Children’s Day.
Having trailed dutifully along behind the adults all day yesterday, we let Sarah and Matilda set the itinerary for the day. Sarah chose to visit the Chinese Heritage Museum, and Matilda thought that a visit to Alexandra Gardens would be nice. As both were quite nearby, we also decided ot check out a local lookout that John was told about; so we added that to our itinerary for the day.
First up was Gum San Chinese Heritage Museum – beware the hefty entrance fee ($26.50 for a family ticket) – which provided an interesting perspective on how the Chinese migration to the Ararat region shaped its history and influenced the 19th century Victorian gold rush era.
A quick stop back at ‘freight train central’ for lunch, then back out in search of a place called McDonald’s Park but, despite a couple of signposts pointing us left and right as required, the location of McDonald’s Park remains a mystery to us… More easily discovered was the turnoff to One Tree Hill lookout, which provided us with commanding views in all directions; only the arctic southerly blowing across such an exposed location stopped us from enjoying the views for longer.
Our final stop for the day was Alexandra Gardens, back in the heart of Ararat township (and, thankfully, fairly well protected from the worst of the cold winds). The girls spotted the playground on the other side of the park and were off like a shot, while the grown-ups strolled by the ornamental lake and through the small conservatory, filled with hundreds of orchid varieties, all in full bloom.
Eventually the cold wind and the dropping temperature had us heading for the car and back to the comfort of the van, before we packup and head home tomorrow.