Day 35. Melbourne day 7

Our time in Melbourne is drawing to a close. Today we decided to catch up on the other places of significance to Adrienne and her days here. This was going to allow us to return the car two days early. We have studied that we can get to the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Museum Workshops by public transport.

The rest of the day was to be spent shopping.

The first two photos shows the house that Adrienne lived in in her final year, at the corner of Rathdowne and Princes Streets Carleton. Photo 3 is Tay Creggan in Hawthorn. Adrienne lived here in her first year. It was then a Catholic Hostel for country girls run by the ladies of the Grail. At the end of that first year, 1969, it was sold for a school, Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School.

Photo 4 was the last home of the parents of Adrienne's mother in St George's Road, Northcote. It is a shame the property has been abandoned.

We returned the car saving $72 per day in hire and $18 per day in parking. Since Adelaide, we have covered 2,670km. The Toyota Corolla is an efficient car returning 6.9 litres per 100km.

After lunch we each went our own way, shopping. However, there is nothing to show. Adrienne went to Design Fashion Outlet, which was difficult to get to from advice from the local information bureau, but really easy to do so after the fact. At least it was easy to get back once Adrienne knew where she had to go. DFO does not seem to be a big thing in the minds of Melburnians.

We returned home for a home cooked meal which commenced with an aperitif. You don't have to go out to eat well.

Day 34. Another day in Melbourne

Today was going to be a full day. Our first appointment was at Queen Victoria Markets. We walked there from our apartment. Once again this was a special place which can only thrive in a large city. The food market is essentially a farmers' market with all manner of fruit, vegetable, meat and seafood outlets. The quality looked outstanding and the prices, well, consider eye fillet at $18.99 per kilo as an example. There were also goods outlets in abundance, from clothes to computers.

After the markets we took a tram to East Melbourne to the Metropolitan Museum of Fire. We were welcomed as guests, but after showing my credentials of owning a Dennis appliance, all doors opened. We were given a guided tour of the whole museum including the Operations Room and access to their back rooms where other volunteers were working on gathering data. We had a personal guide, David, an ex-fire service employee who showed us around. A highlight was the 1911 Pierce Arrow car which owned at one time by Dame Nellie Melba. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade converted this car to a fire engine. We saw many documents and photographs not normally displayed.

David showed us the photo of a Merryweather appliance (gross weight 3 tons), in the photograph on its trailer for display purposes, which is supposed to have come from a Townsville abbotoir. I have never heard of the existence of this appliance.

The final accolade was an invitation to the museum storage area in Williamstown at the old Railway Workshops, where they hold a working day every Tuesday. Here they have other appliances and equipment in storage, including another N type Dennis. Guess what we are doing on Tuesday?

After the museum we walked down town to meet James Pentony (Joanne and Brendan's eldest) and his partner Rebecca for lunch. This is the first time we have met Reb. They we heading to Essendon match in the afternoon and we had a Callinan family get together, so after lunch and with some shopping on the way, we went home.

This evening there was a Callinan family get together. Adrienne's mother, Joan, was a Callinan. Joan's youngest brother, Adrian is the remaining member of his family, and tonight his five children and spouses got together. Adrian was Adrienne's support during her days in Melbourne. Damian picked us up. He had Adrian and his partner Zillah with him. The venue was Damian's house in St George's Road. On the way to Damian's house we passed Nanna Callinan and Pep's house. The photo shows, L-R, Adrian, Adrienne, Annette (1), Michelle (4), Chris (3), Paul (2), Damian (5). The second family photo shows the inlaws.

It was a wonderful evening.

Day 33. Castlemaine and Melbourne

We met Barry and his wife Elizabeth at the motel at 9am. We had some time to become acquainted, so we frequented a bakery/cafe in Castlemaine. Barry and I had never met personally, but through writing and by phone, we had become close friends. Our first appointment was at Billman's Foundry where Barry works. Barry has cast the flywheel and the furnace door for my 6 inch Rider.

We were met there by “Doc” the chief moulder who took us through the complete casting process. It was enthralling. Adrienne found it very interesting and asked many questions. We now both have an understanding of the complexities of the casting process. One lesson we learned was despite the “How to do it at home” books on casting; don't. It is a complex process which uses many chemicals and levels of heat unobtainable in the domestic environment.

After the foundry we left for Barry's place in the country at Chewton. Barry lives a life unconnected to reticulated electricity, water or sewerage, but has a conventional house and workshop which are powered by a combination of solar and generation with wood fired major cooking. While we were there Barry's son Peter turned up. Peter is also a restorer, but of stationary engines and tractors. Peter fired up his Jelbarts tractor which were made in nearby Ballarat. This part of Victoria was prolific in the early part of last century in the production of engines and farming machinery.

In the early afternoon we left Chewton for Melbourne. We decided that we would visit the various houses in which Adrienne lived while studying at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and working. We found the location of three. The first, a hostel in Rathdowne Street has been demolished and the Cancer Council building stands there. The second, on Gratton Street, is beside the Lemon Tree hotel. The building still exists and is most likely under renovation. The third house, on Nicholson Street also remains, but appears to be no longer a share house. The three windows were in the room Adrienne used, although the rear window has now been changed to an opening onto a new balcony.

On our return home we went down the famous Lygon Street eating area. Adrienne was reminiscing about James Watson's Wine Bar and we found the bar was still there. Jimmy Watson's was the first wine bar in Melbourne. During her days in Melbourne between 1968 and 1971, she was unable to drink at the bar due to drinking age being 21. These days there are tables on the footpath, where we enjoyed our drinks.

We strolled up Lygon Street back towards the city and came across Toto's Pizza Place which is recognised as being the first pizza shop in Australia, opening in 1961. We had our dinner here.

Day 32. Melbourne and Swan Hill

The destination today was Swan Hill, a town on the Murray River, a little over 350km North West of Melbourne. The reason for going here was to see the third of the Adelaide fire engines. This appliance is under the care of the Swan Hill Pioneer Village, which is a department of the Swan Hill Council.

I wanted to get back to Castlemaine today, as well, which is 230km back towards Melbourne, so we quit the city early. We were on the road by 5:45am. The unfortunate part of that was the sun gets up so late at these latitudes that it did not begin to light the sky until 7:30am. We were forced into freeway driving at up to 110km per hour with headlights on low beam.

We arrived at the Pioneer Village and were made most welcome. Unfortunately the Senior Curator, Dr Rob Pilgrim wasn't able to be there and put us in the capable hands of the Technical Curator, Newton Williams. He also arranged for the driver of the Dennis, affectionately called Licky to be there for us.

They both granted our every request about the Dennis. We also shared much information. Newton is the Village's expert in steel tyred tractors as well as the expert in the steam boiler and equipment.

The photos shows Licky at the wheel taking me for a run and L-R Newton, Frank and Licky.

After a lunch supplied by the Village, we bade farewell and were on the road to Castlemaine. This proved to be a very pretty town off the freeway. We found accommodation at the historic Campbell Street Motor Lodge, which was built by Mr Andrew Campbell in 1882 who was a merchant and builder. This building is listed by the National Trust.

Tomorrow we meet with Barry Macdonald with whom I became acquainted through our common interest in Rider Stirling Cycle engines, particularly the 6 inch size.

Before I finish, I must tell you about our dining experience tonight at “The Good Table”. This restaurant, located on the corner Barker Street (main street) and Templeton Street has been trading for just six months. We had a degustation of their six best dishes. It was amazing. If you are down this way, don't miss this, but make sure you make a reservation.

Day 31. Melbourne and Winchelsea

Today was my opportunity to see the second of the trio of Dennis appliances bought by Adelaide Fire Brigade in 1923. This Dennis is owned by Peter Cox and the machine is located at Winchelsea, which is a town immediately inland from Lorne, where we were two days ago. The morning was cool when we left Melbourne, and as we climbed into the hills beyond Geelong we were enveloped by fog.

We spent a pleasant couple of hours with Peter. He is doing a ground-up restoration of this fire engine and is doing a great job. Then it was back to Melbourne.

Back in the big smoke Adrienne took a trip down memory lane by taking me to Market Lane which is where she used to work as a freelance photographer. One of the restaurants she used to work, Hofbrauhaus, is still operating. Adrienne used to take photos of diners for sale.

We walked some historic arcades which have been marvellously preserved. Adrienne bought a pair of boots to remember the visit with. A coffee shop sustained us through the afternoon and provided some inner warmth.

We then hopped the City Circle Tram for a ride around the city. This is a hop-on, hop-off free service. Out at Docklands we hopped off to window shop at Harbour Town. Adrienne was not impressed by the offerings. To me, it another group of shops.

Day 30. Melbourne and Beaconsfield

We commenced the day at galleries. The first, at the end of Swanston Street, is the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. We had time to look through two free exhibitions, Mary and Max and Story of Films, Television and Digital Images. Not enough time. We will have to come back. The second gallery was the Victorian Gallery of Art. We crossed the Yarra to get there. As time was short we obtained a list of the current exhibitions for another return visit. There is some nice stuff to see here.

Our appointment for the afternoon was at Beaconsfield Upper to see the oldest preserved 60hp N type Dennis in Australia. This appliance was ordered by the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade and left the factory on 5 June 1914. The MMFB ordered it without a body preferring to build their own. That body no longer exists. Unfortunately the original engine has been replaced sometime during its life which makes the machine less representative. It does however retain the big pump will look good once restored.

We returned to town in preparation for dinner with Brendan Pentony. After meeting Brendan at the Windsor Hotel and having an obligatory drink at the Cricketers' Bar, we set out for a special place for dinner. Brendan led us to the Italian Waiters' Restaurant upstairs at 20 Meyers Place, between Bourke and Little Collins Streets. Comments about this place I researched si8nce read: "Terrific service and very special prices", "For around an average of $15 for a pasta you get a simple yet generous serving", "Good, fast service".

What a place! Brendan and I ordered a beer and Adrienne a red wine. Adrienne's wine came in a tumbler, full to the brim. Then came the time to order dinner. The menu did not include a price for any item. This allowed the choice to be about what we wanted to eat, without concern for the cost. The menu was genuine Italian, so no real concerns about expensive dishes. We ordered a bottle of red wine with the meal, and in quick time a bottle arrived. It was quite a classy bottle, but we were not offered a choice! The table next to us also ordered a bottle of red, and theirs was different. It seems there is a selection of house quality wines, and just like at home, you get what they have.

The food was terrific and the price surprisingly low. I recommend this place if you have the opportunity while in Melbourne.

Day 29. Here we are in Melbourne

The gentle rain on the tin roof woke us in Lorne, not the sun. The sun gets up late here in the southern parts of Australia. We were greeted with a visit from a local cockatoo. Evidently this bird is accustomed to this. Later, her mate arrived. Henpecked?

After breakfast Adrienne took a shot to remember this morning by.

We set off for Melbourne via Anglesea where we saw some interesting architecture designed to capture the most of the views. Very clever.

On the way to Torquay we stopped off at Bells Beach. No classic surfing today, just plenty of hopefuls. I wonder how they can get time off at 10am on a Tuesday. The view was fantastic. Then it was off to Melbourne.

Our accommodation is the Cube Apartments in Exploration Lane off La Trobe Street. The picture shows the entrance, and of course, no parking. Now that is another story. We were told there is cheaper parking available in the grounds of a near-by church than the Wilson parking station. We checked with the churchyard parking station, it was full, but we could go in at 3:30pm. What were we to do for the next three hours. Why not use Wilsons. They did advertise $3 per half hour on their hoarding. Well, their cost is $3 for the first half hour, $12 for the first hour, $24 for two hours and $36 for three hours.

We made it back to Wilsons a few minutes after three hours. The cost, $39! Ouch! I suppose the small print did mention “hour or part thereof”. Then it was off to the churchyard. Here, the costs were much more moderate; $12 per day and $6 overnight. The significant times were 6am and 6pm. I told the attendant that I wanted to park the car now and take the car out from 10am tomorrow until around 5pm. The cost, $12 for today (until 6pm), $6 overnight and $12 for tomorrow (from 6am). They don't miss! It looks like I am going to be up for $18 a day.

Adrienne then took me to places she lived in the inner city of Melbourne while studying at RMIT and to RMIT itself. The main building itself is spectacular. We wandered the iconic streets of La Trobe, Lonsdale, Bourke, Collins, Swanston, Flinders. Places about of which I have only heard.

Wandering home down Swanston Street from Flinders Street station we called in for coffee at a place. We took our table; right beside the table where Adrienne's cousin, Damien Callinan was seated. Damien is from Adrienne's mother's line. Damien is well known in comedy and comedy television (Comedy Company).

In all, we had a terrific day.