Ballarat the Beautiful!

... as you all know by now, I am sure, I have a very dear Uncle and Aunt (my mother's brother and his wife) who live in Ballarat (a large town in country Victoria about 1 and 1/2 hours from Melbourne).  It is a charming town with a great goldrush history and we love going to stay with them for the weekend, usually because they spoil us so much - lol!  This weekend was no exception. (Warning: pic heavy!)

Here I am, all rugged up for a winter's walk, if you look hard enough you can see my aunt in the background.

Ducks on the pond....

...Later I went for a drive and there were swans on the road....

When I got back into my car, this swan would not let me pass.....

My Uncle is an excellent French cook and he made this special Beef Bourgignon pie for me, with the initials of his nickname for me on it - K M for Kaye Marmaduke (do not ask me why he calls me Marmaduke!)

It was delicious.....

Over dinner, my aunt showed us this fossil she found in England, many years ago.  It was officially tested and it is 80 million years old!  Can you imagine?  Can you see the shape of the sea urchin?

We were spoilt with a yummy dessert, made by my aunt, as well ... Apple Sponge with custard...

.... aha, the next day we went for a longer walk, through the Botanical Gardens and along the lake...

These next few photos are of Aboriginal poles - a good use of old telephone poles, I thought.

The gardens are so beautiful, even in winter....

I loved the sign on the gates...

A very cool water stop along the walking/running track around the lake....

Look at these fascinating mushrooms, my aunt and I thought that the one on the bottom left looked like a miniature swan, can you see it?

There are some very old, Heritage listed trees in these gardens....

Well, I am going to leave it here for now, or else I will never get this post finished, more to show and tell next post.

hugs,