Flowers in Ballarat

I heard a comment on radio last week that I really enjoyed. An Adelaide musician was being interviewed. He said that he didn't get any work in Adelaide, people obviously just didn't like him. Later he was asked how he would describe Adelaide. His answer: Adelaide is Ballarat with a car race. Having recently been to Ballarat I don't think he was wrong! These photos were taken in Ballarat. They are part of my photo a day contribution. Hopefully I will get more organised and take my camera with me each day so that it really will be a photo a day!

A little more driving

When we left Adelaide yesterday morning it was raining. Looks like we took that rain with us to Ballarat because when we woke up this morning it was raining. Ballarat is on level 4 water restrictions and is very dry, so we felt it entirely appropriate to get excited about the rain in an Adelaide way. The photo of the leaves on the wet bituman is a tribute to the rain in Ballarat.

Our first port of call this morning (Okay, after the breakfast stop and after the jumper buying stop - did I mention that it was cold and that a certain child didn't think I meant it when I told him to pack 2 jumpers? In fact he so didn't think that I meant it that he didn't even bring 1 jumper!) was the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are across the road from Lake Wendouree which is quite strangely an empty lake (with jetties and rowing club houses and fishing clubs lining it's edges). We didn't bring anywhere near enough rain to fill it unfortunately, so it's still strangely empty! Just after we entered I was very taken with this lion. He seems to be an incredibly happy lion, but looking at his face fills my head with the song "Never Smile At A Crocodile". He is obviously an anthropormophised lion because he seems to have the kind of teeth you get after having been to an orthodontist for some years, rather than the kind of teeth you need to tear flesh from bones!

Everyone was happy at the Botanical Gardens actually - despite the cold! We had a good look around and then we drove to Melbourne. Melbourne is big. (I guess you all know that!) And colourful. I think if I had to describe it in one word colourful would be the word I would use. Colourful freeway barriers, colourful buildings, just colourful! We are here for a couple of days so hopefully we will see some sights!

Driving, driving...

We drove and drove and drove today, and ended up here. Sort of. These photos were taken in Maccas (we needed a toilet!), but that was not our aim or destination. We drove all day to get to Ballarat. These photos are Ballarat as it was. What a lovely place it was! It is still somewhat like this (which obviously thrills someone from little old Adelaide where we shun development!) and Ballarat seems to have a focus on history. Of course, I have only been here for 2 hours so far, maybe that opinion will change! We hope to study Ballarat a little bit more closely tomorrow.