The Lolly Shop

Uncle Fred and Aunty Val's Olde Style Lolly Shop

Uncle Fred and Aunty Val's Olde Style Lolly Shop

The wonderful world of goody-num-nums

Strolling down Murchison Street one sunny afternoon, I spotted this wonderful old shop - what I dubbed as "Ye Olde English Lolly Shoppe" - Uncle Fred & Aunty Val's Old Style Lolly Shop and as I entered the building I stood in awe with mouth-watering delight. I was like a little child whose Christmases had all come at once. There were so many yummy lollies and chocolates of every description.

I bought chocolates, lollies, boiled sweets, candy bracelets, truffles and all the "stocking fillers" for the Christmas stockings. I am ashamed to say I gobbled up most of the goodies reserved for the stockings. Naturally, I had to go back and replace them. But ohh, such scrumdiddlyumptious treats.

Steavenson Falls

Today, I just saw a photo of this beautiful area as it looks after the bushfires and was saddened to see a bare, brown place, the lush ferns and greenery gone.

Steavenson Falls

Victoria's highest waterfalls, the Steavenson Falls descend 84 metres to the bush and fern-fringed Steavenson River below. The Falls were named after John Steavenson, who first visited the site of what is now Marysville in 1862, the falls opened to tourists in 1866. They are a popular attraction and at night are illuminated by floodlights powered by hydro-electricity created by the thundering water.

You can hear the sounds of gushing water long before you see it. They are a mere 5 minute drive from Marysville - just follow Falls Road from the town centre through luscious tree ferns and forest to the car park. A short walk of 350 metres gives you your first sighting. Spend some time ambling along one of the many walks available around the Steavenson Falls Reserve - they range from easy to more difficult.

At the bottom of the Falls at the Steavenson River.

A Day In The Park

Marysville Visitor Information Centre I went to the Visitor Centre to use the computer. An older chap said it was a couple of dollars for (I think) about half an hour. Anyway, I logged on to the computer on the right (there were two) and found it was ohh....so....s l o w.....Took simply ages for a page to load and then it froze. Nothing worked, told the chap then switched to the other computer.

He went off-shift when a younger fellow came on. He was a very nice old man and let me stay on the net without having to pay extra.




The Footbridge in the Park
Then it was time for lunch. I had made a picnic lunch, a thermos of hot coffee, and some fruit and after having a wander around went and sat in the park. There I met a lovely lady from Adelaide who had come over to visit her daughter, but the daughter had other ideas. And she was here for two weeks staying at a motel. We had a lovely time chattting about this and that and all the while, we were surrounded by all this greenery - lovely trees, little footbridges. It was an idyllic spot. The sun dipped beyond the horizon and sadly it was time to go.

Marysville had worked its magic and grown on me. I fell in love with the place.

There's No Fish'n'Chips Here!

Well do I remember my first sight of Marysville - I was camping at Narbethong, and couldn't face cooking, and wanted some company and I thought fish'n'chips that's what I'll have. But there wasn't a fish shop around so I went to Marysville. As I turned into the town, everything was closed up.

There was a 4WD stopped in the middle of Murchison Street and a man was leaning on the driver's window chatting with the driver. I pulled up alongside to ask directions, and lo and behold - it was the local copper behind the wheel! He told me no, I wouldn't find any fish shop in Marysville, the closest was at Buxton and he gave me directions to get there. We were both blocking traffic, but that nice policeman didn't seem to mind. I said cheerio and tootled off to Buxton where I had a nice old time eating in the dining area.

The Igloo Roadhouse at Buxton.

Death And Destruction

Friday 13 February 2009
From around the globe, people sent their good wishes for the embattled state of Victoria in Australia. President Obama offered his condolences and assistance. The Oregan News report a contingent of 60 fire experts are heading to the Australian fire lines.

Our firefighters have been fighting for days with very little sleep. Last Saturday 7 Feb, the temperatures in Melbourne were 46.4ºC 115.52ºF and in other areas it was 49ºC - 120.2ºF. The hot northerlies raged through my state with speeds of 80-100km. the wind was ferocious, when I stood on my verandah it was 48º - in the shade and the wind was so hot it burnt our legs. You could hear it howling and there was a noise in the distance - a thunderous, rumbling noise - it sounded like huge jets, only there were no jets. I have never heard winds like that before, and I hope to God I never hear them again. It was a most awful, awful sound. And it went on for hours.

And as we listened to the radio and the fire updates we knew that people were dying somewhere - it brought tears to my eyes to hear of the heart break and tragedy. There are 181 confirmed dead, but police suspect that could rise to around 200 - perhaps 300 after they have gone through Marysville. On that fateful day, we knew there would be many who would never see the dawning of a new day, never witness the opening of a flower bud, never see their children grow. As the horror unfolded we were numb with shock.
Towns and communities destroyed - wiped off the face of the earth. There is no more
Flowerdale. Marysville doesn't exist anymore.

And the true horror is yet to emerge. Marysville - beautiful Marysville. It was Victoria's "Camelot" A very pretty little town with English Oaks lining the streets, with quaint, old-fashioned shops and homes, and an aura of yesteryear, a truly beautiful and serene hamlet set in magnificent forest.

This was Marysville.





Of the 519 residents, 35 are confirmed dead, but it is feared it is much greater. And of the 700 or so homes and buildings - only 5 are left. Imagine Hiroshima - that is how Marysville looks now.



Death and Destruction


Now, it is a place of death and devastation. Bodies still lie in the streets - fallen where they burned. Police have been systematically going through burned-out houses and buildings looking for survivors and bodies. Some of the bodies are so badly burned they may never be identified.

Black Saturday is Victoria's darkest nightmare and the worst in our history.

Ash and Rubble

Monday 9th February 2009.

I'm "lucky" I live in Melbourne. But from all points and directions of Melbourne, north, east, and west - that's where the bushfires are.
Last night the death toll was 93. Police found 15 more bodies overnight, taking the total as of this morning to 108. It is expected there will be more as police search through houses. buildings and burnt out cars.


Over 50 roads still remain closed. Several of the areas hardest hit - I stayed there not long ago and I remember the beauty, but now...? It is said these fires are worse than what was known as Black Friday - a day in January 1939.

So many people dead and we worry about our little lives it makes a lot of life's little problems seem very small.

HELL UNLEASHES ITS FURY - VICTORIA BURNS

Saturday 7th February 2009






















Hell hath no fury like a bushfire raging across hectares of grassland, farms and countryside, moving with the speed of lightning so fast that people who tried to outrun the fires were burnt in their cars. Cars litter the countryside bodies incinerated - the total so far is 76 - but that could rise. We sat and listened to the appalling news yesterday with a heavy heart knowing that there would be many who would never see another sunrise. Hundreds of homes have been burnt to the ground - razed, the scene looking like something out of a futuristic nightmare. Whole communities have been wiped out - not a single stone left standing.







Sunday 8th February 2009



There are 12 bushfires burning out of control across Victoria and 26 blazes in total.

In total, more than 700 homes have been confirmed destroyed.



Beechworth

Brittania Creek

Bunyip Park

Bendigo

Kilmore

Walhalla

Gippsland

Horsham



The blazes have grown to more than 210,000 hectares and are burning towards Taggerty, Crystal Creek, Connollys Creek, Glenburn, and Rubicon.



They have already burnt through Kinglake, Marysville, Buxton and Narbethong.







It could even be found in Wikipedia



These bushfires are even worse than the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983.