Blogs from Mansfield, Victoria, Australia, Oceania - page 3

Day 349 - Bridge Creek (Mansfield) After our few days out bush we can’t deny it was nice to have a hot shower this morning! Everyone was having a bit of a lie in this morning, the last Saturday before the end of the school holidays. We wanted to find out a bit more about the animated theatre at Glenrowan which depicts ‘Ned Kelly’s last stand’. Ken and Beth have mentioned that they’d love to go and a quick phone call to the chap that runs it gave us the all clear that the place is open today and we’d easily be able to get on to any of the 40 minute ‘tours’. Perfect! Zoe wasn’t being left out (it’s not that we don’t love her as much as the other two!) but she’s got a ... read more

Day 341 - Bridge Creek Hurrah for Dar for he turns 52 today! Happy Birthday Hun, I hope you really enjoy your day. Love you millions! There were a few presents to open which was nice, a couple from me, one from Mum & Dad Kettle which arrived here at Bridge Creek yesterday. Then there was the card from the Coulsells back home in the UK which has travelled with us for the entire trip! Dar finally got to open it this morning which gave him a smile. The house was quiet this morning when we first got up, we needed to get our car into town for a service so we decided I’d drive Simone’s in and Dar would follow behind. There was no need to look for the keys, we knew exactly where they ... read more

Day 339 - Bridge Creek The house was very quiet first thing this morning! The kids were spread all over the place but at least there was one constant, Jake was fast asleep on the sofa in the front room! People slowly begin to drift off during the morning, Wils & his set of kids are the first to go as he needs to travel home which is south of Melbourne somewhere. I’d been a bit concerned during the shed activities that one of the kids had accidentally drunk some of my beautiful cocktail of Wine, Cider and Cordial but when it happened again much later in the evening when all the youngsters were safely in bed my suspicions turned elsewhere - Wils! He is a secret cordial lover!! It’s so secret that he doesn’t even ... read more

This morning we wandered around the main street of Healesville and around the area before heading north east. We drove through beautiful mountain country - I think the tall straight gumtrees are Mountain Ash and underneath prolific tree ferns. Once we came closer to Maryville, the scenery changed to blackened trees, tree stumps and the green growth that we'd seen yesterday on the Kingslake trees. I think the Maryville fire was hotter though as fewer trees survived. Everywhere there are clearings with dead trees piled high. Driving into Maryville was a shock. I think most of the town was destroyed and the death toll was I think 73 from last year's fires. I read on Wikipedia that Google Earth shows Marysville as it was before the fires .. it was certainly a beautiful, lush mountain town. ... read more