Coal Creek Village

Monday, 13 July 2009

After setting up home in the beautiful town of Healesville we decided to take a trip down to the south gippsland area to Korumburra. Here they have set up a historic village called Coal Creek Village.

Buildings from all over the gippsland area have been placed in this wonderful museum to help preserve them and show us what it was like "back then". Entry to this wonderful place was free and it took us most of the day to see it all.

A place like this totally relies on its volunteers to keep it going along with its little businesses that reside in the buildings. It feels great to enter the "general store" and see how they used to sell things and package things. I understand that the empty flour sacks were recycled and used as fabric to make childrens' underwear.

There were many different styles of buildings - grand ones, ones made of wattle & daub and standard colonial homes that I would imagine myself living in. They all had an "out house" of course - too early for indoor plumbing!

These kinds of places always make me feel happy. It's an opportunity to step back in time without having to do without the things we have come to rely on.

After having a full day out we arrived back at Healesville in time to indulge at the Healesville Hotel. Let's face it you cannot go without having a chicken snity at a pub!

Beechworth, Victoria

Saturday, 11 July 2009

We decided to choose Beechworth as our next destination to park the Jayco Swan for many reasons.

Firstly it is an absolute beautiful and historic town. Its streetscape is how it was during the 1800s and its Historical Precinct promotes the grandness of how buildings once were. Sadly some of the buildings have been knocked down in the past, mainly to accommodate the happenings of the once prisoners of the Beechworth Gaol. A gaol that is now decommissioned and owned privately. The residents of Beechworth had no idea of its future role and mainly showed their sadness of not allowing the public to visit it.

Beechworth's Historical Precinct

Beechworth's Old Hospital Facade

Beechworth is also close by to Myrtleford and Bright. These towns too are definitely worth a visit. The Ovens River runs through Bright and I am sure is the favourite swimming hole for the locals during summer. However being there in July we could think of nothing worse. 

As a lover of all things old and country and a little bit of primitive, I dragged the three men in my life into a wonderful shop I had always wanted to visit. Country Heart and Home. This was a beautiful shop with lots of things to see - definitely a shop where you need to do a few laps before you can be sure that you have seen everything. Being fair, my husband and the boys who always come with me, as they know me very well,  even could find things of interest.

Country Heart & Home, Bright

The Ovens River

Lastly a dear friend of ours had recommended a ghost tour in town they had done on one of their holidays. Beechworth Ghost Tours took us on a night ghost tour of Mayday Lunatic Asylum. It is now owned by the Letrobe University. Our younger son was ten at the time and was a little bit worried he would come face to face with a ghost. Holding my hand very tightly at all times and keeping very close he was quite relieved that there had been no ghosts out that night. My husband and I had done a ghost tour at the Quarantine Station in Manly and we had both experienced certain things. There was none of that for us at Beechworth. However the history of the Asylum and how you were committed back in the days was very interesting.