St Arnaud - Bendigo

The drive from Horsham to Bendigo travels due east along the Wimmera Highway.  The region immediately north of the highway is in drought and we skim past areas that show signs of distress.  Almost all the creeks, dams or levees were bone dry. The farmers were cutting hay to feed the sad looking stock, mostly sheep.  They were being watered from troughs.  The shorn sheep looked white and thin. The unshorn ones looked a shaggy grey-brown and blended into the desolate landscape.

We stopped at a town called St Arnaud. I had never heard of it and the map gave no indication that it was anything more than a whistle-stop.  Turns out, St Arnaud is a brave little town bustling with Christmas shoppers, Lions club raffle ticket sellers and a good dose of municipal pride. We had a choice of bakeries and in one, I was offered the biggest takeaway coffee I have ever seen outside of a Starbucks. I obliged of course.

As expected, the buildings were stoic yet stylish. All these little places have impressive war memorials, especially for WW1 and even the Boer War and I marvelled somewhat sadly how many young men and women sacrificed themselves from these regions. The list of names was long – far too long. The WW2 monuments are generally less extravagant.  One theory I have is purely economic  - post WW2 it took a lot longer for communities to prosper again. The other theory is that the one generation could no longer convince themselves that war was a noble affair anymore.  

 Just next to the monuments stood a Christmas tree.  I have struggled to get into the Christmas spirit this year. We shall be in Bright on Christmas day and I do have some presents for the children. Beyond that, the plans for the day are non-existent.  I have promised to make a bit of a fuss when we get back to Sydney.

We arrived in Bendigo early afternoon and had done our research, deciding to stay at a caravan park on the northside of town. It was lovely. Quiet, clean with beautiful grass sites and a terrific recreation room. We explored the city and climbed the Poppet head lookout.  (A note for my rebellious sister Lynn, the yarn bombers had visited the lookout and it seems their work was valued) We also visited the Sacred Heart Cathedral  set high on the hill overlooking the city and walked through  Rosalind Gardens. 

I must add one snippet here regarding my new found interest in botany. Well, pine trees really.  We have seen a lot of different species and I am trying to cultivate a better knowledge of this genus represented in our fine country. The rest of the family do not share my enthusiasm and I have been called a "nerd" or "pine freak". Most unfair. I was overjoyed when we came across a very mature pinus pinea in the Bendigo Botanical Gardens. This tree gives us the marvellous pine nuts that we value for pesto. I insisted on a photograph despite the mocking cries from my kin. I hope you all enjoy it. 

Bendigo has a lot to offer the visitor and has a fascinating history. On our second day we enjoyed the terrific weather and took a stroll around lake Weeroona. Not anywhere near as big as Ballarats lake but very pretty and full of wildlife including these two monkeys. 

I guess we are starting to be a bit travel weary as we were not particularly motivated to do much sightseeing. The kids just wanted to swim and play pool (that’s the latest boy vs girl challenge) and I just wanted to put my feet up and read. It’s an interesting dilemma – we are supposed to be discovering our country, but honestly sometimes you need to take a break.  Sorry Bendigo, it’s a great place, but as Rod says “I do not think we did it justice”. 

On the subject of reading… I have finished the second book in the Divergent series. Don’t bother people. The first one was a pleasant enough distraction, but the second instalment proved rather painful. I now must decide if I push on through the third book or abandon hope and read one of Rod’s Clive Cussler offerings.   Maybe Santa will come to the rescue.

A high point for the children was seeing a Bendigo street full of houses effervescent with Christmas lights. It helped us to get into the spirit but alas, we missed the Bendigo carols. We have been trying to be in a town for a carol service/carols by candlelight gig for the past couple of weeks but always seem to be a day too late or early.  Apparently Dennis Walters was hosting the Halls Gap Carols last night. What a shame we missed them.

After spending two nights in Bendigo, we packed up the van and drove a few kms down the  A300 to the local Anglican Church. It was full of old ladies and a very personable, charming Rector. He was in his element with the old dears. It was a traditional service that had me jumping from the prayer book to the hymnal and back again. Rod, being an Anglican by birth, navigated the service with aplomb and smiled his way around all the old ladies.  After a lovely cup of tea and some Christmas cake, we pointed the car in the direction of Shepperton and the Goulborn Valley.

On to more adventures!