a road trip to the past

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The two-week long mid-semester break was a great opportunity to explore the regions in Victoria, outside the metropolitan city centre of melbourne. The travel-itch started weeks before the break and I was planning for a short trip (that i can afford). I have always been fascinated by nomadic travelling, a form of travelling not by great detailed planning, but by the spur of spontaneity. One way of doing that is travelling in campervans or caravans.

Australia, was a perfect country for that mode of travelling. Firstly, road distances were long. Also, the numerous national forest/parks were perfect for camping for free! Lastly, routes were dotted with scenic surroundings, and a campervan gave one the flexibility of stopping whenever one delights, whether its by the ocean, or within the canopy of a rainforest. I looked up several companies that offered campervan rentals and found a perfect van that had a mini kitchen (with a stove and a sink), and backseats that could be converted to a double bed. How perfect. Got that booked through the internet and we were on our way to Ballarat, to explore what is left of the Victorian Gold Rush era that occured in the 19th Century.

Because the van was equipped with manual transmission, I became the default driver, and Chelsea the navigator. Well, it was quite difficult to get lost actually, as freeways were well-signed, and towns usually had good Information Centres that provided us with free maps and advice. As a student, nothing beats a good adventure on a tight shoestring budget. Needless to say, we seldom ate out. But, we still ate pretty well. Lunch was usually sandwich stuffed with ham, lettuce, tomatoes.. Breakfast anything from bacon and eggs with tea to scrambled eggs. Dinner, was lamb chops, or steaks with canned vegetables. Not once did i dread eating cooked food (appetite was usually assisted by a full day of walking) as they were delicious! Well, if you are wondering where all the meat went, they were placed in the ice-chilled esky (icebox).

Other than stopping at random scenic places for lunch and dinner, the main attraction of the trip was Sovereign Hill, Ballarat. It is a big family-themed attraction park that re-created the Gold Rush era. Houses, shops, dressing, accents were all similar to what was found in the 19th Century. You had the chance of entering a classroom, under the guidance of a teacher to write in old-fashioned english writing. She was also very strict and reminded us to keep our backs straight at all times.. haha. The bowling allys were wooden. Groups of soldiers will be marching around with the military band, raising the flags during the parades. Horses were everywhere. The recreation was very very good, and I reckon its a better attraction than modern-day theme parks. I also panned for gold in the river. (real gold in fact, was sprinkled into the river for the tourist delight). And the best part of Sovereign Hill was having a guided tour into a REAL gold mine.

IT was extremely informative, as I now understand to how GOLD was instrumental in creating a boom for Victoria that led to what it is today. And of course, the nomadic skirt around the countryside was thoroughly enjoyable. Enjoy the pictures..

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