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??
ReplyDeleteThe bullets of choice between Phyllis and Kosov.
DeleteI 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
ReplyDeleteMy childhood stamping ground. I've been to the falls many times.
DeleteUncanny timing, Andrew. Just this week I saw Lucy Worsley and the Mystery Queen. Although Lucy was more polite than I had been years ago about Mr Christie, the programme is worth watching.
ReplyDeleteIn marriage or indeed any other relationship, the term "down under" could refer to jiggery pokery in the nether regions. I imagine that Agatha was not in to that kind of thing as she needed to conserve her energies for writing detective novels. No wonder Archibald is looking miserable in the picture.
ReplyDeleteI have just listened to a podcast on how Agatha's writing reflects mid 20th century Britain. Archie took off with his golf partner and when Agatha went AWOL she used the floozy's surname.
ReplyDeleteI think you need to retaliate with foam bullets of your own.
Rubber bullets, Merlot.
DeleteFoam bullets? Get yourself a water pistol and win that war. Though of course the clean up will be tedious. I had no idea Agatha Christie visited Australia and didn't know she was married either. Colour me ignorant.
ReplyDeleteKosov has a water pistol, River. I need to borrow it to fight them off and do battle with the Indian Myna birds.
DeletePBS had a documentary about Agatha Christie. Her disappearance was quite odd. Enough plot twists that it might have been one of her own stories.
ReplyDeleteFoam bullet...lol I didn't know Agatha had visited Australia either Andrew.
ReplyDeleteHer train trip wasn't exactly the Orient Express, but she seemed to enjoy herself anyway.
ReplyDeleteSuch a prolific writer and of course still holds the record for the longest running play 'The mousetrap'.
ReplyDeleteNerf gun wars, is it?
ReplyDeleteDid she ever set any books in Australia? I wonder. (Oh, I've just read Boud's comment above -- I guess snippets of books, but maybe not a whole one.)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I never had to travel during a time when glowing embers would fly in the window and threaten to set me on fire.
BBC and Lucy Worsley have produced a couple documentaries on her life. Worth the time to watch.
ReplyDeleteThe boys are playing with nerf guns? They sound like kittens. Best to adopt two at once so a lone kitten isn't focused on you constantly with all that energy and need.
ReplyDeleteFoam bullets? Yes, keeping young people about does keep us well. Keeps us something. Anyway.... An interesting post! We in Hawaii also make note of famous people passing through historically speaking.... Robert Lewis Stevenson spent a bit of time here. Hobnobbing with the royals. Aloha, Andrew!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I didn't know either that Agatha was in Australia. I think I have read all her books and I have seen her summer house in Devon/Cornwall where she used to write.
ReplyDelete