No Trains Buangor Victoria

The trains don't stop here any more!!

The Buangor railway station now sadly sits in a state of dis-repair, with it's broken windows, the peeling paint, missing wall boards, the guttering that is falling off.... The rail line first came through around 1875 but I'm not sure if the station building is of that circa..

Rainbow Lorikeets

These two love birds were checking out some new homes with a view to be coming trendy new age inner city dwellers.. We were parked directly under the tree they were inspecting and didn't they let me know I was invading their privacy.. It was quite a surprise to see this type of bird looking for somewhere to nest almost in the heart of the city of Melbourne... 

Melbourne's first Night Noodle Market

Melbourne's first Night Noodle Market being held in the Alexandra Gardens November 18-30 it's open weekdays from 5pm and weekends from 4pm admission is free.

We decided to go in Saturday night 23.11.2013 and have a look, we left home at 5pm and although busy around inner Melbourne we found a car park easily and caught a tram to  Alexandra Gardens. 

Well if the crowds were anything to go by the first night market will be a great success with food from countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, China, India, Philippines. However we found that the queues for the more better know eateries were very long stretching from one side of the area to the other, so the wait would have been an hour or longer to be served. We opted for Aangan Indian stall because the queue was a lot smaller, but I have to say the the food was excellent and we felt it was good value for money. Overall we enjoyed the experience..

 

Country Mailbox

We saw this mailbox while driving around the countryside this weekend, it looked as I thought a country mailbox should. What do you think....

Cymbidium Orchid

My first cymbidium orchid of the season 2013, which is blooming very early compared to all of my other orchids!! Thank you for this one aunty Shirley, I will always remember you..

Recycle Charm

A recent visit to  a garden of a friend, bought to mind a old saying, one man's trash is another man's treasure. I did love my visit to this garden it just had so much charm, every where you looked there was something tucked away, nothing seemed to be waisted, even an old pair of boots were used as a planter pot...

Correa Candy Pink

I love the look of this beautiful Correa, I should call it coconut ice with it's pink and white colour. It has several different names depending where you buy it from, Candy Pink, Mallee Pink, Pink Pixie . I don't care what they call it I love it anyway..

For more information on Correa plants and great photo's, try this great web site    Just Correas

Correa Reflexa Green and Cream

Correa Reflexa Green and Cream, this correa comes from Tasmania, it flowers from autumn through to winter. It is a lovely shrub growing a 1m, with shiny foliage and cream coloured flowers that honeyeaters just love.

For more information on Correa plants and great photo's, try this great web site    Just Correas

Bulbs

Bulbs make great potted colour in winter to brighten up any garden, growing in these pots are mini daffodils, tulips and hyacinth. 

 

Correa

Correa reflexa is sometimes referred to as the Native Fuchsia.

This lovely little plant is one that self seeded in our back garden some time ago and was potted into a 6 inch pot until big enough to be transplanted back into the garden. It has a small slow growing growth habit, but was well worth the wait to see it flower.

For more information on Correa plants and great photo's,  try this great web site    Just Correas

Solenostemon scutellarioides

Solenostemon scutellarioides "Coleus Multi Coloured"  Is a winner in my garden with its large colourful leaves in various shapes and sizes. A tropical tender perennial that is grown as a popular foliage plant with an almost infinite number of leaf color combinations including most colors of the spectrum apart from a true blue. Coleus has no serious insect or disease problem, but watch for insects such as aphids, spider mites and whiteflies. I grown mine in pots but will do well in most containers, window boxes, hanging baskets and as edging plant. A proven winner for me....

Silverband Falls - Dairy Creek

Silverband Falls pre-floods

Many years ago while on a visit to the Grampians we visited the  popular and beautiful Silverband Fall on Dairy Creek. This unusual waterfall where  the water falls over the moss covered cliff face to disappear into the rocks at the base of the falls, only to re-emerged further downstream in the fern clad gully. Sadly on a return visit recently the falls and the little creek with tranquil fern-lined gully were no more. Nature builds beautiful areas like this one and nature can also destroys them.

 

 Sign showing Dairy Creek pre-flood

The picture on this sign at the creek crossing gives the visitor an idea of how beautiful the area along Dairy Creek with its lovely lush tree fern clad gully and meandering little creek once were. In January 2011 a very significant storm and flood event swept through this area and many other parts of the Grampians National Park causing catastrophic and wide spread damage.

Nature's fury sending a raging torrent of floodwater's, landslips and derbies such as giant boulder, rocks, towering eucalypts trees from the cliffs above destroying everything in its path and reshaping the little creek forever stripping it of all vegetation.

Silverband Falls walking track bridge washed metres down the creek bed

So much  derbies litter the once tranquil creek-bed

Trees uprooted and washed away

looking at walking track bridge from creek crossing

Will this area return to it's former state I think not, not in my lifetime, the demographic's of the landscape have changed, the little eco system evolved over hundreds in not thousands of years. What helped to create this once beautiful area has been totally washed away.

Debris can been seen for many metres down stream, the extensive erosion of the creek edges by the floodwater very evident in some photos. 

Flinders Pier

We recently visited the pier at Flinders, the large wooden pier is said to be a safe location for a day's fishing. Where a good variety of species can be caught, especially calamari and whiting. Flinders Pier is also one of the most popular shore dives in the state.There seems a lot to see and do around Flinders the scenery is beautiful and there many opportunities to snap a photo or two.

under the pier

J Ward Ararat Guided Tour

J Ward front view

We called into Ararat on our way home from a trip touring around the area in the hope we could  join a guided tour of J Ward. J Ward housed some of Victoria's most dangerous men, those men who were deemed "criminally insane". The building originally opened as a goldfield prison in 1859, during this time three men were hung here and their bodies buried in the grounds in unmarked graves. 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. Our tour guide on the day was Wally and he was a wealth of information about J Ward and the inpatients housed there, would recommend this tour as a must do.

 Front gate

Single staff quarters

 West wing

 Married couples quarters

 Ship picture painted by a prisoner still visible today

 Straight jacket

 Exercise yard inmates spent 12 hours a day here

Guard tower

Inmates carving in bluestone brick many hours with nothing else to do

 Building facade

 Entry to guard tower was from a stairwell outside the facility

 Underground kitchen facade

 Bread was baked on site in an old wood fire oven

Cell

 Stairs to second level

Cell block