Anchorage by the Lake Bendigo

... controls for a while.

After the fun morning, it was time to get back to work on the house - this is our last day in Bendigo and there are still so many chores to be done on this total renovation.

In the 12 days that we have been here, Paul has cut and installed baseboards and trim, repaired the furnace, done some wiring, built a linen closet, hung drywall and other jobs. My specialty has been painting - three coats on the foyer and ...

... foyer and hallway that I painted last week, and it does actually look pretty good, if I say so myself.

It was pretty hot this morning, and we felt exhausted when we finally stopped work about 2:00, but a quick shower and cold drink revived us enough to go into Bendigo for the Central Deborah Gold Mine Tour.

After gold was discovered in Bendigo in 1851 ...

... left the gold fields and began stores and services for the miners. That was the beginning of a along and rich Chinese heritage in this area.

Beginning in the late 1800's, the good townsfolk of Bendigo began an annual fund raiser for the local hospital. It struggled along for a couple of years, until 1000 of the Chinese citizens signed up to help raise the funds. Thus began the Bendigo Easter Chinese Parade, which features hundreds ...

... we have seen in Europe. The feeling was slightly less ornate than most cathedrals we have visited and had beautiful cofffered ceilings. The double pipe organ was being played by a young man during our visit and we enjoyed the thundering hymns he played. The Australian twist was the altar cloth which had embroydered on it the admonishment "STAY AWAKE!"

Another surprise was when we saw the door to the Town Hall open and poked our ...

... all claustrophobic the tunnels were really tall and wide and i had to put on a hard hat hahahaha

and then i went on tram that went all around the town ... and that was my day! But it was loads of fun .. and then we drove back to Melbourne

c xxx

... and kilns. Bought an olive oil jug, but it looks like it should hold moonshine!

This evening Paddy hosted a BBQ with friends of his, Greg, Kevin and Liam (who we met in London last year. Yummy burgers and sausages served on home made bread rolls. And noone even mentioned throwing a shrimp on the barby.

... sit around panicking about the weight of my back which was way over and my carry on, so I took the clothes out of my carry on and it made not difference. Proceeded to check in, completely worried now when we felt what can only be described as an earthquake, still no idea what it was, thought I was going crazy due to stress, when others also reacted to the movement. At the counter am awaiting for them to ask me to hand ...

... layout by now! this park looks very quiet, a couple of miles out of the city but bendigo itsself looks like a great place . lots of big victorian buildings, this town prospered during the 1850,s goldrush. we will stay tonight and tomorrow night so we have time for a good look around. bev in particular wanted to come here to do a bit of research on the guy that used to live in our old house in dover - he came to bendigo (then sandhurst ...

... It was everything I dreamed with hundreds of people selling fresh breads, exotic cheeses, fruits, vegetables, and sweets! I sampled some heavenly cheeses....I purchased a gigantic piece of cake haha. Behind the foods they also have many more merchants selling all sorts of clothes, jewelry, souvenirs, you name it. I picked up a little something for jay :) AFTER THAT (long day I know), we went over to the St. Kilda beach area which is kind of like an Australian south beach. Tons ...

... the entirety of the Cycle Victoria bike ride was having lunch and just up from where an all black steam engine had puffed over the bridge a minute or two before. Ballarat is home to Sovereign Hill, which is a "Gold Rush Experience" type of living museum cum entertainment centre. At first it seems to be simply an exercise in separating tourists from their money, but as you spend more time there (and it probably helped that the large ...