A taste of Australian hospitality

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 17 — We took off in the wee hours of a Friday in early March, with my two adventurous friends, my able Aussie driver and guide, in anticipation of a full day of high adventure in the spirit of enterprise.

We arrived at the Dandenong Ranges a little after 8 a.m. and, after a typical hearty Aussie breakfast of Shephard's pie, hot croissant and delicious scones at one of the Devonshire tea rooms, we set off to explore the breathtaking ranges.

The approximately 3,000 hectares of the national park and state forest provide a wide diversity of vegetation that includes the Sherbrooke Forest and the sub-temperate rainforest, which is also the habitat of the lyrebird. We enjoyed the towering undergrowth of giant tree ferns.

We explored the craft shops, parks, national rhododendron gardens and scenic spots in the area and found the delightful villages of the Dandenongs offering art galleries, nurseries and kiosks. Local potters, sculptors, woodworkers and leather workers had their finished products up for sale.

I noticed a walkway for disabled people from Grant's Picnic Ground at Kallista. The Alfred Nicholas and George Tindale Gardens on Sherbrooke Road and the Rhododenron and Pirianda gardens at Olinda are true examples of gardens planned with tourists in mind.

Not to be missed was a ride on Puffing Billy. To be onboard the historic and veteran steam train was exhilarating on a high, winding along the track from Belgrave to Emerald Lake Park through magnificent tree-ferned countryside.

With fond memories of the hiss of steam, smell of cinders and chug-chug of Puffing Billy, we left the Dandenongs and meandered our way to Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, Victoria for yet another glorious adventure.

Sovereign Hill - Join the gold rush. It lies northwest of Melbourne and is a 90-minute drive along the western freeway.

Our enthusiasm was akin to a glass of bubbling champagne. Using the western freeway, we arrived "in search of gold" at Sovereign Hill Ballarat, where history literally comes alive; it has been a major attraction since 1851. Imagine going back over to a century ago to Victoria's gold rush days and reliving the excitement and history of that era.

We hit Sovereign Hill at about 1:15 pm, and boy were we famished!. After a filling lunch of tuna, chicken, ham and bacon club sandwiches, we headed straight in the scorching afternoon heat to the ticket counter, after which we were ready to experience life as it was during the 1850s; it was just like stepping back in time.

Sovereign Hill depicts Ballarat's first 10 years after the discovery of gold in 1851. It's here that Australia's history comes to life. The township is a living replica of the gold mining settlements. The streets are bustling with people dressed in costume of the period. I realised that there was more to see and do here and, being gripped by gold fever, we made a beeline to Red Hill Gully Diggings and tried our luck at panning for real gold. What a thrill.

With shovel, pick and sluice box, we had such enormous fun panning for gold. It's really the excitement in not knowing what you are going to find in the gully that kept us thrilled and determined to stay on in the water for that extra 10 minutes and more.

Businesses in Sovereign Hill were typical of the era it seemed. The U.S. hotel with its Victoria Theatre and the Charlie Napier Hotel represent two of Ballarat's most famous hotels. Then we came across Spencer's Confectionery where we treated ourselves to mouthwatering pralines and other sweetmeats, and the smell (or is it aroma?) emanating from Hope Bakery irresistibly whetted our appetites. We delighted in the special aroma of the grocers and the apothecaries' hall and admired the stock of elegant items in the drapery.

You can even have your photograph taken in period costume in the Red Hill photographic rooms, for an exorbitant fee of course. We came face to face with living history as Sovereign Hill is famous for its working machinery. We were then taken on a mine tour. Wow! On the guided tour below ground, which was pretty exciting, we saw some of the original workings of that mine and a number of dioramas depicting the digging methods. We also watched carriage builders, wheelwrights, tinsmiths, jewelers, metal spinners, blacksmith, potters, and candle makers all busy at work earning a living. We felt we had to make time for a four-horse drawn coach ride and tour that took tourists on regular runs through the diggings and township.

At about 6 p.m., just when we had decided to call it a day, we found that it was the first day of the weeklong Ballarat begonia festival, a high point of the Victorian calendar, and before we made our way to the city of Melbourne, we stopped by to soak in the sheer beauty of the begonias.

We reached our hotel at close to 11 p.m., tired but happy and thankful for the bounties of Mother Nature.