I don't know why I didn't know Agatha Christie visited Australia. The State Library of Victoria informed me.
Agatha's husband was appointed financial advisor to the British Empire Mission, so this involved travel to the colonies to promote the upcoming 1924 British Empire Exhibition. As his wife, Agatha travelled with him with their expenses paid for as a couple, and I assume a wage for her husband.
They disembarked their ship in Adelaide caught the train to Melbourne and travelled quite extensively around Victoria by train, as they attended various functions to promote the exhibition.
They were based at the very impressive Menzies Hotel, since demolished.
One such trip they took in Victoria was to the lovely timber mill township known as Noojee, in the West Gippsland region, and I know Noojee well.
Agatha wrote:
"It was lovely, all through the bush, very dense undergrowth, and great tall tree trunks. The engine flung out showers of sparks, but a kindly stoker was on duty to extinguish me if I was smouldering in more than two places at once! We got out at the Goodwood Saw mills, right in the heart of the forest. I shall never forget it."
Quite amusing about smouldering in two places. No doubt she passed over this marvellous train trestle bridge, well actually its very similar predecessor that was burnt in the 1939 fires. Photo from TripAdvisor.
That will do for this post. It's become hard to concentrate with foam bullets flying past my head.
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thecontemplativecat here. My grandmother devoured the Christie books and then captured me. Agatha's marriage was not happy, he was unfaithful. She moved on and did well without him.
ReplyDeleteI have the autobiography that Hels refers to in her post. Agatha was very lucky in her second marriage, and I suspect better off without her first husband. I never warmed to Hercule and much preferred Miss Marple.
ReplyDeleteFoam bullets??
ReplyDeleteI think there are mentions of Australia in her books, usually as a distant place her characters have to take on trust! There's the Australian lawyer (!) in the Clapham Cook. She also used Argentina and South Africa as places to stash characters off stage.
ReplyDeleteHer second marriage was pretty much a front. Her second husband had a long time lover throughout, and Agatha financed his archaeology trips. She seemed happy enough, though.
If you are near Nooji, go visit Tooronga waterfall. The track leading up to the falls is the most beautiful
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