Bendigo

Well, Friday night came and found us piling in the car and doing the three hour drive to Bendigo. Once we made it through Melbourne we headed north into the bush and the goldfields. Bendigo is a grand old town that grew up around the gold mines. Many of the downtown buildings are very beautiful and ornate, that is because of the wealth that flowed from the mines into the town. They are still mining gold in Bendigo today.

We were billeted for the weekend in the home of a lovely couple, Ian and Margaret. They made us very comfortable in their home and were so fun to be around. In their retirement they have spent a lot of time traveling around Australia doing volunteer work like teaching the children of the families that run the cattle stations in the Outback. Margaret is a great cook and she makes the yummiest Pavlova. I am hoping to get her recipe from her.

Saturday we met up with the other exchange teachers for lunch and then did a walking tour of Bendigo.

Saturday evening was the Bush Dance. Here is the description and instructions for the evening that we were provided ;
Bush dance, a form of entertainment dating back to colonial times which involves the whole family. A bush dance is definitely a place for children. Absolutely no prior dancing expertise is required........Everybody brings a basket tea to be shared by those at your table. This is the main evening meal, so bring plenty to eat and drink! Bring a plate and your own glasses.


The Emu Creek Bush Band started playing at around 7:30 and kept the crowd going all night.
John did a great job engaging the kids. They all had the chance to play for the band and dance of course.

Around midnight we ended the evening with a lively rendition of Auld Lang Syne. As you can see, not everyone held out till for the last song.

A great weekend and a fabulous evening for the entire family. Now if I could just catch up on the laundry in time for next weekend.

As always, more to come.