{"id":2231,"date":"2012-12-11T00:47:59","date_gmt":"2012-12-10T16:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/?page_id=2231"},"modified":"2017-08-17T21:48:51","modified_gmt":"2017-08-17T13:48:51","slug":"melbourne-pg-5","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/?page_id=2231","title":{"rendered":"Melbourne Pg 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wednesday 21st<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

We had to wake by the alarm again, but this time to walk through to the other side of the city to collect a hire car for the day.\u00a0 Firstly though, we enjoyed our usual breakfast, and then went to take showers and found\u2026.. *excitement!!!*\u00a0 A new and much smaller showerhead \u2013 yaaayyy!!!\u00a0 But too much excitement isn\u2019t good for a grandma and a grandpa so they\u2019d been sure to leave the thing requiring 20 minutes excruciating \u2018on a bit\u2019, \u2018off a bit\u2019 to get the temperature to a humane enough level to be able to get under the flow *giggle*.<\/p>\n

Then we packed up the few things we\u2019d want for the day and set off on foot.\u00a0 I\u2019d printed out a map of where to walk long before we left Perth so we followed the route with no trouble at all; though the actual car hire place was hard to find because it was a small \u2013 no, *tiny* – kiosk with grey rolladoors, that were pulled down, *and* it was snuggled next to the lifts in a building foyer so that it appeared from the outside to be a chemist and an office block.\u00a0 But we did it!\u00a0 And we waited.\u00a0 And waited.\u00a0 And in the end David rang the phone number on the hire documents just as the poor girl arrived back.<\/p>\n

She gave us the paperwork and the keys and told us that the car was up the lift onto the 2nd<\/sup> floor and when we returned to put the keys down a chute that was next to their car cleaning bay.\u00a0 Fortunately, we didn\u2019t have to bring the car down in the lift tee hee \u2013 I\u2019m being silly.\u00a0 She basically gave us no information at all about using the toll roads and we presumed, as they had been in New South Wales, that there would be one lane to be able to pay as we got on them.\u00a0 But more of that later.<\/p>\n

Up the lift we went and found our lovely new little car, and it was such a pretty colour!<\/p>\n

\"\"

Our Pretty Little Hire Car<\/p><\/div>\n

Once David was happy with the controls of the little thing, off we went down the ramps of the car park and used the free token the girl had given us to get out of the carpark.\u00a0 As David was doing this, I got the GPS happening on my phone and typed in the name of the town we were about to head to \u2013 Marysville, out in the country and about 90 minutes\u2019 drive away.<\/p>\n

The GPS successfully navigated us further towards the outskirts of the city and onto a 4-lane highway with shops and businesses either side when I suddenly noticed the battery level on my phone.\u00a0 So exhausted last night, I had not plugged it in to charge!!!\u00a0 Of all the days that I needed this phone, today was the day.\u00a0 My heart sank.\u00a0 And there was no map book in the car either.\u00a0 Surely?\u00a0 By the least amount of common sense in anyone\u2019s head, wouldn\u2019t they supply a map book \u2013 or at least offer one?\u00a0 So I very, very hastily got a notebook and pen and wrote down the instructions to get us to Marysville and turned the phone off entirely to conserve every last amp of power for navigations for the homeward journey.<\/p>\n

Soon enough we were headed for a motorway and took the on ramp but there was no lane to pay anyone.\u00a0 There were regular signs along the thing telling us that we had 48 hours to pay using a website or a phone number and I wrote them both down as we travelled.\u00a0 Obviously our number plate was being scanned by something, somewhere.\u00a0 Who knows how much we\u2019d need to pay.\u00a0 But for now, the journey was a happy and uneventful one.\u00a0 We travelled for many, many miles along the motorway, which flowed smoothly and fast and eventually got off onto a more minor highway and enjoyed looking at the shops, businesses and homes as we passed along.<\/p>\n

Again, we travelled for a long way and eventually the mountains began to get closer.\u00a0 These were definitely not mountains in the European sense of the word, but they were certainly higher than any of the small hills we have in Perth.\u00a0 And once we\u2019d begun to climb the foothills there was a scenic lookout signposted so we decided to stretch our legs and have a look.\u00a0 I\u2019m so pleased with did.\u00a0 In my opinion this was a very beautiful spot indeed!<\/p>\n

\"Maroondah

Maroondah Resevoir Lookout<\/p><\/div>\n

This was named the Maroondah Resevoir and was so tranquil.\u00a0 We had the layby\/look out all to ourselves and could hear the birds calling as well as the occasional cars on the road behind us.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t stay too long though and were once more on our way, this time climbing and dipping along a narrow and winding road.\u00a0 At one point during this journey was the most amazingly beautiful scenery but my photos were not good because of speed, bumps in the road, and looking through a windscreen.\u00a0 It was much too narrow and winding to be safe to stop, but we decided we would use one of the laybys on the return journey.\u00a0 I\u2019ll save mentioning it later by telling you now that the light was brighter during the return journey and it was not nearly as impressive.\u00a0 So, this is about the best shot I got.<\/p>\n

\"Tall

Tall Trees and Ferns<\/p><\/div>\n

The greenery of all those ferns and the stark height and plain grey of the tree trunks was just so amazing, and made us feel very tiny and insignificant.\u00a0 And that\u2019s a good thing for humans to feel from time to time!<\/p>\n

Eventually we came through this and onto flatter country and very soon found ourselves in Marysville.\u00a0 We knew that Bruno\u2019s Sculpture Garden was walking distance from their one bus stop and found one sign, but could not then find the Garden, nor another sign.\u00a0 And I definitely needed some facilities, so we turned back to a patisserie\/cafe that we\u2019d seen and decided on some slightly early lunch.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t even look at the menu but bolted straight through to a welcoming sign tee hee!\u00a0 The male of the species had enjoyed the lookout for more than just photography so he looked at the menu and chose a table.<\/p>\n

There was a vast array of very lovely looking breads, pastries and meals in a whole bank of glass cabinets and we went up for a look.\u00a0 As we were discussing the huge written menu on the wall, the girl was just the other side of the counter waiting to serve us and we both started to narrow in on the quiche that looked very nice.\u00a0 I pointed out to David that it said on the wall that all meals were served with a fresh bread roll and salad and we decided that this sounded very nice indeed.\u00a0 David paid and we went and sat down, and the girl brought us out a piece of quiche each.\u00a0 No bread roll and no salad.\u00a0 She *must* have heard us discussing it!\u00a0 We\u2019re not ones to complain so we just ate our quiche and then got a coffee each as well.\u00a0 The quiche was nice, but we felt that the service, or lack thereof, was disappointing.<\/p>\n

It won\u2019t hurt to mention here that Marysville, and the entire surrounding areas were completely flattened by a really bad bushfire 3 years ago.\u00a0 The photos that I\u2019ve seen are a tale of horror and the main street was nothing but charred stumps where the buildings \u2013 cafes, tourist shops, homes, had been.\u00a0 The town had seen larger-than-life tragedy.\u00a0 In this patisserie, which was obviously fairly newly built, there was an atmosphere of emptiness somehow, but not being helpful to customers is not the best way to rebuild.<\/p>\n

Anyway, our tanks emptied and refilled, as appropriate, David asked where the Garden was and I set out on foot while he brought the car.\u00a0 We\u2019d been told 100 metres but by the time I\u2019d walked more like 300 metres and David had stopped the car twice, we still couldn\u2019t see the place so I got in.\u00a0 Another 100 metres down the road and there it was LOL<\/p>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden<\/p><\/div>\n

Bruno\u2019s Sculpture Garden.\u00a0 I felt as if I\u2019d made the pilgrimage to Mecca!\u00a0 I\u2019d seen an email with photos of some of these sculptures longer than 3 years ago, and also since the fire, showing how many of the sculptures were damaged.\u00a0 So many of the sculptures had burned, or had burning trees fall on them and smash them.\u00a0 And there wasn\u2019t so much as a blade of grass that had been left green, it was all blackened and charred.\u00a0 I can only begin to imagine how heart-breaking this must have been.\u00a0 Yet here we were, to see what had been rebuilt.\u00a0 This was *the* thing that I had most looked forward to seeing as a part of our holiday.<\/p>\n

One of the many surprises was that to enter the garden we just walked across this little bridge.\u00a0 There was a box there to put your entry fee into.\u00a0 I had expected an entry booth, toilets, souvenir shop\u2026\u00a0 Thank goodness we *had* stopped at the patisserie!<\/p>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden entrance<\/p><\/div>\n

So from this point on, let me just tell you that I took 450 photos in the next nearly 2 hours.\u00a0 That David, and here\u2019s the biggest shock, took 140 photos, and he didn\u2019t even start to ask if I\u2019d had enough yet until more than 1\u00bd hours had passed by.<\/p>\n

We stepped over that bridge into the most magical, beautiful, incredible world.\u00a0 And I\u2019m getting blinky eyed as I type this.\u00a0 Unlike the patisserie, the feeling here just covered me in goosebumps.\u00a0 Even if I hadn\u2019t known, I could feel that there had been a very great loss, yet love had been poured massively in and there was healing.\u00a0 It had a \u2018sacred temple\u2019 feel to it and I hope that all who go here will treat it as such.<\/p>\n

One very cute sign at the entrance noted \u2018Please feel free to pull any weeds as you look around the garden\u2019 \u2013 or words to that effect.\u00a0 There was indeed Art, Humour, Beauty and Fantasy here, as the sign proclaimed.\u00a0 The vast majority of the sculptures were life-sized and incredibly detailed.\u00a0 And finally, before we get to the photos, I want to say that I absolutely adore the photos that I took here, but none of the artistic acclaim is mine, it is all Bruno\u2019s!<\/p>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden Fantasy Tree House<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden Fantasy Tree House – Detail<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden – Bathtub Barrel<\/p><\/div>\n

And yes, the gardens were all growing back, lush and green and with some amazingly beautiful plants.<\/p>\n

\"Leycesteria\"

Leycesteria<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden – Cat Mad<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden<\/p><\/div>\n

This one, I have since found out, is a life-sized portrayal of an oil painting named \u2018The Lady of Shalott\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden – Lady of Shalott Sculpture<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden – Mirror Image<\/p><\/div>\n

This one was a whole person and a sign said to look out for 27 mice on it.\u00a0 You can see a lot just on the head.<\/p>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden – Mouse Man<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden – Mystic Pixie<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Pink

Pink and Proud<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden – Witching Well<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Bruno's

Bruno’s Sculpture Garden – Wood Nymph<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Yellow

Yellow Iris<\/p><\/div>\n

I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever taken so many photos in such a short space of time in my whole life.\u00a0 I shoot in Manual mode on a DSLR camera, and I have never given my camera (almost 2 years old) such a workout!\u00a0 Going from a smaller aperture for the sculptures to a large one for the flowers, constantly back and forth, and watching for the changes from sun to shade around the garden.\u00a0 It was so exhilarating to feel that I\u2019d finally got a decent grip on what to do with this photographic tool in my hands.<\/p>\n

In the end we did manage to drag ourselves away, we still had much to achieve on this day, but first back to the patisserie for a drink and to use their facilities before the long journey back towards the city.\u00a0 We enjoyed a nice iced coffee each and watched the antics of the king parrots outside the window.<\/p>\n

\"King

King Parrot at Marysville<\/p><\/div>\n

And then my camera ground to a halt.\u00a0 I\u2019d filled the memory card!!!\u00a0 We had been downloading (as copies) our photos every night to the laptop, as well as then copying them on to my portable hard-drive so it was not an issue \u2013 I just looked through and deleted some pictures, but it was a strange feeling!\u00a0 I suspected that my smaller card was almost full as well as I\u2019d used that on the earlier days of the holiday.<\/p>\n

Anyway, before we left Marysville I rang a family friend, Anne, as we\u2019d arranged to pop in and see her, her husband and mother on the way back to the city.\u00a0 I just let her know that we were now on our way and would be there in however long it took to get from Marysville to Glen Waverley.\u00a0 Hopefully that meant more to her than us LOL\u00a0 And we set off on our way.\u00a0 I turned my phone on, hoping it would have regenerated its battery a little, but not so lucky, so typed in our destination and hurriedly wrote down the instructions, before turning it off again.<\/p>\n

The journey went smoothly, though it included another journey on a toll road, and they made me feel very uneasy because we were so ignorant of how we were supposed to deal with them.\u00a0 But we found our way without a hitch, parked in the nursing home parking lot, and went inside.\u00a0 There was nobody around so we waited.\u00a0 Still nobody, and you know what we wanted before we saw our friends so we started peeking around corners trying to find \u2018the required room\u2019.\u00a0 There were some residents watching TVs, but nobody in charge to ask anything of.\u00a0 However, we found a visitors loo and then came back to reception.\u00a0 This time there was a man on \u2018our side\u2019 speaking to an invisible person behind a screen and he asked the person to come and see to us.\u00a0 The person appeared, looked very uncomfortable, shuffled around a great deal with some papers and then said he couldn\u2019t help us and disappeared again.\u00a0 How did he know he couldn\u2019t help us?\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t asked what we wanted!?!?!?!\u00a0 And we waited, and waited, and got rather fed up until he eventually came back and asked what we were there for.\u00a0 If it was to look at the home with intention of putting anyone in there we\u2019d have been gone long since!\u00a0 But we told him who we wanted, and he corrected our \u2018short form\u2019 of her name, which came across as authority for authority\u2019s sake, but then managed to find a nurse and asked her to help us find our friend.<\/p>\n

The nurse was gorgeous!\u00a0 And escorted us personally, all the way to our friend\u2019s room, and then we had a really lovely visit and chat that I\u2019m sure none of you want to hear about.\u00a0 We did ask our friend\u2019s son-in-law about the toll roads and he said he doesn\u2019t know because he has a standing account with them.\u00a0 Damn!\u00a0 I\u2019d hoped to find someone who could help us!<\/p>\n

And\u2026 I suspect that this is plenty for one page so I will finish the many remaining events of this day on the next page.<\/p>\n

Next page\/…<\/a><\/p>\n

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Wednesday 21st We had to wake by the alarm again, but this time to walk through to the other side of the city to collect a hire car for the day.\u00a0 Firstly though, we enjoyed our usual breakfast, and then … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2126,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2231","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2231"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3926,"href":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2231\/revisions\/3926"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mayl.id.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}