Opening Day Stage 2 Australian Garden

I went to the opening of stage two at the Australian Garden this morning, there were not the crowds that attended the opening of stage one. So I was able to get some nice photos without to many people in them. I think they are on a winner with this new section it looks great, you will need a good couple of hours to wonder around and have a good look.I can see this being very popular with families.

J Ward Ararat

J Ward opened as a goldfields prison 1859, then in the mid 1880's the site was  acquired by the Lunacy Department to house those men who were deemed criminally insane until it closed in 1991.  The building now houses a museum within the original prison building and is dedicated to recording and preserving the history of the criminals who were imprisoned there. We were not able to join one of the guided tours on our visit to Ararat but it is on the top of the list for our next visit.

Grampians Mountains

Victoria's beautiful Grampians what a great place to visit boasting rugged mountain peaks, sand stone rock formations, deep gorges, ancient rock art. I enjoyed the spectacular views of this magnificent landscape. Boroka lookout offers some of the best panoramic views of the Grampians National Park, including Halls Gap, Lake Bellfield. We will visit again one day is not nearly long enough to explore this beautiful region.

Aradale Ararat Lunatic Asylum

 Aradale after dark

On a recent trip to Ararat we decided to do one of the after dark Ghost Tours at the old Aradale Lunatic Asylum, our tour was to start at 10.30 pm but unforeseen fainting of persons on the tour prior to ours led to a delay and our tour departed at around 11.10.

The tour was very informative and our guide Matron Hill very knowledgeable  covering some of the most controversial psychiatric treatments of the 1860's, such as Lobotomy operation and also ECT /electro convulsive therapy. One can hardly start to imagine some of the other things that went on in places like Aradale in the early 1800 and 1900 hundreds, when people could be admitted to these places with depression, epileptics, downs syndrome, being labeled as idiots, imbeciles, insane. It would appear that it was very easy to find yourself admitted to these places but for as many as 13000 patients death was the only way they left Aradale. We will return at some point in daylight hours to takes some photos of this remarkable old building and the grounds. This old building represents a very sad part out the states psychiatric history.

Treatment room shadow top right taken 11.55.58sec

 Treatment room shadow top right taken 1156.08sec
 

 Female ward

Cellar

Tour guide

Ward kitchen

 Shadow top right taken 12.45.18sec

No shadow top right taken 12.45.30sec

 Male ward orbs

Male ward shadow on right 

 Female ward

Female ward

Canola the golden crop

Canola the golden crops begin to bloom in Northern/Central Victoria, some fields were in full bloom with there striking yellow flowers visible from miles away. While others were still some weeks away from reaching there full potential for this season. The vivid yellow flowers of the canola crop in Spring make it the most distinctive of Victoria's winter crops.

 Canola fields near Violet Town