Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne

 The Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne is a lovely place to take walk and enjoy a beautiful area of native bushland, the heathy woodland and wetland that cover a large area of the 363 hectare site that is also home to the Australia Gardens. Walking tracks weave there way through this woodland and wetland and picnic areas where you can find an amazing range of animal and plant life so take a camera.

 

 

Close Up Photo's

I have been experimenting with some close up photography, still not sure if I'm achieving the effect that I'm after but it is early days. Flowers have been my focus so far as this time  of the year there is so many varieties to choose from.

Wonthaggi State Coal Mine

Mine Sharft

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A visit back home to Wonthaggi recently saw us call into the state coal mine to have a look as there is a family connection to the Wonthaggi coal mines. My husband has childhood memories of time spent at the mines with his father, as well as his father, three uncles and his grandfather also worked in the mines. We took a lot of photo's of the mine memorabilia, it seemed to me to be such a shame to see relics from the mine era rusting and decaying away.

Winch Cable

Coupling Pin

Decay

Timber skip

Tuberous begonias

Tuberous begonias (Begonia Tuberhybrida Hybrids) are among the most spectacular of all begonias but they are also said the most difficult to grow. There is  huge range of colours available including white, cream, pink, red, scarlet, crimson and some bicoloured flowers also. We have enjoyed the challenge of growing theses beautiful flowers and have been rewarded with some stunning blooms this year.

 

 

Relic's from the Coal Mine Kirrak

 

Another visit to Wonthaggi area today, a chance to catch up with family and visit places we have not been in years. A visit to what's left of the Kirrak coal mine was disappointing as the grass was so high we had no hope of taking a closer look at the ruins. The man of the house has many fond memories of time spent at Kirrak with his father who's job it was to care for the pit ponies.

 

 

Outhouse

I just had to take a photo of this icon from the past, no longer in vogue these days and I would say that most have long forgotten them. But seeing this outhouse recently bought memories flooding back, of cold and wet winters nights and the late night visit to the dark, cold and drafty, spider infested outhouse by touch light. Those were the days when you didn't spend too much time to sit and ponder.....

Heritage Style Toilet

Australia Garden Visit

 

 Yes once again we visited the Australia Gardens Cranbourne, this time we took Miss Milly with us to try out her new camera that we bought her for Christmas. As always Milly enjoyed her time taking photos, and as it happened we found little Jacky lizards playing on the rocks in the sun and managed to get a photo or two. After lots of photo taking and a play in the water feature we headed for home on the way back to the car Miss Milly discovered some bandicootes foraging for food. They were undisturbed by our presents and we were able to get some photos, being very careful not to get to close and spook them. Finding the Bandicootes was the highlight of Milly's visit to the gardens, I just love to see young children so excited by nature.

 

Relic's from the Coal Mines Wonthaggi

Over the past twenty years we have been taking photo's of the decline of a Rare Industrial Relic from the coal mines in Wonthaggi, No. Five Brace. This structure has been left to the ravages of the elements and time. Ever so slowly decaying away, no longer the life blood of a town and the many families that work in the mines. 

The Wonthaggi State Coal Mine is said to be of historical and scientific importance to the State of Victoria, so why then is the area around No. Five Brace, the Old Rescue Station, McBride Tunnel in such poor condition. This area is now in the hands of Parks Victoria and on our recent visit to this site it was so over grown we could not get any where near the Rescue Station, McBride Tunnel is also so over grown, paths are no more than mowed tracks very difficult to walk on. This is a very poor reflection of a site  in the hands of Parks Victoria it is so neglected, shame, shame, shame.