up the hill. As we got closer to get a photo he was scared and went into hiding again. He was the biggest echidna I have seen and the only one in the bush. I have seen small ones on the side of the road before.

These black wallabies were a real surprise to find. We were walking around Griffith Island that breeds mutton birds during the summer and they suddenly popped up to see what was going on. They kept their distance and we couldn’t get closer to them than the paths allowed. They were very cute and inquisitive.

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This Bearded Dragon suddenly appeared under my feet in a park in St Arnaud. Luckily I have a bad habit of looking at the ground as I walk or I may have walked on him. I will admit he did scare me so on my way back to the car I took the long way around.

Fortunately we didn’t see see any snakes on our travels. But as it was the end of summer when we traveled we were very aware of where we were. While snakes themselves are scary, Australia also has a large number of the world’s most venomous and they live in the areas were traveling in.

The kangaroos probably eastern grey were in a mob. It was 0630 on the first day of our holiday just off the side of our camp. When my husband first saw them we thought that they were logs in the paddock. But then as the sun rose, they moved. I walked through the grass on our side of the fence to get a better look. They looked at me like I was putting on a show.

The following kookaburras were fun to get close to. The first one was at Echuca and the second one was above our camp for the night at Teddy’s Lookout.

M: Maremma Dogs

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Maremarra dogs are guardians. They love to protect. In Warrnambool they spend the summer on Middle Island protecting the Little Penguins from foxes during their breeding season. Known as the Maremma Penguin project it was a world first. And A huge success.

Flagstaff Hill is also the home of old retired Maremma dogs. They were so cute. The dogs are a great surprise in amongst all the history of the museum. Their purpose apart from supporting the dogs is to help educate tourists of the Little Penguins.

This journey is brought to life in the Australian movie Oddball. It tells the story of how a local chicken farmer, Swampy Marsh eventually persuaded the local council to allow his dog to help. His Maremma guarded his chickens from foxes so he was convinced that Oddball could use these skills to save the Little Penguins. It is a very funny movie.

L: Loch Ard Gorge

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Loch Ard Gorge is on the Great Ocean Road. It is a beautiful rugged piece of coastline. A sandy beach cove surrounded by high sheer cliffs with hidden caves. It is on Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast.

In 1878 it was the site of the areas most famous shipwreck, The Loch Ard. After the Loch Ard crashed into the outer island it broke up. The tide then brought debris, treasures, bodies and surprisingly 2 survivors into the gorge. The male survivor, Tom heard Eva calling for help and he went to rescue her. He pulled her onto the beach. He then somehow scaled the sheer cliffs to get help. For us, it was difficult enough climbing down the stairs to get into the gorge. So, I have no idea how he did it.

Standing in the gorge itself I was overwhelmed it’s beauty and how dwarfed I felt. It was so peaceful looking out from the gorge out to sea through the heads. I would have loved to have explored the caves had the tide been low.

It was from Loch Ard Gorge that the beautiful Loch Ard Peacock was recovered. The history of the Loch Ard shipwreck is well documented at Flagstaff Hill museum.

K: Koalas In The Wild

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I think my favourite part of our recent holidays was seeing koalas in the wild. While koalas are an Australian marsupial most people only see them in zoos or koala parks. There habitat is very limited because they are very fussy about the types of gum leaves they eat.

We were lucky enough to see koalas on two occasions. The first was at Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve in Victoria. A family pointed out two koalas to us at the very top of some gum trees. They were sleeping but we all so excited to see them. I think the last time I saw a koala out in nature was before I could vote. In other words over 40 years ago.

Our second koala sighting was a real surprise. It was in New South Wales at Narrandra. As we hadn’t planned to stop off here we hadn’t researched the town. If we had we would have known that the town is is working hard to breed koalas in the wild. It also has special protect environments for them. We were lucky enough to accidentally camp at one of these places. As it was in the early evening the were up and about moving around eating leaves. This was very special and something I had never seen before. I took a few videos so I hope you can see them. Both koalas were in separate trees. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Sharing koala sightings whilst on the road is a great way to start to get to know others.

J: J Ward

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During our visit to Aarat we explored J ward. When it was first built in 1859, it was the old goal. In 1886 the goal closed and the next year it became a ward of the Aradale lunatic asylum for the criminally insane. For my husband and I this was very interesting because of our jobs. I am a mental health nurse trained 41 years ago and hubby was a crime lawyer prior to retirement.

The guides who run the tours are volunteers, part of a group called the Friends of J Ward. They are interested in the history of the ward and many had worked in it. Our guide had been a psychiatric nurse there and told personal stories of those admitted. For me personally the museum gave a great understanding of the changes to psychiatry Dr Dax brought to Victoria especially relating to how patients were treated and cared for. He implemented many ideas that are classified as best practise today.

The front gates to the old goal. This very solid gate holds a door within a door. It is very large.

On the internal walls of the courtyard over 130 years ago a prisoner painted the old sailing ship. To help preserve it it has been restored to its original condition. This artwork now features on many creative works attached to J Ward.

This scene shows the set up for an early version of ECT ( electroconvulsive therapy). The treatment is still used today and may at times be the treatment of choice for depression. The procedure however has changed greatly over the years.

The above photos show the early ways of suicide prevention and self harm management. The blanket is very thick and cannot be ripped.

As well as the ship painted in the courtyard there are also several carvings. We were told they were carved by the patients of the J ward and had special meaning.

I love the above box. It was made by hand from by a very clever deaf and dumb patient. The photo shows several handmade items.

Whilst initially opened as a temporary solution solution to the criminally insane problem at the time, J Ward remained in use for over a century. It was closed in 1991. This was 10 years after I had started working in psychiatry.

I: Idyllic Sunrise

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One of the things I love doing on our recent holiday was watching the sunrise. I would frequently look at the time for sunrise and get up just before. Fortunately, because of Day Light Savings time sunrise wasn’t until 0700 so my sleep wasn’t really impacted. Below is a mix of the sunrise I was rewarded with.

The other great thing about sunrise in the country was the birds came to life. The cacophony they made was amazing. I love it so much I made a recording of it but unfortunately I am unable to share it through WordPress.

H: Hopkins Falls

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When we arrived at Hopkins Falls it was late afternoon. No-one was around and it was so peaceful. As I had not done any research about the falls I was very surprised. They are said to be one of the widest in Australia. At 90 metres in length and 11 metres in height they were truly worth the trip.

I hope one day to return after a major rain period as I’m sure that with more water flowing over the basalt rocks they would be even more spectacular.

G: Great Ocean Road

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The Great Ocean Road was the main destination of our recent holiday. It is an amazing hand built road that hugs the breath taking Victorian south western coast. Beginning at Tourquay on the Surf Coast, it ends at Warrnambool on the Shipwreck Coast.

The 243 kilometre Great Ocean Road is the world’s longest war memorial. It was built by returned soldiers from World War 1 to remember those who died serving their country. I believe it was also a gift to the world as prior to the road it was very difficult to travel to the towns along its path. The natural beauty it opened up is definitely unique. Building began in 1919, with the first section opening in 1922. The entire length was completed in 1932.

Our journey along the Great Ocean Road took just over a week. We meandered slowly, enjoying what each town has to offer. The views from the road are spectacular. The natural rock formations, rainforests, rugged coastline, world famous surfing beaches as well as glorious local produce. We even had a drink in Australia’s most southern pub.

F: Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village

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On the hill overlooking Warrnambool we found this very informative tourist attraction. Flagstaff Hill as it is commonly known is divided into sections. The maritime museum specialising in shipwrecks from the local area. The original lighthouses of the area and Warrnambool Garrison. As well as the village containing 40 buildings based on life in the 19th century port and town.

This area of Australia is called the shipwreck coast in honour of the number of ship that have come to grief on our rugged shoreline. The maritime museum is heritage listed and contains Victoria’s largest maritime and ship wreck collection. Exhibits include stories of survival and salvaged goods many with major historical significance. The prize of the museum is the Loch Ard Peacock. A rare and beautiful statue washed up after the Loch Ard was shipwrecked in 1878. Amazingly it was undamaged. I was mesmorized by her beauty.

The outside village was full of surprises. It is a true replica of that moment in time. Personally, I have never seen so many genuine pieces in one area. The stories of how they came across their display pieces was also fascinating.

At the top of the hill are the two original lighthouses built in1858. They were relocated to their current positions when the fort was built. I love that you could climb into them as well as go through the light house keepers house.

Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village was definitely a surprise package with all of its hidden treasures.

E: Echuca’s Old Port

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The Murray River is Australia’s longest river and it divides the Victorian and New South Wales states. Echuca is a city on the Victorian side and Moama is its sister city on the New South Wales side.

Founded in 1853 Ecucha was once Australia’s largest inland port due to the river trade. Paddlesteamers were very busy going up and down the Murray carrying people and cargo, mainy redgum timber and wool. To honour the city’s history, Echuca has built a Discovery centre around the old port.

The original paddlesteamers have been brought back to life and today are used for tourism. Unfortunately, for us we visited Echuca on a long weekend. This meant the paddlesteamers were fully booked. Never mind, next time will do.

The Port of Echuca Discovery Centre was amazing. We spent hours emersing ourselves in a forgotten time. Learning about life in the early days of Echuca. I loved that they have rebuilt the original wharves mostly using the original timber. They are 3 stories high. This is due to the various changes in river depth and so at any level the cargo could unload. The flood marker below gives an indication or the river levels. During our visit the levels were low.

The scary thing for the river crews was that if the river level dropped too much the paddlesteamers became “stuck” and couldn’t move until it rained and the river levels rose again. This often meant waiting it out until the snow melted or the rains came.

I love the displays and horse and buggy that was giving rides through the precinct.