The Victorian Goldfields

Historic tram in Bendigo. When we went here, Anna and I looked at the shops, Andrew went on the tram and George and Grandad actually went down a goldmine....but this is the only picture we have!



George and Grandad having a chat at Sovereign Hill



Anna panning for gold at Sovereign Hill. There were actual bits of gold in there!



Eureka! I think we've found gold!



Main Street, Sovereign Hill



Anna learning about firing a musket at Sovereign Hill.



Gold smelting at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat. This was a really good place - an authentic replica of a Victorian Goldmining Town around 1850. We spent the day there learning about what life was like then, and about the Eureka Stockade, a very important part of Australian history.



I'm fairly certain that there is no better start to a day on holiday, than a cuddle in bed with your children



Anna really loves her granny



Dad enjoying a glass of wine while we bbq at the resort



She looks pretty good for 69 I reckon!



This cheeky kookaburra swooped down and stole some of George's meat from his plate while we were having a BBQ!



George exploring the bush



Anna and George seeing if they can push a boulder off the hill. It keeps them amused...



Mum and Dad and the children. I'm going to frame this one.



We went for a walk through an area of really old volcanic boulders which was near the resort. Andrew is stopping this one from falling on Anna's head. He is sooooo strong.



There were lots of kangaroos around our cabins at the bushland resort, and this one had a joey - you can see his head sticking out the pouch. Not very in focus I am afraid - the light was very low and I didn't have a tripod.



Daylesford Lake - we weren't sure how, but this lake was the only one we saw which seemed to be normal level. The autumn colours were lovely.

Hanging about the Northern Beaches - then the Blue Mountains!

Mum and Dad at the Flying Fox park at the end of our street



The proud granchildren



In the Blue Mountains the views are tremendous!



Aaaaggghhhh!!!



It's scary high up there!



Granny and Grandad enjoying the view on a walk from Wentworth Falls



View from walk between Echo Point and Scenic World



Katoomba Falls



The Three Sisters



George and Anna at Echo Point - it was chilly



On the Cable Car at Scenic World, Katoomba



Going backwards up the steepest incline railway in the world at Scenic World in Katoomba

Spending time with the parents

Mum and Dad are nearly at the end of their time here, and what a time we have had. Much to everyone's surprise, thus far, and with only 3 full days to go, there has not yet been any sort of family showdown. I put this down to my being super mature these days (after all - I am nearly 40!). All this despite the fact that it turns out that I don't use my washing machine and tumble dryer correctly (amongst other things I suspect). The reassuring thing about all this is that on a straw poll of other expat women I have asked, it turns out that most of them - in the view of their visiting mothers - have various shortcomings on the domestic front. All is well with the world then...

We have done so much while mum and dad have been here, that I think the best thing is to precis it here then to do some separate photo only (with captions when I can think of something witty and informative to write) entries relating to the various trips.

So - first things first. The first week we spent hanging around the northern beaches, showing mum where we had chosen to live - the beach, Pittwater, the village, the shops and the school. All met with enthusiasm - it's good to know that mum now knows where we are and also totally understands why we love it. They came and watched George play basketball - and he won man of the match! His play has improved enormously, and he is proving to be a valuable member of the team this year. Granny and Grandad also got to see Anna play a netball match, which Anna was very pleased about, as Grandad had not been able to see her play when he visited last year.

The Thursday after mum and dad arrived, we had a visit for a couple of nights from friend Steve and his son Owen, who were doing a bit of male bonding Down Under. Steve is one of our oldest friends from the New Forest, and we've known Owen since he was a toddler, so it was great to see them. Mum and Dad spent an evening with the children while we had a great chat at a local restaurant, and the next evening Andrew and I met up with them again at Circular Quay for supper. We were going to the Opera House to see Swan Lake (very good) so it was a quick one, but pleasurable all the same.

Then the next morning we were all up early to drive off to the Blue Mountains for the weekend. None of us had been there before, so it was good to discover it together, and we will certainly be returning. You will see from the photos that the scenery is spectacular, and the walks take you from one breathtaking panorama to another. It would take a life time to do all the walks, but we'll give it a go (if our hearts can take it - some of the inclines were cardiac arrest inducing!). It was cold there, but sunny - much crisper than in Sydney. It was nice to get away from the humidity.

The next week still being a school one, mum and dad did the city thing, whilst I tried to keep the home fires burning and get us ready for the next trip! They thoroughly enjoyed the guided tour round the Opera House, the Botanic Gardens (and the fruit bats) and Darling Harbour. Their especial favourite was the Queen Victoria Building, which I haven't been to since I was out here before - I really must get over there (if only because not only is it a beautiful Victorian building, but it also houses some of the best shopping opportunities in Australia.....not that I think dad noticed...).

Then Friday I was sneaking the kids out of school early and we flew off to Melbourne, for a week on the Victorian Goldfields. And what a lovely place this was. Once again, in the photos you will see how attractive the scenery was, and how much it differs from the terrain we are used to in Sydney. This is a very historic area, born of the Australian goldrush in the 1850s, and much of the architecture reflects its former affluence. Lots of Gothic Victorian buildings, beautiful Botanic Gardens, and, for the first time since we have been in Australia - some autumn colours. These come from imported deciduous trees, as all the natives are evergreens. The browns, reds and yellows, along with the chillier weather reminded us of England a little, if it weren't for the fact that it was so dry. It is much easier to have sympathy for the 10 year drought in Victoria, where they are still really suffering. Whereas in Sydney it has been raining - well forever this year - it is so dry in this area they are on Stage 5 drought measures (this is bad). The fields are all brown, not a patch of green, and river walks revealed dry river beds, and empty lakes. A walk to see a waterfall became a waste of time. While we were there, there was no rain, and everyday was clear and sunny. Let's hope it breaks for them soon.

At end of the week, Mum and Dad flew back to Sydney with the children, to take them on a trip to Jervis Bay. They get back tomorrow, and from the inordinate number of text messages I have received from them, they seem to have had an excellent time (inspite of a couple of messages from Anna informing me that 'Grandad is being mean', which I have ignored...). Whilst the children have been having fun by the sea, Andrew and I stayed on and did the city thing in Melbourne. Melbourne is an attractive city, but not blessed with the sort of natural wonders of Sydney. However, having said that, we had a very interesting time admiring the many very well preserved examples of Victorian architecture (they are much more keen on holding on to these buildings than we have been in the UK - but you have to remember that these number amongst some of the oldest buildings in the nation....), wandering about in the sun, and partaking of some of their fabulous restaurants. It struck me that Melbourne is a more mature city than Sydney - in that it is for more grown up people. Sydney is all about the beach, having fun, splashing about in the water, relaxing and enjoying life. Melbourne seems more serious - about culture, the theatre, restaurants and museums. Perhaps this is why I preferred Sydney....we did however, immensely enjoy the Immigration Museum, which was all about the various stories of different people and groups who have made Australia their home. Although it is rather odd to actually be an 'immigrant'. Not in a Daily Mail sense I hope....

So that's it. Mum and Dad and the children get back tomorrow. We will have another couple of days in the city and then it will be goodbye until we see them again in July. It's not actually that long is it? Then they are back here for 2 weeks in Feb. I think we are seeing them more than we did when we lived in the UK.

Is there anywhere further away than Australia? Only kidding.....

Reflecting on a year gone by (Part 2)

Mum and Dad arrived on the 31st March, and on the way to the airport it occurred to me that it was exactly a year since we had left the UK, and therefore exactly a year since I had seen my mum. This was the longest period not to have seen her since the first time I visited Australia in 87/88.

But what a difference 20 years makes. Whereas on my previous visit, contact was sporadic and snail mail (unless I collected together enough money to phone), this time around we have been almost constantly in communication. I knew within minutes when there had been an earthquake in the UK, receiving both a text from my sister in law and an email from Mum. Something of note happens to the family, and we get an instant text. My nephew has a good day at school, and we receive all the photos. And I have seen mum showing me her new clothes on the webcam, and darting down the landing wrapped in a towel straight from the shower. We have seen our nieces and nephews on the webcam, shared all our news with both sets of parents, and kept in contact with our friends. Australia seems to have moved closer to home since 1988.

What of this last year though?

I think for me, it has been about learning some lessons. The most irritating one has been that it is indeed better for us as a family if Andrew and I are not both on some enormous career trajectory all the time. The best one has been learning that it's ok to be me - along with all my flaws. It seems I am the only person who ever thought I needed to be perfect. I've learnt that my children are resilient and that challenges can help them grow as people. I've learnt that throwing all your security up in the air and waiting to see how it lands can be scary, but can also deliver great rewards if you are willing to take the risk. And I've learnt that after 18 years, having an adventure with your partner can bring back a closeness you feared you had lost.

Some people might think that it takes a strong person to emigrate. But we had already learnt that we were stronger than we had ever suspected.

If someone had said to me two years ago, that I'd be sitting in my rumpus room on the Northern Beaches, having not worked for a year and enjoying it - I'd have said they were mad. I had a five to ten year plan for world domination, which did not include lounging about on the eastern coast of Australia. So my final lesson would be that John Lennon truly was a wise man when he said 'life is what happens when you are busy making plans'.....