Up periscope

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Day 11 of 165

Remember how at the end of the last blog we were staying for our first camper van night at Holbrook, in the middle of nowhere?

Well, it might be in the middle of nowhere but it's certainly not nowhere itself.

See first picture. Yep, that is a submarine - well at least the top horizontal half of it, as if the crusty top half of an oversized baguette had been put in the middle of the park.

The story goes back to WW1 when Holbrook was actually called Germanton. The residents felt that as they were at war with Germany the name was no longer appropriate with so many of Australia's young men in Gallipoli, and decided to find some other worthy to name it after.

4 were considered. Asquith (our PM), Jellico (admiral of the fleet), Kitchener

And Holbrook, RN Lt, the first submariner to be awarded the VC, and hence the renaming to Holbrook.

Lt Holbrook navigated through the Dardanelles to torpedo and sink the Turkish battleship 'Mesudiye', and safely navigated back.

In 1994 HMAS Otway, an Oberon class submarine, was decommissioned. The town bought the top half it from the scrap merchants and went about relocating it. The project almost failed until Holbrook's widow donated Aus$100,000. So there is now half a submarine, a submarine museum and a submarine cafe. The town was also associated with the Australian Submarine Squadron until their sub Base was moved from Sydney to Western Australia.



After that we journeyed for 550km to Phillip Island. First half motorway then through rolling countryside. Think English shires on steroids. It was if a 2-D planar map of our countryside had been stretched horizontally severalfold.

Lots of warning signs for Koalas, Kangaroos and Wombats but nothing live though plenty of roadkill . Lots of spring flowers everywhere especially buttercups (but with giant tree ferns also). We also went through the Yarra Valley with wineries everywhere.

Other englishness signs were scones, jam and cream being offered in most coffee shops - we wonder what goes on first over here, jam or cream? Hope it's the proper way ie cream first. We also saw a sign for Camelot Castle, for teas again, and Avalon.

It is the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. Think Derby Day plus Ascot Ladies Day plus The Grand National. By all accounts Australia Stops! We also see that Godolphin has been shipped over, so may have a bet. We shall certainly try and watch somewhere.

Seen on our travels, outside a primary school:-

'Teddy Bears Picnic Transition Day'. We wonder how that works!

Written, overlooking the Southern Ocean, on a hard, cold concrete seat, waiting for The Penguin Parade. More in next blog.

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