Castlemaine 3

After brunch I returned to my digs and a friend who lives half an hour away arrived for a catch up. In his car, we visited what I think was Blackbird Cafe for coffee and cake.Then a short distance away is the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens. 

The deciduous trees had just began to turn to their autumn colours.

Ducks in the park. What fun. 

An aerator in the water keeps oxygen levels up to prevent algae growth.

Here is an amusing story I came across today about the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens.

In 1892 there was clearly amusement in the media at the story of a ‘stout old lady’ who fell into the botanic gardens lake while drunk. She was fished out of the 8-foot deep water ‘with great difficulty,’ but was still clutching her beer bottle when she reappeared.

 

The fountain was renovated in about 2011.

A wedding had happened and within the park there was a building where they could celebrate with a reception.

There were many of these concrete tables and benches, all fenced off. Cleary something had happened but does it affect them all?

That would be Charles and Diana? No, of course not. Look at the date, 1863. More than one of you will know. Do inform me. It was Victoria's tree of the year in 2021. I think the tree is an oak.

Yes, of course it is an oak.

We walked the circumference of the park but at times sat on seats and gossiped away about all sorts of things, like two old aunties who have known each other for forty years would do.

In the foreground is a sculpture and we were impressed that a very hot young daddy let his children climb all over the sculpture without calling out, come down darling children, you might hurt yourselves. Hot young daddy even tried to climb himself, but wisdom stopped him going up too far.

Dinner was a frozen takeaway supermarket meal, quite edible after being heated in the microwave. Next, ridin' the rails.