Home again.

Home again after a very pleasant 6 weeks on the road.

Rosiland Park Bendigo

A truly beautiful park with the autumn colours.  Actually it is officially winter.

The Bendigo Creek was tamed many years ago and actually runs under the fountain.

Bendigo Chinese Museum

There is a very strong Chinese community in Bendigo going back to the goldfields days.  Tom's great grandfather was Chinese and as a result was involved in some aspects of Chinese life when growing up.  This museum and park is built on the site of the old Bridge St Chinese area.

View of the park.  Note the pine trees.

Each tree has a plaque with the name of a prominent member of the Bendigo Chinese community.

My great grandfather, Charlie Fun Chung.

Photo inside the museum (I also have a copy) shows Charlie and my grandmother Ethel at right.

Chinese gardens near the museum.

Bendigo

Tom lived in Bendigo from age 5 to age 15 so this was a trip down memory lane.  Bendigo is looking very good and is a nice size city.

This was my grandparent's house.  It is now in the middle of a light industrial area and has had a strange makeover.  But I do remember the palm tree.

Our house was two doors along from here.

My parents and brothers lived here after I joined the RAAF.

I remember going here with my mother when it was an orphanage.  Now a boutique B&B.

The fountain in the centre of town.

I often used these trams to travel to school.

They have a few spares!

The Joss House... a Chinese temple going back to the goldfields days.

Inside the Shamrock Hotel... Bendigo's old, flash pub where we had lunch.

Melbourne

We visited Wolf (old RAAF mate) and Jacqui at Upwey, Ross and Bev... Scott's parents at Glen Waverley and Jim (another RAAF mate) and Fi at Greensborough.  A very pleasant week.

Why are we waiting?

For some tucker from Wolf!

The view from Wolf's back deck at Upwey.  The CBD can be seen on the right  skyline.

Same view at night.

Bev and Ross's place.

We visited a native park at Cranbourne... this is a Bottle Tree.

Flowering Red Gum.

Grevillia.

Central Australian feature.

Bev, Jane and Ross.

Interesting gum with spiral bark.

Point Nepean

We visited our friends Vanessa and Jeannot at Rye.  Spent a very interesting time at the Point Nepean Quarantine Centre and the old Fort Nepean.

Point Nepean from the fort.

The fort is riddled with tunnels going back to pre WW1.

Some big guns!

One of the big gun emplacements.

Must have taken a lot to break this... about 75mm thick steel!

Quarantine Station hospital.

This is where the luggage and other items were treated.

Vanessa, Jane and Jeannot.