The Puffing Billy is a heritage railway in the Dandenong Ranges. Running 15.6 miles, the railway line opened in 1900 to serve the local farming and timber community. It stopped running in 1953 after a landslide blocked a portion of the line and closed formally in 1954. Â A group of people saw something special in … Read more
Thank goodness Collingwood beat Richmond Saturday night because it would not have been as good a first AFLÂ game for me otherwise. In Miami, going to a sporting event can be a real headache. The latest news in Miami’s sports scene is around the new baseball park, a “gauche waste of public funds and taxpayer money” … Read more
The William Ricketts Sanctuary is one of the most beautiful and serene places I’ve visited. Located in a ferny glade in the Dandenongs, the William Ricketts Sanctuary features amazing and haunting clay sculptures of Aboriginal people nestled among the trees. Although not an Aboriginal person himself, William Ricketts (1898-1993) spent time among the Pitjantjatjara and Arrernte Aboriginal … Read more
With a population of just over 3,000, Daylesford might sound like a sleepy and conservative, but this little town is as a centre for “alternative lifestyles”. Daylesford is a spa town. Aside from spa treatments, you can find reiki, aromatheraphy, reflexology, and other forms of alternative and spiritual healing. It has a thriving LGBTIQ community and a Pagan one as … Read more
The first thing a first-time visitor to Melbourne should do is go to the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower and get a bird’s eye view of the city from the Eureka Skydeck. The Eureka Tower is a 297.3-metre (975 ft) skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne. The observation deck, the Eureka Skydeck, occupies the entire … Read more
Last week, we visited the Old Melbourne Gaol, a museum and former prison. For my American readers, gaol is a British variant spelling of jail. They’re pronounced the same. The building of the Old Melbourne Gaol began in 1841 and expanded following the discovery of gold in Victory, which led to rapid growth in population … Read more
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We aim to provide an inclusive service.