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Oh yeah, actually we did go to a mine. But not down one. We just hung out on the surface, which is a pretty good museum piece on its own. There are original buildings and gear that was essential to the mine's operation, including various pieces of equipment and machinery from the other Deborah mines (aha! You didn't know there were others, did you!?!? Me neither. I should get out more).  Poppet Head
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Suitably tattooed and bandaged against dirt and infection (honestly, you'd think we were going down a mine or something ), we wandered off to the lovely Yi Yuan Gardens for a quick dose of culture.  It's a serene little place made up of Chinese architecture, sculpture, colourful murals and a lotus/fish pond based on some gardens in the Beijing Imperial Palace. You might think "that's very nice but what's it got to do with tattoos and/or Bendigo". And the answer is: tattoos? Nothing. Bendigo? Lots. Bendigo has had a large Chinese population going back as far as the 1850's when lots of Chinese came to Australia to try their luck on the gold fields. Many came to central Victoria and have stayed through the generations, contributing to the city, country and way of life. Gosh, this being busy thing is becoming a habit isn’t it? A month since my last post?? It’s almost like I HAVE been able to shut up! That’s rarer than an Australian Prime Minister putting in a full term so make the most of it – it probably won’t last. Actually, it definitely won’t last because I’m here now.  This is not a bank I thought it was about time I stopped lurking about on Twitter and actually used my brain for a bit, so here it is. A blog post containing some pictures featuring impossibly blue skies that may or may not cheer you up if your Seasonal Pissed Off Disorder (SPOD) is in full swing, and some fantastic artworks that have brought a different aspect of life to rural Victoria. I had to do actual research about these works, so you better start appreciating. I don't do this for the good of my health you know! Right...so....six grain silo sites in the Mallee/Wimmera region of Victoria now have massive portraits painted on them, and it’s a thing and the thing is called the Silo Art Trail and if you can, you should go look at them because they’re really super.  Barengi Gadjin community members at Sheep Hills by Matt Adnate Wanna learn something about history and be the envy of your friends at your next pool party? Get a cuppa then. Lake Mungo is a lake bed that dried up about 15,000 years ago. Aboriginal people inhabited this area at least 50,000 years ago and it’s where Mungo Lady and Mungo Man were discovered (in 1968 and 1974 respectively). It's one of the oldest places outside of Africa to have been occupied by human beings, and Aboriginal people believe that before the Dreaming, there was a ‘land before time’ that was flat and lifeless. A bit like this:  Flat, yes but with some signs of life. View from Mungo Lookout (maybe that tree's photoshopped in) It’s in New South Wales, about an hour and a bit’s drive north of Mildura if you don’t use Google Maps. Imagine my surprise when Google wanted to take me on a 4 hour drive to get there from Mildura. I mean, I know there’s dirt roads and you have to be somewhat careful, but suggesting I go 50km out of my way or that I drive at 20kph? WTF Google??
Let’s cast our collective minds back a few months when the weather was decidedly warmer and butterflies still flapped about like idiots. When the sun wasn’t just for show and actually had some warmth in it. You remember....back when it was a burny bastard and its purpose was to cook us the minute we nipped out for milk? Well, before the temperature plummeted to somewhere between Artic and Baltic, Flashie and I went off to Lake Tyrrell in Northern Victoria for a bit of a look, and we ended up at Lake Mungo. Yes alright, I’ll tell you how that happened...  Sand dunes at Lake Mungo (not even in the same state as Lake Tyrrell) And now for something completely different: some old looking photos that aren't really old at all but are the product of a misguided afternoon spent messing about with software in pursuit of creativity.  Malmsbury Viaduct over Coliban River circa 2018 I'm playing with a few things lately: my camera remote which had been acting up and which Him On The Couch fixed because he is really quite clever; some camera filters that I purchased a filter bag for, making them easy to access but not scratch); the Nik Collection software and its fancy pants Analog Efex Pro editing presets; and this website and its new ability to resize singular pictures like that one up there, and this one down here:  Malmsbury Viaduct over Coliban River (which at this point is a foot wide trickle of water that you can't even see in this photo). I was going to call this post “How to cram loads in, in one day” and then tell you to:
 Ararat's Old Gaol and Lunatic Asylum After finishing uni early for the day, I took myself off for a little jaunt around Port Melbourne for some fresh air and exercise, followed by potato cakes for lunch. (I walked a lot, I deserved a potato cake, shut up!)  Not much pulling up to this pier... The Celebrity Solstice was in dock at Station Pier, having a day's rest before heading out to the Pacific Ocean. The newly revamped Princes Pier, originally built around 1915 to supplement the goings on at Station Pier, was accessible again after its recent facelift. There's about 200 metres of new pier before you get to the bare pylons of the old pier. Hopefully nobody burns the new bit down.
The good thing about hiring a driver in India is that they're very happy to essentially be at your beck and call for a pre-determined time. So if you want to spend half an hour inside a cathedral or 10 minutes looking at that interesting thing over there - they just happily wait. Of course, you pay for this privilege but to an Aussie, it's a nominal fee. We spent half a day in different locations around Old Goa before returning to our digs, in what was about a 60km trip, and I think it worked out to be about A$20.  Well, this is a bit of a mess isn't it? This is the Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina, (aka Se Cathedral) in Old Goa. It’s about 500 years old, the largest church in India and dedicated to Saint Catherine. It’s only fitting then, that I should go there for a sticky beak.  Maybe someone will leave it to me in their Will. Winter in Hampi: 36c, blue skies and sunshine and more sunscreen than you’ve ever seen in your life. We pre-arranged a touring day with Raj from a local tour company, and met up with him shortly after watching the morning elephant washing ritual on the banks of Tungabhadra River. Raj had organised wheels for us (3 motorcycles and a tuk-tuk) to move about between monuments and we managed to cover quite a bit of the Vijayanagaran empire area.  Elephant Stables - big doorways for elephants (and fat heads) The Hampi shrines and memorials contained in the UNESCO world heritage site are a sub group of the broader Vijayanagara ruins. Most of these were built between 1336 and 1570. The notable exception is the Virupaksha Temple which is a 7th century Hindu temple. The area contains various examples of civil, military and religious architecture and includes the Sacred Centre, the Royal Citadel, Hemakuta Hill Temple Complex and Zenana Enclosure.
It bucketed with rain. Let me repeat that ... it BUCKETED with rain!! Okay, I know it’s April and it’s autumn and there might be rain because it’s that kind of season, but seriously - this was a stupid amount of rain!  Poppies (first things to grow in the battle fields of Europe at the end of WW1) ANZAC Day is just around the corner.  Lest We Forget mural in the Entry Courtyard at The Shrine This year we have to photograph an assignment on the day - we can choose dawn services, ANZAC parades, breakfasts, lunches.... even the football (which I personally don’t see as having ANYTHING to do with ANZACs and is just an excuse to get more people to go to the football, but I digress...) so I’m planning to go to the dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, and the main parade in the city. Lots of documentary work; must remember to get names of people; must wear warm clothes, must not sleep in!
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