Saturday Day 14

Saturday

Left Melbourne for Castlemaine-and visited parts of the festival, including an exhibition in the old gaol. It is converted into an hotel-not very appetizing, unless you like being locked up. The Castlemaine festival includes media arts and photography of very mixed quality with some stunning colour portraits. One very moving show of survivors of the 56 events in Hungary all now living in Victoria.

A generous Lunch with colleagues from La Trobe and Melbourne in an established house with a garden full of walnut and chestnut trees alive with birds from Carrawahs and Cockatoos to Magpies-all singing at the tops of their voices. The Cockatoos throw the chestnuts all over the roof-must be like a perpetual hailstorm. There is a mine in the garden and the tailings are still lethal to plants after 100 years. The whole area is pitted with mineshafts-the public swimming pool disappeared into one a few years back.

Still not seen a live kangaroo-only roadkill on the way back to Bendigo!