Committed Travellers

This photo was taken 4 years ago, a week after Tilly and Bluey doubled the size of our family. Tilly was learning she is allowed to watch me knitting, but not try to help.

Today she enjoyed some time outside in the sun, after the ignorant, arrogant, selfish neighbours left the showground. They abused me when I reminded them that their large dog should be on a lead. People like that spoil it for other people travelling with pets. This behaviour is less likely to occur in caravan parks, as many do strictly enforce the rule that pets must be on a lead or be in a crate, when outside their RV.

The very large caravan that arrived after dark last night, left this morning before first light. We speculated it may have been stolen, but we couldn’t see the make or model in the dark.

Horsham was not built on gold but slowly developed as a farming and administrative centre after land was granted to squatters. Today, the main crops are grains, pulses, and oilseed, while some farmers have sheep or cattle. We have seen a couple of lone llamas in paddocks protecting sheep and lambs.

Buildings in the town centre are relatively modest compared to those in some gold rush towns. There are a few Art Deco structures, most notably the tallest building in town, the former T & G building. The Temperance and General Mutual Life Assurance Society was established in 1876. There are T & G buildings in Hobart, Geelong, and Mildura similar to this one in Horsham. The pressed metal under the veranda is unique.

The original Town Hall is an unusual Art Deco design of textured face bricks. The internal staircase is classic Art Deco with black highlight.

Other buildings from the Art Deco era include the former Wilson’s Hotel, former Wimmera Shire Hall, and the curved building occupied by the Cheeky Fox Cafe. The RSL buildings are covered with signs and hidden by umbrellas, but they would probably be considered Art Deco.

Three of the large buildings are pubs – the Royal, the Whitehart, and the Exchange.

Other historic buildings operate as shops at street level, with some only retaining original features on the first floor frontage.

The 1937 Masonic Temple had a new roof and other work completed in 2015.

Virtually all of the buildings in the showgrounds are at least 100 years old. The first agricultural show was held here in 1876.

We have enjoyed sunsets over the fence both nights we have been here.

We are working our way west. As we drove out of St Arnaud, we stopped at the painted silos. Most of the murals in this town are black and white, like the portrait on the wall opposite the silos.

The silo art at Rupanyup is not a favourite. A nearby derelict railway station detracts from the atmosphere, and non-stop barking by two Jack Russells deterred us from lingering.

As we approached Murtoa, Anita spotted a sign advertising The Stick Shed. We pulled into the generous car park, and I took Bluey for a walk through this National Trust Listed Cultural Icon.

It was built to store bulk grain after a bumper harvest in 1941, and limited export opportunities due to the war. It only took four months to erect 10 rows of 56 unmilled timber poles to support the enormous corrugated iron roof. The shed is 270m long, 60m wide, and 19m high along the ridge.

I counted 15 sheets of corrugated iron in each vertical row, which are about 3 feet wide. Each side of the roof has about 300 vertical rows of 15 sheets of iron, or 4500 sheets each side! The roof has been repaired in places, but is still an extraordinary achievement.

We booked for two nights at the Horsham Showground, and were warned there would be a wedding today. The music has to be turned off at 11pm, but we don’t think it will bother us. The ground is dry dust covered by various weeds, but we have a reasonable view of the Wimmera River, 50m away.

As we drove through the gate, we noticed a large black dog off its lead. I texted the woman who manages bookings, and she was here within a minute to tell the owners they must keep their dog on a lead.

After we unhooked and set up, we drove to the Barangaroo Winery, about 20kms from Horsham. Bluey was allowed to stay with us on the verandah overlooking the dam. Anita enjoyed the wine, and we both enjoyed our lunch. A couple of boxes of wine made their way into our car.

Back in Horsham, I went to the information office located in the Town Hall, where there is also a gallery featuring an exhibition by female artists. Ironically, there was a separate exhibition of 13 portraits by a female artist, where only two of the portraits were of women.

I walked beside the river to parkland, where there are a couple of fishing platforms, bar-b-ques, and picnic areas.

Back at the showgrounds, Bluey kept trying to eat vegetation – there is no grass for him to munch. He hasn’t wanted to eat any dinner this evening and has been very quiet.

A very large caravan arrived here after dark, and reversed into position beside us. A second car arrived and the driver put up a tent next to the van. We haven’t heard any wedding music.

We spent half a day exploring the nearby towns of Maldon and Castlemaine, also former gold mining areas. Maldon is recognised as having a variety of architectural styles, with many buildings being largely unchanged since the 1850s.

The tourist brochure had a lot of hype about Maldon having the oldest continuously operating bakery, but we thought the food and coffee were ordinary. We visited a few of the clothing shops but didn’t make any purchases.

The Bank of New South Wales was established in 1817, and the Maldon bank building was constructed in 1858. It is now a private residence.

A lot of the materials used in buildings erected in Australia in the 1800s were imported from England, Scotland or Wales. One example is the cast iron fencing beside the bank building. Another is the curved green tiles on shops across the toad. Sections of footpath are the original stone pavers.

We drove 18kms to the much larger town of Castlemaine, which has traffic lights! There are several large grand buildings in this town, but some have been gutted, leaving only the facades. The former market building has equally spaced timber doors along both sides. Merchants backed their horses and carts up to their respective doors to sell their goods inside the market hall. The building is now used as a gallery and as the Information centre. The now green timber roof structure supports the original corrugated iron roof. The cast iron gates are impressive.

We refuelled on our way back to the caravan park, queuing at a busy service station selling cheap fuel. I topped up our water tanks, but it took nearly two hours to fill our potable tank, and we don’t know why. This problem first occurred when we were in WA a couple of years ago. I will have to consult the Bushtracker brains trust via Facebook.

For dinner, we returned to Bunja Thai in the city centre, where we could park right outside the restaurant.

After hanging out a load of washing, we drove to town to do a couple of errands, then rewarded ourselves with coffee. Bluey was very tolerant of a sticky toddler who kept cuddling him.

The critters have been behaving very well, and been friendly with each other. Tilly jumps into the laundry basket whenever I go to the clothesline.

I visited the Bendigo Gallery to see the exhibition Paris, Impressions of Life 1880-1925. This was an interesting collection of paintings, posters, and dresses. It has brought many visitors to Bendigo.

The gallery buildings are interesting in themselves.

Many other historic buildings surround the arts precinct on View Street.

This Federation era house is used as medical consulting rooms. Intricate timber work adorns the veranda and turret and roof supports.

We had dinner at the small Italian restaurant Borchelli, directly opposite the Bendigo Gallery. Our meals were good but not fantastic. We booked for 5pm and our inside table was booked again for 6.30pm, then 8pm, so it is very popular. A steady stream of takeaway meals also left the building. The restaurant had posters and other adjournments supporting the Gallery’s exhibition. Nearby shops also had clever displays featuring Paris.

We took Bluey with us to the Bendigo Corner Store Cafe, but it was too cold for us to sit outside, so he stayed in the Toyota. The coffee was OK, but the food has room for improvement.

We headed towards the railway station, but I had to stop to take photos of these unique houses. This first house has a most unusual fence, and is a very attractive and well-maintained house.

The building opposite might be occupied as a boarding house. It needs a lot of attention and would be worth restoring with its unusual keyhole shaped stained glass windows, a striking red roof, and original dormer windows. The fence is a clever design.

As we drove along View Street, we spotted this historic red brick fire station, in the Queen Anne revival style of architecture. It is now used as a drama theatre and known as the Engine Room.

Nextdoor is the former Masonic Hall, now a musical theatre known as the Capital. Unfortunately, nothing is on there during our visit as I would love to see the inside of this 1850s building which is National Trust listed.

We farewelled my sister at the station, then walked back towards the city centre to find a bank to organise some finances. I waited just inside the door with Bluey as he was shivering in the cold wind. Later, we were told I could have taken him inside the bank. He was made very welcome in the Macpac and Kathmandu stores, where we bought merino socks and a small travel bag.

Anita noticed a problem with one of our front tyres and thought it was a stone stuck in the tread, until she had a closer look.

We searched for the nearest tyre shop and realised we were parked at a large shopping centre.  Amazingly, there is a Tyresplus shop in the next street only 200m from where we had parked. They provided an excellent service, repairing the tyre and doing a wheel alignment, for only $123. The owner said it would be free if I handed over the dog!

While the tyre was being repaired, we waited at the shopping centre where Rex Espresso has outdoor seating. Bluey was very being very friendly towards the couple at the next table, until I realised he was after their chips! I gave him some diluted coffee instead.

Anita did some essential grocery shopping – food for the critters – which she cooked and packaged up in small bags in the freezer. I kept out of her way doing outside jobs and entertaining the said critters. Bluey was frisky in the 50kph winds, so I put on his long lead, and told him to “Go round”, the command for him to run circles around me. Tilly also had a run across the large grassed area, but keeps climbing the trees. She doesn’t get too high because she is on her lead.

A couple of vintage cars drove into our caravan park. The owner of this 1963 Morris assured me he is a lot older than the car! He sometimes drives past broken down cars, where their owners think he is from the RACV or South Australian RAA!

I rode the vintage tram around Bendigo with my sister. It starts from the Central Deborah Gold Mine and returns 45 minutes later. Passengers can hop-on and hop-off at any of the stops.

There are hundreds of well-kept historic statues and buildings in Bendigo, many of which we could see from the tram.

We did a quick tour of the old gold mine, which was included in our ticket price.

For dinner, we had Bunja Thai in the centre of town. The food was lovely, and the building was fascinating but incongruent as a venue for a Thai restaurant. It was originally built for the Colonial Bank, then occupied by the National Bank of Australasia, and later used as a gallery and cafe.

The toilets were up a cedar return staircase with threadbare carpet and low hand rail – no wheelchair access.

It wasn’t so cold last night at 9° minimum. We ran the diesel heater on low all night to make sure we didn’t freeze.

It didn’t take long for us to pack up and hit the road. The first half hour driving along the Maroondah Hwy was troubling, with idiot drivers speeding when overtaking. We turned off onto the Euroa Mansfield Rd and lost the Melburnians heading home after their long weekend.

At Euroa, we stretched our legs and admired a few of the well-kept heritage buildings. The former National Bank building is now a private residence. There are some interesting architectural features on the veranda. The inserts on the beams supporting the veranda appear to be etched glass.

This was the third National Bank to be built in Euroa. The second bank was robbed by Ned Kelly. The third cost £5,000 in 1885.

Another decorative building I admire is the Euroa Post Office, now operating as a post shop. Either side of the crown are various symbols such as a harp and a lion, but I do not know their significance.

We continued on, driving C class roads through interesting towns towards Bendigo. Our caravan park choice has been good, as the staff are friendly and the facilities excellent. While here we will spend a couple of days with my sister who came up from Melbourne on the train. She wanted to watch an AFL match today on TV, so I took her to the Hotel Shamrock which has a large sports bar.

The hotel building is dramatic, with some well preserved features inside and out.

There are several other grand historic buildings near the hotel, such as the court house with its weird figurines on lamp posts.

The Visitor Information Centre is located in the former post office, a grand example of the Renaissance Revival style of architecture.

One of my favourites is the 1908 Art Deco Colonial Mutual Life Building.

We had dinner with my sister at Hotel Shamrock, but the architecture was more interesting than the menu.

It was very cold last night, but ended up being a warm sunny day. We had breakfast at the Produce Store, despite not having made a booking. It was warm enough to sit outside with Bluey.

My French toast with berries and maple syrup was lovely.

The Produce Store building is interesting with a high timber ceiling, supported by decorative hardwood angle brackets resting on brick supports.

These fabulous tiles decorate the Commercial Hotel, which is probably of the Art Deco era.

Our next food stop was the Alpine Patisserie for rustic soughdough bread and a couple of delicious pastries. We refuelled the Toyota at the very busy BP truck stop on Mt Buller Rd. At the nearby Summit Outfitters, I bought a new raincoat in anticipation of a trip to Europe. One of my GorTex raincoats has a faulty zip, and the elastic in the other one is no longer elastic. I have pondered how to repair these, but so far, I have not come up with any solution.

Tilly has enjoyed long periods out in the afternoon sun, and tolerated pats from small children who had never touched a cat before. European wasps are a problem here. One flew into the car while I was packing things away. Hopefully, it left when I opened all doors.

We had dinner at Honcho’s, which describes itself as modern Mexican x Australian fuelled by fuego. Our food was tasty, and the decor pleasant except for the red lights in the toilets!

I took Bluey with me on a trip to Yarra Glen to visit my aunt and uncle. It was a long return trip of 272 kms on B grade roads with lots of pot holes. On the forward journey, there was a constant stream of caravans heading north.

As soon as I put Bluey on the ground, he was pulling me to their front door. He has only been there a couple of times, but he clearly knew where to go.

A delightful aged care worker was busy tending to my uncle when we arrived, so I had a chance to have a good catch-up with my aunt. Bluey was happy to sit on a rotation of laps during our visit.

We have travelled to or through Yarra Glen several times but have never stopped to have a good look around. The Yarra Valley Grand Hotel on the Melba Hwy dominates the town.

Back at the caravan park, I walked Bluey around the park. He remembered a woman who patted him yesterday, and went straight up to her for attention. She is part of a group of women staying at the park who walked 15 kms along the rail trail to raise money for an autism charity.

For dinner, we drove into town for Indian, which was delicious. We are in for a cold night with the temperature forecast to drop to 3°, but we should enjoy a couple more sunny days.