Next stop after Melbourne was Ballarat, known as a city and something of a regional hub in this part of Victoria but, honestly now, just a lovely rural town. My main purpose there was visiting friends Sarah and Andy who had moved into their new house just that day. It was good to have a bit of real life after the hostels , unpacking boxes and making breakfast for the workers. Friends were on hand to help – Sue and Brendan had us all round for take away the first night, and on day two Sarah and Andy’s vicar from where they used to live turned up with more stuff from their old house. She was great –came with us on a visit to the wildlife park (complete with Koalas and Kangas) and told tall tails about fishing in a place where the crocs compete for your catch. Two things about Gail:
1. When she told me she was ‘a keen fisherman’ I imagined for a moment she was after my soul rather than the crocs’ dinner.
2. She had a very sweet tooth and I missed my opportunity to offer her ‘one lump or two vicar’.
Highlights of Ballarat, other than friends were:
· Rural rides out to sweet small towns and a local spring with tasty water
· Feeding wallabies and kangaroos
· Seeing a koala move. They don’t much on account of having such a poor diet on eucalyptus leaves that they don’t have energy to do anything but sit on their branch. Sometimes the eucalyptus ferments, causing them to fall off their branch pissed. Didn’t see that.
Michael Shannon exhibition at the Ballarat art gallery. Amazing. We don’t seem to see much Australian art in Europe which is a Very Bad Thing.
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