Another chilled out morning here in Geelong. Gary & Annette (fam) suggested that we visit the the botanical gardens. Located a stone’s throw away from the shore, the gardens are home to a great collection of mature and unusual looking plants.
Boom, straight off the bat, bulge tree.Apparently these sprouts are full of a hydration fluid, know to some as ‘water’. I assume its like Gatorade.Lavender, not full of hydration fluid.Candid shot of the wood people, me, Soda, Gary & Annette.There are over 100 of this wooden figures in Geelong, each telling a whimsical tale of old.Hatti, sensing a play park was near, guided us to the attraction and set to work having fun.After the slide had been dried off, by an aid, H. showed the group how it should be done.Next was the musical path. Annette was keen to do a rendition of Baa Baa Black Sheep, Anon.The musical path had foot buttons that chimed a bell located below the decking.Once ejected from the play park, we took a stroll through the nearby parkland.Gary pointed out that the trees were brimming with bats. Brimming.The more we looked, the more we saw.Feeling a little peckish after the ‘successful’ performance of the c.1744 nursery rhyme, we popped into a local café.Traumatised that we had missed the lunch offerings we settled for tea and (vegan) cake!We headed down to the seafront, the open air swimming pool was quieter during Aus’ winter.Geelong’s harbour harbouring, and a brooding looking cloud formation.I remember a few of the boats from a couple of years ago. This one, XKZ, was for sale. I haven’t enquired… yet.Scenes across Geelong bay.Along with the wood people, there are various other sculptures peppering the harbour front.While heading back we noticed a shop selling antiques, we ventured in to take a look.Early version of skis. After discussion, possibly not cross-country due to their width.The store had a wide range of dated goods. Fascinating to have a look through this collection.Before TVs became huge, flat, monsters.As we rose through the building, we came across a floor dedicated to local artworks.Geelong has some great examples of colonial architecture. This house looks to be undergoing refurbishment.Another great example of the colonial stye. The cast iron work is fantastic.H. had a giggle at this one. A shop selling stuff for shops. Its a niche.Although somewhat rundown, this house had some great features. #checkthechimneysoutThis cat gave us a real staredown.A tree near our retreat this week. Lichens like clean air, so its good to see near your abode.
To conclude we had a nice restful evening. This week has been a fantastic recovery period after the (near) chaos that ensued in Southeast Asia!
Wow! Bat heaven! Wonder which ones they were? Loved the colonial fretwork just like lace.
Wow! Those bulge trees look amazing ! 😃