An Exciting Trip

Thirty five years ago (October 1990) my friend Maggie and I started the Bellerive Historical Society. I say ‘friend’ although we’d only recently met. However, we discovered we shared a love of history. We realised that the lovely town of Bellerive opposite Hobart on the Derwent River’s eastern shore where we had both settled had so much history - but not much was documented, and the people I asked for information about the old buildings would say, ‘Oh I don’t know. It’s always been there’.  

For the next few years we established regular meetings, a newsletter, guest speakers, took people on historical walks around the town, began a photographic collection and wrote books on Bellerive heritage.

Fast forward to today and the Society is still going and still attracting new members. The current President invited me to join their 35th anniversary celebrations. These included giving a speech to members at their monthly meeting, then attending a reception at Government House the following day. How could I resist? Off I flew to Hobart.

My talk was well received. I met people I hadn’t seen for years and there was lots of reminiscing and laughter. The following afternoon we set off for Government House. A friend was trying to get the entire Government House into this photo and slightly disregarded Maggie and me. 

Into the gracious reception room we gathered. Here, Her Excellency the Governor (Barbara Baker) made a speech about the Society and what we had achieved in its early years. And then … quite unexpectedly, she called on Maggie to receive a gift and make a short speech, which she did beautifully even though it was on the spur of the moment. And then it was my turn. I was so nervous I have no idea what I said. Surprises are great, but I wish we had been warned. The Huon pine bowls we received were lovely.

Here I am nervously shaking hands and saying ‘Thank you Your Excellency’

And here is Maggie, me, Her Excellency and Mike, the BHS President.

More mingling over an elegant afternoon tea and then it was all over. An exciting moment in my life. Here I am in the ballroom. I needed one more photo to assure me I really had been here.

Lovely to catch up with friends Andrew and Jane.

Maggie and I are proudly displaying our Huon pine bowls.

I spent the next few days strolling around the streets and getting reacquainted with Bellerive. I loved the coastal path with its views of the river, the rock pools, limestone caves and the distant Mount Wellington.

The houses are all beautifully looked after and, being spring, the gardens were awash with flowering magnolias, rhododendrons, wisteria and a host of cottage garden plants. 

And lastly, a glimpse of my former home.

Watching bandicoots scamper across Maggie’s lawn was a ‘David Attenborough’ moment for me.  

We had a couple of fabulous meals overlooking Kangaroo Bay and the moored yachts.

What an exciting few days I had. Staying with Maggie in her charming apartment, rediscovering the delights of Bellerive, catching up with people I hadn’t seen for at least 20 years, and battling the fierce Tasmanian winds are memories I will always savour.

A Brief but Wonderful Week

Winter in Melbourne. Cold. A blustery biting wind. Rain squalls. Black coats and jackets. Gloves and beanies. But also... crisp fresh air in the Dandenong forests; cheery bird calls in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens; eating out with friends in warm and cosy cafes; wandering among amazing exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria; snuggling up with my daughter on the couch bingeing on the TV series 'Only Murders in the Building'. I experienced every one of these on my brief but wonderful week in Melbourne.

The week started off with a walk in the Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenongs. Mountain ash trees soared skywards as we took the walk to The Falls. 

I loved the litter layer and the small details on the forest floor.

The falls itself were a trifle disappointing ...

Time to go back.The air was crisp, the sound of bird calls filled the air and the water gurgled over the stones. We felt alive.

The following day was a beauty - both weather-wise and the guided bird walk we took in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens.  A beautiful blue sky belied the freezing weather. 

The guide explained the different types of birds we were likely to see and off we went. At first we didn't spot many (though, enticingly, could hear their calls) until we found a lone kookaburra.

The binoculars I had were excellent and soon we were honing in on bell miners, wattlebirds, ravens, magpie larks, cockatoos, a night heron, purple swamp hens, moorhens, grebes, egrets, and introduced species such as turtle-doves, mynas and blackbirds. Unfortunately, spotting a bird through the binoculars and then grabbing my camera and trying to take a photo before it darted away does not augur well and you'll have to be content with only this photo of a kookaburra. A fun and rewarding walk. 

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On Monday, I caught up with friends Kim and Jenny and visited the Ian Potter Centre at the National Gallery of Victoria where we wandered around the 19th and 20th century Australian paintings collection - spotting famous ones and quite a number of paintings by women artists I hadn't heard of. 

'The Pioneer' by Frederick McCubbin, 1904.

I always love Impressionist paintings.

I especially enjoyed the Aboriginal collection. 

These colourful sculptures represent ancestral creatures, malevolent beings and trickster spirits from Central Arnhem Land. 

On the way to lunch we walked up a laneway full of graffiti, where a man was adding final touches to his artwork.

I found this staircase fascinating.

 Lunch was a vegetarian restaurant up a flight of narrow stairs. Kim thought it useful to take my photo while I was eating. But the vegetarian lasagne was delicious, and the view of bare-branched trees through the large bay windows that were letting in a soft wintry sunshine was delightful.   

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My next jaunt was a trip to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Cranbourne - a tram, then train and finally a courtesy-bus ride from Kate's home in St Kilda. The gardens are simply breathtaking, and their status as one of the top gardens in the world (announced recently in the New York Times) fitting. It is, in effect, a landscaper's garden, where the trees, shrubs and flowers have been designed to show their shape, colour, size and architectural splendour. There are many sections, each planted with an array of gorgeous Australian plants. The site itself covers 363 hectares, much of it made up of remnant native bushland where there are trails, picnic areas and the chance to spot wallabies, bandicoots, echidnas. The planted gardens only make up a very small portion. However, on our visit, the bushland was closed to visitors because of tree damage from a recent storm.  But there was plenty to see and do for the next few hours. And despite the wind and rather numbing cold, we enjoyed every minute.

 

The Red Sand Garden.

Here are some 'random' views of the various sections of the garden. 

A seaside garden.

Each plant was clearly labelled providing information about its botanical name, common name, and habitat.

We were intrigued by this grevillea that had been turned into a standard. We'd never seen this done before. I could picture this in my front garden and would have loved to dig this one up and transport it to Encounter Bay!

We wandered on, marvelling at the sheer scale of the gardens - but keeping an eye out for rain.

I liked this waterlily path across the lake.

A rest stop afforded the time for us to listen to the bird calls - and even capture a New Holland Honeyeater (I think) on camera. 

The sun came out just as we were leaving. That's the Visitors Centre on the right.

Always a fan of gift shops, I purchased a lovely mug, perfect for hot chocolates! And a perfect ending to a great day out.

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The following day I ventured out with friend Michael to see an exhibition at the NGV titled 'Cats and Dogs', a fascinating and very diverse collection of these animals in art, sculpture, pottery, fashion, children's books, cartoons, videos and weavings.  

Michael is inspecting a 1947 scarf.

An Alexander McQeen creation.

In this next photo is a large Jeff Koons dog vase (far left) - quite empty and not particularly eye-catching. But the gift shop had a postcard of it filled with flowers. I reckon someone should fill it every day! 

There were a number of Aboriginal paintings featuring dogs.

And a life-size model of Felix the Cat, the animated cat created by Australian cartoonist and pioneer animator Pat Sullivan in 1919, the silent film era, the first cartoon character created for the big screen. This was accompanied by an hilarious cartoon. I loved this, especially as Kate has a Felix clock in her kitchen. Here it is accompanied by the gorgeous Dita. 

Another fabulous day. 

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The week went by all too fast, though Kate and I managed to watch all four seasons of the TV series 'Only Murders in the Building'. A cup of tea and feet up. That's what I call bingeing! 

And soon I was back on the Overland train, travelling the 828 kms back to South Australia. 

Here are three photos that bring back lots of memories for me.

• Beside the MacRobertson fountain in the Domain.
• Walking the Sherbrooke Forest trail.
• Son-in-law Kim making an omelette, a tradition on my last night whenever I stay in Melbourne.

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