The most delightful buildings for me in this little town are its little historical cottages. They come in different shapes and sizes, and some look as if it’s been little changed since the Gold Rush.
As you can probably tell, they’re pretty well maintained and some are even lived in. Although I suppose if you’re a resident you’d have to tolerate tourists like me taking snapshots of (potentially) your washing.
Lord Howe is an island, foremost, so let’s have a few more views of the water. We stayed on the western side of the island and hence got our fill of views of the Lagoon. No name, just Lagoon, since it’s the only one.
It is the most southern reef system in the world, and it is beautiful to look at and swim in whatever the weather, since there is no sewage or storm-water run-off to pollute its clean waters. The uniqueness of the marine environment obviously helped gain the island a UNESCO world heritage listing.
In the middle of the lagoon, about 700m off-shore, is Rabbit Island (officially, Blackburn Island), which produces a lovely focal point to the view. It might have been overrun with pests like rabbits in the past (hence its name), but after the big clean-up, it’s now pristine.
There are lots of snorkeling opportunities on the Lagoon, as well as lots of fishing opportunities. Hubby brought his fishing gear all the way from home and was eager to cast a line. It’s certainly a scenic place to do it.
And on the shore, there were interesting details to examine while I waited for hubby to land a catch (he did eventually, by the way).
Well, it might have taken me awhile, but we’ve finally come to the final chapter of our 2019 Tasmanian trip – a short visit to Hobart. On this visit, we stayed in the historic inner city suburb of Battery Point. It is on a hill and so affords a good view of the Derwent River.
While wandering around the local park, hubby was happy to find out that it had had a famous scientific visitor in the past.
Wandering around Battery Point and its neighbouring suburb, Sandy Bay, we were happy to see a lot of colonial era houses still in good condition. Probably not surprising since they’re two of the most expensive suburbs of Hobart.
That’s all from Tasmania. But I’ve done some travelling since then, so I’ll be back with more adventures soon!
From Mansfield, we headed on home, taking the scenic route through the Alps via the little town of Corryong, home to the real ‘Man from Snowy River’, Jack Riley.
It was 35C that day – not very alpine weather! We spent the night in Tumut and got home the next day.
I had sketched regularly during the trip, and here are some of them.
This was to be the last car holiday we’d make with our dear beagle, Bridie. She passed away in mid-August after a short illness. We were glad that she got to travel all the way to Victoria – she loved a drive and a sniff!
Rest in peace, old girl.
20km south-east of Rutherglen is the small town of Chiltern. It’s half the population of Rutherglen, but just a quaint.
Like Rutherglen, the beautiful buildings came courtesy of the Gold Rush in the 1860s. Like this old Bank of New South Wales.
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There was even a bit of Chinese history in the town.
You know you’re in country Australia when you see sights like these.
Stubbies and thongs may represent the Australia of the past, but I think a cup of coffee (with a bit of coffee art) represents the Australia of the present.
Our first stop was the town of Rutherglen. An hour out of Albury and close to the Murray River, it’s a quaint North-East Victorian town with lots of lovely architecture.
The second picture is of our bed and breakfast – that allows dogs! So Bridie was happy.
An early morning walk took me to the paddock around the back of the B&B, where I encountered some ladies having their breakfast.
Rutherglen is famous for its wines, and we sampled a few (Pfeiffer, Andersons and Cofield are just three). The wines (both sweet and table) were delicious, and since all the wineries are generally small operators, we even got to talk to some of the wine makers. And for those contemplating a road trip with their furry friends, many cellar doors even allow dogs.
We’re starting a new journey today. Last December, we took a road-trip from Sydney to Central Victoria and back.
Our first leg took us through the town of Gundagai, with its quaint old buildings and brand-spanking-new pavements.
It was a chance for everyone to stretch their legs, including our old beagle, Bridie. Note the sign in the park – we’re definitely not in the city anymore!
There were a few monuments in town. We didn’t see the famous dog and tucker box statue as it was out of town, but we did stumble past Dad, Dave, Mum and Mabel, along the road to Gundagai.
But the monument that was most touching was the tribute to two Wiradjuri men, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, who saved the township during the 1852 flood.
From Alice Springs, the train makes its way due south across the red desert.
But as I’ve seen on previous trips, it’s not all flat expanse out there.
We even cross the Finke River, where I spent a whole week upstream two years before.
We cross into South Australia as the sun sets on our full day on the Ghan.
We take a turn about the town, and saw some interesting sites, including this mural at the back of Coles Supermarket.
And then for our last stop we climbed atop Anzac Hill for a panoramic view of the Alice.
The MacDonnell Ranges are never far away and look as spectacular as ever. Pity that this visit is so short.
We could even see the Ghan from the top. Look closely, and you can see that it is ridiculously long.
One last view of the Territory State flag.
And its state flora, the Sturt Desert Rose.
Jumping on to the bus, we were off around Alice Springs for our tour.
Our first stop was at the Old Telegraph Station – the reason that Alice Springs was founded in the first place.
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The early explorers thought that this place had a permanent water source. Unfortunately, they didn’t realise that the area had just had a downpour, and that the springs were only temporary.
We saw some wildlife though – a rock wallaby in particular – so there must be some water somewhere out there, though not enough to sustain a settlement.
Static and Silence 