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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Some more Victorian towns...

Thank you for comments that some of you have left saying how you are enjoying 'travelling' with me. I have also learned so much about other states and countries from reading blogs too. Long may it continue! lol

On our way to Ballarat, DH and I also stopped at another old gold mining town of Maldon.
This is a smaller town than Castlemaine, but still full of history. Like a lot of the towns in this part of Victoria, there are a lot of galleries and arts and crafts’ people’s shops.  We again strolled around the streets and we again noticed how the gutters were ditch-like, quite wide, and lined with cut stone or bricks. Every now and then there were little wooden ‘bridges’ over the gutters to access the footpaths.
A row of shops across from where we parked the car

The old gutters

DH and I walked up to the Beehive Mine. There was one old mine shaft near the pathway, which was fenced off. We peered through the wire and undergrowth and the shaft certainly looked deep to us! Most of the infra-structure of the old mine was long gone, not even a poppet head left but there was a giant chimney stack which was all that was left of the ‘battery’.

An old mine shaft at Beehve Mine

The chimney stack

Now it’s not often these days that you see a post box like this, but this one was in the main street of Maldon.




When we were back in the car and setting off again, I asked DH to slow down so I could check out this bright red display of flowers in a side street. When we got close I realised the display came from a mass of geraniums! They were magnificent.



While we were in Maldon, we also headed to the old Railway Station. This line is no longer open but there is an historical railway excursion which travels between Castlemaine and Maldon a few times a week but alas not on a Friday. So DH and I walked around the station taking photos. The station is beautifully restored, as are some carriages and some engines.



From Maldon, we headed towards Ballarat with a lunch stop at another charming town, Creswick.

The view from the cafe in Creswick

4 comments:

Dorothy said...

Very interesting town. I'll look forward to hearing all about Ballarat as that is where my mother was born and spent the first few years of her life. I have ancestors who lived at Ballarat way back to the late 1800s.

Tiff said...

What an amazing place, enjoy the journey. Love the pics! X

chrisartist said...

Thanks for visiting my blog Maria.
I hope your girls change their minds on the fine china!!
Your trip looks great. Have a safe time.
Chris

Susan said...

Your photos are charming Maria. A real celebration of Victoria's beaut towns.