Another very warm afternoon in Geelong beside the Barwon River. The thermometer hanging beside me says the temperature is just 34 degrees although it is feeling warmer than that.
We have enjoyed our day, even if it has turned out somewhat different to that planned. We set off into the middle of the city, or rather the Esplanade along the foreshore where we secured a car park within walking distance of the centre. At the Information Centre we were engaged in conversation by a lovely volunteer, who spent some time offering superfluous advice. From there we walked to the city’s Art Gallery where there is currently an excellent exhibition of work by Nicholas Chevalier, a Swiss artist born in Russia in 1828 who came to Australia initially to join his brother in the goldfields in 1854. He was captured by the Australian landscape (who would not be?) and soon engaged as an illustrator for the Melbourne newspaper and a landscape artist for private commissions, and of course to satisfy his own artistic drive. He was a friend and sometimes travelling companion of Eugene von Guerard whose work we saw in Ararat, and the scenes painted were frequently the same however Chevalier’s take on those scenes is far more luminous and cheerful, rather than the more serious work by his colleague. Chevalier documented the royal tour made by Queen Victoria’s oldest son, Alfred, quite candidly depicting scenes that both amuse and delight. Alfred subsequently introduced him to his mother, and Chevalier was appointed the court artist until illness forced retirement and he died in London in 1902.
He and von Guerard were the first artists to depict Australian landscapes as opposed to English ones commissioned to cure homesickness for the “old country”, so in many senses they were important pioneers in the Australian art world. I would be quite happy to have any of his work hanging on the wall if I had a wall to hang it on.
We walked up and down the main street of the city and up and down a couple of side ones, popped into the Scottish Restaurant for a coffee and were delighted to find that we were eligible for free coffee simply by flashing Chris’s Senior’s Card. To think of all the money we could have saved had we but known! Be sure we will remember to do so in future.
At the bottom of Moorabool Street, we walked about the waterfront, firstly visiting the replica 15th century Portuguese caravel, the Notorious, that is currently moored in prominent place for all to view from the wharf. This was built over nine years, by a Warrnambool cabinet maker who gathered used macrocarpa timber and spent only $20,000 on materials to put this vessel together. He and his sailing companions set off from Port Fairy the very morning we were there; we missed the departure by only a few hours. It is quite an accomplishment but I do wonder what toll it took on his family life. These things do by all accounts. His labour and lost income for all that time should also be considered.
From there we walked out to the end of the Cunningham Pier, which is in the style of the English piers, however the very end is totally occupied by a restaurant, then on eastwards along the foreshore returning to the landcruiser, within the parking time restrictions. At a pleasant little park further along where we chose to lunch, we met up with a couple of young French tourists who are travelling about in a combi-style campervan, on a shoestring. We swapped tour tales; offering more than they, as we are more qualified now to do so after a whole year. Finally we tore ourselves away, wishing each other safe travelling and great enjoyment, because that after all, is what it is all about.
Our appointment at Bob Janes Tyres was not until 4 pm and we still had a couple of hours up our sleeve, so we drove up to the Botanic Gardens, established way back in 1850, and walked about, which did not take very long; they are not very big. The gardens were alive with people rather than birds, or more specifically, alive with several busloads of Australian Greeks, mainly women and children, and some older men, all jabbering in that wonderful animated way that only Greeks (and probably Italians) can.
Chris turned his telephone on, having had it off to conserve his low battery, to find he had missed three calls, all from the same source. Bob Janes could not get the ordered tyres in until at least the middle of the week so could we reschedule? Well… no, actually, we were not intending to hang around Geelong.
What a dilemma! Staying at an overpriced caravan park, Australia Day falling in the middle of the week, needing new tyres…. We checked out Kmart Tyres, they who had quoted us a fair price, but whom we had dismissed for the more professional Bob Janes. They too could not get the Bridgestone tyres in this month, in fact probably not until March, but could offer others and could do the job tomorrow afternoon. So, problem solved; we will tour the Ballarine Pensinsula on Australia Day instead of tomorrow, and have booked a further two nights here.
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