This Adventurous Age

Adventures travelling and working around Australia.


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1998 Travels January 17

SATURDAY 17 JANUARY     BALLARAT

Today, John reduced his Warfarin dose to 4.5. So far, all seems well.

Did a ride around the Lake, straight after breakfast – 10kms.

There was no bowls today for John because their normal pennant competition had resumed. This was probably fortunate because the temperature reached 43 degrees! It is a total fire ban day, because of the heat.

I did washing before breakfast – two loads.

After breakfast, drove to the Mall area. I went to Lincraft and bought some embroidery fabric. At Bank of Melbourne, I withdrew $116 from my account to compensate for the money I’d spent on embroidery stuff this week.

Apart from the weekend papers, bought more liquorice for John and, on impulse, he bought a Tattslotto System 8 ticket. I bought a second hand book – exchanged one I’d read, so it only cost me $3.50.

Went on to Wendouree Shopping Centre, because it is air conditioned, and browsed there for a while. Bought some groceries and John purchased a small bucket of rubbery fishing lures, for $20. Personally, if I was a fish, I would not be at all attracted to these slimy, rubbery things – but we shall see how they go, at some future date.

Spent the afternoon in the van, with the air-con on! When we were ordering the van, I was at odds with John and did not think we really needed air-con. I was wrong! We now know it works, too – and quite efficiently. But it is rather noisy.

There was a late and welcome cool change, which eased the oppressive heat and made the night better for sleeping. It would be too noisy to keep the air-con on.

We watched the lotto draw – John got 4 numbers and since it is a system ticket, that will be a reasonable prize.


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1998 Travels January 16

FRIDAY 16 JANUARY     BALLARAT

Today, John reduced his Warfarin dose to 6.5mg. This is the first step towards getting ready for the special tests, scheduled for February.

We had earmarked today to drive to Creswick, about 20kms away, a place I had never seen, another of the many places around this district that began in the gold rushes of the 1850’s.

It was rather a disappointing day. Creswick had some interesting old buildings, but a general air of being run down and battling. It was too hot for us to feel like walking about much. We passed the Forestry School, and noted the pine plantations around the area. We didn’t really see anything that I felt like coming back another day for.

Fish and chips for tea tonight. We went to the Sturt Street shop recommended by G and D. Found it very busy and over priced, and decided we preferred the local Howitt Street one that John found when we were first here – better quality and cheaper.

Through the course of the afternoon, I developed a really bad headache – from the heat?


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1998 Travels January 15

THURSDAY 15 JANUARY     BALLARAT

After breakfast, cycled once around the Lake – 10kms.

Drove to the town centre, and went to the RACV office, where I bought some Cape York maps.

I went back to Sovereign Needlecraft and bought materials to start doing Hardanger embroidery – material, cottons, needles, small scissors, and a couple of instruction books. It seems to be an embroidery style that is intricate enough to need a long time to complete a piece – just what is needed in my new life of leisure!

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This is an example of Hardanger embroidery

After lunch, John went to bowls.

I walked across to the Botanical Gardens and walked through the Conservatorium display. As it was done for Xmas, it is a bit faded now. There were some interesting hydrangeas and fuschias on display, though.

After tea, while it was still light, John and I went for a walk in the Gardens, which included a stroll down the path that has, on each side, bronze busts of all the Australian Prime Ministers.


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1998 Travels January 14

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY     BALLARAT

Slept in again. The hot weather has continued – this is more like summer! We seem to now be having a heatwave. There have been more fires, including one this side of Geelong. Up till now this western area has been about the one part of the state without bushfires.

Cycled once around the Lake in the morning – 10kms. Called at the shops for rolls for lunch.

Did some shopping at Wendouree centre: a packet of paper for the printer, and got keys cut for John.

Apart from that, had a quiet day “in”. Read, did some writing. John messed about on his computer.

Went to a nearby hotel for a counter tea with friends G and D. Pleasant meal and company. The meal and drinks cost us $33 – not cheap!


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1998 Travels January 13

TUESDAY 13 JANUARY     BALLARAT

We slept in a bit. There was really only time to breakfast and pack up the cold left over pizza for our picnic lunch, and then meet my friends over by the Lake. We walked there.

Spent until 5.30 with them – S and M and their three children. It was great to meet up again – it is some years since I have seen S. We were very impressed with their three home-schooled children, the oldest of whom is 12; very well behaved, articulate and confident children.

We all found plenty to talk about – computers, travels, other activities, schooling issues and trends. We declined the offer to go flying with M tomorrow – his latest activity.

It was quite humid through the day, and thunderstorms developed again in the afternoon. There was one gigantic and frightening clap of thunder straight over the Rotunda where we were sheltering.

After parting with the friends, we went bike riding – twice around the Lake again, doing 16.5kms. My bottom was sore!

Tea was spaghetti carbonara, followed by fresh fruit.

Thunder grumbles continued through the evening.


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1998 Travels January 12

MONDAY 12 JANUARY     BALLARAT

It has already been a week since we left! So, today we went back!

We were up early and set off after breakfast to go home, and take a crate of books, maps and some other oddments, home, and pick up the things we forgot. We also took the non-functioning video machine home.

It was a hot day, for once, and so was hot travelling.

We reached home about 11am. K was home and doing some clean up work about the place, which looks alright, still. Well, we have only been gone a week! It was good to see the dog and the cats too. Poor dog was so happy to see us.

P came home for lunch, so we saw her too.

John arranged to sell his old bowls to a club member, for $180 – an unexpected bonus.

John could not find his caravan keys. We will have to get some cut for him.

After a couple of hours, left again. Felt mean leaving dog behind again.

Called in to deliver said bowls, and also had to visit our solicitor in Mooroolbark – we left our wills and some other important documents with him. He had received $74 from VicRoads: the refund on my Barina registration, as we decided to unregister it for the duration, rather than waste the money.

It was a hot trip back. Thunderclouds were building up in the distance.

Booked into the Park for another week, and paid. There is still lots to do here, and the regular bike riding is good for John. Having the Gardens and the Lake across the road makes this easy to do. Having no deadlines for the trip allows us to linger and make it up as we go. I suspect it will continue this way.

I cooked pizzas for tea, using the van oven for the first time. Seems to work well. We had fruit for dessert, including some ripe figs brought back from home.

It started to rain about tea time; there was a really heavy downpour during the night, with thunder.


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1998 Travels January 11

SUNDAY 11 JANUARY     BALLARAT

After breakfast, we washed the Truck, which took quite a while, because it has some fiddly corners. I did the washing – cost $4 for two loads.

John wanted to go to a computer expo/swap show that was on in the Old Gaol Building at the School of Mines. It cost $3 each to get in and was rather disappointing. I did not find it at all interesting – probably because of being very much a novice with computers. John did buy some games discs, though.

Went grocery shopping at Safeway – food for a couple of meals, and some toiletries.

I filled a focaccia loaf for a late lunch, then felt like a siesta for a while. This really is a change of lifestyle!

I had picked in the dry washing, and John did the necessary ironing, in the Park laundry, but using our own iron.

In the late afternoon, went for a bike ride. John decided to go twice round the Lake. Being a weekend day, there were more people about in the Gardens, to dodge. We rode 15kms. So by the time we finished it was a little late to cook the planned dinner. The late lunch meant that we were not that hungry anyway. So we had a cup of soup each, some salad, and fruit.

John has developed a bad sore throat, through the day. Think he is getting my cold.

There are major floods along the north Qld coast, with Townsville being particularly badly affected. Hope this does not adversely affect our Qld travels later in the year.


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1998 Travels January 10

SATURDAY 10 JANUARY     BALLARAT

We had a little sleep in on a cool, grey morning.

After breakfast, we rode around the Lake, then to the shops for lunch rolls and the weekend papers. 10.3kms cycled.

After lunch, John went off to bowls.

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Our very first camp – all set up

I made phone calls – both to former work colleagues who now live in the area. Arranged to meet S and M and their children at the Gardens for a picnic lunch on Tuesday.  GB came round for a while, later in the afternoon, with a friend. G said we should not drink the local water in Beaufort or Daylesford – neither is of an acceptable standard; through her current work she knows such things. We will have a counter tea on Wednesday with G and husband.

After the visitors left, I read the papers.

We had an early tea – salad and tinned fish. Another tin gone!

Went for a walk in the Botanic Gardens until dusk – really pleasant.

Somehow, Truck did 24kms today.


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1998 Travels January 9

FRIDAY 9 JANUARY     BALLARAT

I woke up at 8am, feeling better than I’d expected.

We planned a rest day from the bikes – John feels it is necessary for his hip, and the idea is attractive to me! Will do some driving sightseeing instead.

We drove to the Oval Bowls Club, so John could suss out games, then on to Tandy in the town centre because he wanted to buy some TV gadget.

Drove out to Buninyong, on a grey and occasionally drizzly day. It heated up a little later in the afternoon. It really is being a peculiar summer, to date.

It was around Buninyong that some of the early gold finds of the district were made. The village has some really attractive old buildings.

We went to the Botanic Gardens which, dating from about 1860, are amongst the oldest in the State. Walked part of the historical walk, up to the Gong – a small lake – and the old Brewery, a solid two storey bluestone construction.

John was reminded of his former life by big trucks passing, carrying parts of a portable classroom to the nearby primary school. Like Haddon, this area has become more built up in recent times – obviously, the school is growing.

John wanted to check out the local bowls club, of course, so he looked – but I think he will be able to get all the games he wants at the closer, various Ballarat clubs.

Drove up Mt Buninyong. This high, volcanic cone can be seen from a long way distant. Thus, it gave excellent views. We climbed up the Fire Tower/Lookout, on the top of the mount. This was a scary climb for me: several lots of stairs that go round the outside of the metal frame of the tall tower, to a platform at the top. It was worth the effort for the really broad panorama across the surrounding plains. One could see that there were lots more volcanic cones in the district. From the tower, the countryside looked very dry. Back down at ground level, we saw some koalas in gum trees.

Back in Buninyong, went to DeSoza Park to eat our picnic rolls. Good facilities there for a picnic. The park was named for a Mr Desoza, who made his money back in the mining heyday.

We picked a couple of kilos of cherry plums from a laden tree at the edge of the park. The fruit was just going to waste and it will make a nice, economic, stewed fruit dessert for us, for a couple of nights!

It began to rain solidly as we left Buninyong and drove to Smythesdale and the Yellowglen Winery. Tasted their range of sparkling wines and bought four bottles – two Yellow and two Cremant – for $48.80. They will be for special occasion drinking!

Returned to the town centre, via Haddon. John wanted to buy some new casual shoes. We also came away with some more liquorice and macadamia nuts, from Darrel Lea, and I bought a novel from a book exchange.

After a coffee back at the van, we went and practiced bowls, for an hour and a half. I am improving!

John tried to get the VCR working. It won’t – so he will not be able to watch the planned video tonight. I’d prefer not to watch anything, anyway!

Bought fish and chips for tea tonight, seeing as it is Friday. That is an old habit that is worth keeping.

Managed to drive 105kms today.


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1998 Travels January 8

THURSDAY 8 JANUARY     BALLARAT

I was feeling somewhat better this morning.

After breakfast, we rode the Lake circuit – in the opposite direction, this time, just for some variety.

John went off to bowl at the Wendouree Club at 1pm, after an earlier than usual lunch.

I walked to the town centre to hand in our rented telephone handsets at the GPO. We’d discovered, just as we were about to leave on Monday, that we were paying rental on these, at $7 a month. No point in continuing to do that – but finding out anything to do with Telstra in Ballarat has not been easy.

On the way back, saw the Sovereign Needlework shop and went in for a browse. Now that I am no longer working, will have time for some of the handcrafts that I’ve long wanted to do. The challenge will be to find something compatible with caravan life. The shop had a great collection of tapestry and hardanger materials, cottons, wools, frames and the like. It took great strength not to buy anything, but was food for thought, there.

It seemed a long walk back, via the Botanic Gardens. My legs were very tired by then, and it was a warm afternoon. We had cycled 12.3kms this morning and I walked about 10kms this afternoon!

Had brought a lot of travel guides and books with me  – too many, now that we are reducing what we carry. Began to sort them into a “keep” pile and a “return home” pile. Then John came back and wanted me to go practice bowls. It was easier to go than argue, but I was certainly  stiff and sore by the time we returned at 6.30pm.

On the way back from bowls we drove out to Sebastopol to buy some supermarket special beer and wine at the Safeway there.

I abandoned the planned spag bol for tea – it was too late to cook a decent sauce. Had the pasta with some bottled pesto instead, and the rest of the strawberries after. I froze the mince I’d bought this morning.

Finished sorting the books, after tea, and my map collection too! Reduced the quantity by about 40%.

I was really stiffening up and we went for a little stroll around the park. At the phone box, rang and left a message for son, saying we were staying on here for a few more days.

John watched a Chinese film on SBS. I had a superb, hot shower  on my tired muscles, and went to bed.

Tallied up another 23kms on Truck today.