Back to Chapter Twenty Three- Eileen sees Snow

Chapter Twenty Four The Melbourne Cup

On to Chapter Twenty Five - Coming Soon

The race that stops a nation. Every first Tuesday in November most Australians position themselves in front of a TV or radio for the running of a horse race. Millions of dollars change hands in betting on just this one race. This year I contributed. I don't normally gamble. In 1994 (see Chapter Nine) while in Las Vegas for 2 days, I didn't even put a nickel or a dime in a slot machine. In 2005 when I took Eileen to the USA for her XXXX birthday we stayed in Las Vegas for 5 days. I think I put about $20 in the blackjack slot machines. At least they gave me something to think about.

This year (2009) I was there, at the track. Posh seats too. I even placed a bet all by myself. I didn't need to worry about how to claim my winnings later. I would have joined a sweep, but I couldn't see anyone running one.

We were actually in Victoria for all of cup week. There are other races all week that are important to the horsey people, but we only went to the biggie. We had booked our flights in July thank goodness, as more than 102,000 people attended on the Tuesday, and not all of them came from Melbourne. The aeroplane and airport was very crowded.

"We" was Eileen and I, with my cousin Lynn and husband Greg. We stayed at Puckapunyal with their daughter Kirsty, son-in-law Tony, and grand-son Christopher. We flew in about Saturday lunch time and veged out for the rest of the day.

There is an Australian song that includes the words, "Things are crook in Tallarook". I didn't think there was really any such place. There is. We went to the local market there on the Sunday. This is wine and olive growing country so there was lots of wine tasting and olive oil dipping. I also tried venison sausages. It is also rose growing country and someone's front yard had a beautiful garden almost full of them.

Many years ago Eileen and I had visited Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, which is a recreated goldfields township set over 25 hectares on a site which forms part of the richest alluvial goldfields the world has ever seen. They offer a wide range of activities carried out by costumed staff and volunteers, many of whom portray some of the behaviours and prejudices of the 1850s! On this Monday we all went to visit Ballarat's sister city of Bendigo.

The main attractions in Bendigo are the Central Deborah Gold Mine, the Talking Tram, the Chinese Joss House and the Golden Dragon Museum, Bendigo Pottery, and the Discovery Science & Technology Centre.

I was the only one who wanted to go down the mine. We only went down 61metres, or two levels, but it was worth it to experience the conditions the miners worked in, and the progression of machinery and tool quality through the years. Above ground there were several buildings displaying more of the machinery and equipment that was part of the mine's history, including an amazing 100 year old working model of the above-ground machinery that was constructed by a boy who was only sixteen years old at the time.

The others had gone on the Talking Tram that meanders through the streets of Bendigo. It's a trick. The tram doesn't really talk. It's a recording played through speakers that tells of the cities history and the many beautiful old buildings. I know because we all used it to travel to the Golden Dragon Museum. Born from the long association of the people of the region, the Bendigo Chinese Association is proud to present a history of the Chinese people from the 1850s to present day. I can spend hours in museums like this. Central to the permanent display is Sun Loong, the longest imperial dragon in the world at over 100 metres.

Tuesday, Melbourne Cup day. We drove to the railway station and caught a train to Flemington Race Track. The weather forecast was for a cool day with occasional showers. Thankfully it was just cool enough to not be uncomfortable with a jacket on, and it didn't rain. We had paid for seats in front of the Hill Stand almost in line with the Winning Post, but we only used them for the main race. The rest of the day we sat around a table in The Banks, drinking sparkling wine and admiring the fashions. What were some of these women thinking? Between races one of us would take $10 from our pool and place a bet on something in the next race. The day's result……Zilch! Lynn did back the cup winner though, whatever its name was. My picks, Alcypop and Pansy or Dahlia or something are still running.

On the 8th February 2009, the town of Marysville in Victoria's Yarra Valley lost all but a few buildings to bushfires. More than 413,000 hectares of Victoria was ravaged. The Kinglake area was also badly hit. 180 people died that day. People boiled sheltering in metal rainwater tanks. Buildings exploded, and the ground in places became so hot that nothing will ever grow there again.

We went for a drive to witness the rebirth and to spend our lunch money at one of the few buildings to survive in Marysville. The resilience of the human spirit was everywhere with people rebuilding their homes and their lives. New life was evident with regrowth sprouting from the tree trunks on huge areas of burnt forest. I am a bit circumspect about the rebuilding of houses in such a bushfire prone area. This will happen again. So-called environmental protection people are still decreeing that no clearing should be done around property. You have to have minimal or controlled burning. Nature does it. The aboriginals did it. Fires are necessary to eliminate the natural rubbish both growing and fallen that accumulates at ground level. The fires crack open pods that allow germination. The regrowth ensures the continuity of the quality species. Clearing around property also helps ensure the continuity of houses and their occupants.

Victoria is not very big, only about 230,000 square kilometers, and we were only cruising around the Yarra Valley, so after lunch we were almost home again. Australia's most infamous bushranger was Ned Kelly who robbed and pillaged a fair section of country in NE Victoria. The town name of Euroa featured in my memory, and as it was not too far away we decided to take a detour for a visit.

Apparently he only came once to rob the bank, so there is not a lot of history about Ned in Euroa, but there are some historic buildings to look at, and a quaint elderly gentleman in a quaint little second hand book shop to talk with. There were first edition Yeats and Yates, Shakespeare, and Encyclopedia Britannica manuscripts. Well not really, but if it's old and it's printed, it's probably there.

On Thursday we decided to explore the local town of Seymour. The local website says, "Surrounding Seymour is the Scenic Heritage Listed Trawool Valley, the spectacular Nagambie Lakes, the stunningly rugged Strathbogie Ranges and the State Forests of the Tallarook Ranges. This sets the scene for a wide variety of activities and attractions including wineries, rail & military memorabilia, art & antiques, boutique cafes & shops, historical buildings & scenic heritage parks. Nature and adventure enthusiasts can enjoy bushwalking, fishing, boating, camping and much more."

Well that's about it. The Safeway supermarket had everything we wanted. The Railway Club Hotel served us an excellent counter lunch. The girls stayed to do whatever girls do in shops, and the boys went home to put their feet up and watch TV.

Friday was Queen Victoria Market day. It is open every day except Mondays and Wednesdays, and Friday was our day. The market is in Melbourne city and is huge. We caught the train again to Southern Cross Station and then the free No35 red tourist tram to do the city circle before getting off to walk to the market.

Because this is basically a permanent shopping centre it is all undercover. Along Victoria Street and Elizabeth Street are shop shops, and the rest are stall shops in designated 'sheds'. Everything surrounded by Queen, Therry, and Elizabeth Streets is pretty much food court, delicatessens, meat, fish, fruit and vege. The deli range is what impressed us the most. The salamis, the cheeses, the olives, the coffees. Wow! The main pavilion is divided up into 'sheds'. Sheds A & B were also fresh produce, while sheds C to L were for everything and anything else. There were leather goods, wooden toys, miniature toys, model helicopters, clothes, shoes, mobile phone accessories, Australiana souvenirs, a Feng Shui master, billiards and darts supplies, and much, much more.

I did eventually get bored and went for a short walk into the city where I found some more interesting shops like a bookstore that specializes in fantasy and science fiction novels, and a magic supplies shop, and a party supplies shop.

Only one day left now before flying home.

"Let's go to a market."

Off to Nagambie we went. This market was similar to Tallarook market and most other country town markets. While walking near the lake I noticed a plaque on a stand in the middle of a paved area. On looking at the plaque I discovered an amazing story. The site had previously been the location of a small church for about 100 years. One day, a semi trailer had failed to take the bend in the road and found the other way of stopping. Hit something hard. It hit the brick church. But it didn't stop straight away. The prime mover and part of the trailer came out through the brick wall on the opposite side to its entry. The rear of the trailer was still sticking out of the entry side. God must have loved his parishioners as there was nobody inside at the time, but the locals are still not sure about rebuilding the church.

On the drive back we stopped at the Tahbilk Winery. I don't mind a glass or two of white, and Eileen likes a good red, but despite being one of the first wineries in Australia, and boasting the oldest Shiraz vines in the world, we had never heard of Tahbilk wines. After sharing a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc during an exquisite but very affordable lunch on the deck overlooking the Goulburn River Wetlands, we joined their wine club and ordered two cartons to be delivered to Queensland. The girls then did the official wine tasting bit and ordered two cartons of red as well. This is something we very rarely do as the best value wines are usually at the bulk liquor stores. But these two wines were delicious, the price was more than acceptable, and freight free to Queensland. I also did the tour of the cellars and buildings, some of which date back to the 1860s.

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