Buchan Caves

Guess what? After weeks of waiting, I've finally received an offer to the Bachelor of Design at Swinburne University! To say that I'm stoked is an understatement. Orientation Day is next Monday. Wish me luck ^^

In the meantime, I took advantage of the long break by making quite a bit of progress on Moment of Reading.

Only the roses left to go now.

Fast forward to Valentine's weekend, Sean and I had a getaway at Buchan Cave Reserve. Immediately upon arrival, we were greeted by grazing kangaroos.

   

Early next morning, we went for both the Royal Cave and Fairy Cave guided tours which are operated daily. The honeycomb of caves was formed almost 400 million years ago by underground rivers cutting through limestone rock.

The calcite-rimmed pools in Royal Cave are absolutely beautiful to behold.

   

Gravity defying stalactites hung from the roof of the cave.

   

Both caves are well lit with concrete pathways.

   

Yup, that’s me being completely awed by the elaborate stalactites and stalagmites in Fairy Cave.

I believe this formation is named The Chandelier. One can easily see why.

   

Words alone cannot describe how spectacular the limestone formations were. Hopefully the photos we took have been able to marginally convey some of the grandeur.

   

If you ever have the chance to visit this area, do visit Buchan Caves. It truly was a magical experience.

Malmsbury Botanic Gardens

How is April going for you so far? I hope you all had a great Easter. I'm currently on a much needed two week break from school. Spent the first week back in Malaysia. As the weather here in Melbourne is getting pretty cold, boy, was it a huge change in temperature for me. After a week of hectic shopping an packing, I'm now back in Melbourne.

On Monday, Sean and I decided to head to the Macedon Ranges for some R&R. I had read about the picturesque Malmsbury Viaduct at the Malmsbury Botanic Gardens and was dying to have some photography fun there. The drive took slightly more than an hour before we reached Malmsbury, a charming little town on the Old Calder Highway.

 

We had some lovely jam and cream scones at the local cafe before heading into the Malmsbury Botanic Garden. The central focal point of the gardens is the ornamental lake. There were Dutch Elms planted at the front of the lake as a memorial to soldiers of World War I. 

 

Ducks swimming in the lake lend a serene touch to the entire scene. 

 

The quaint wooden bridge led to the formed island at the lake's centre.

   

Walking further on was the highlight of the entire trip... The Malmsbury Viaduct that we specifically came here for. 

 

Constructed in 1859, the bridge is over 100 metres (330 feet) long and about 25 metres (82 feet) high. It is one of the largest nineteenth century engineering structures erected in Victoria.

Before long, the sky had darkened. Daylight savings has ended and night was fast approaching. We had dinner at one of the local restaurants, The Stables where the food was absolutely beautiful. I had the rabbit stifado while Sean had the moussaka. Everything, from the salad down to the last drop of stew was delicious.

We ended up buying the homemade balsamic glaze and salad dressing. Showcased in pretty bottles, these would be great as gifts.

 

If nothing else, I'm coming back here for the food alone! And then, it was home time. One last glance back at the tree-lined Calder Highway with Malmsbury Botanic Gardens on the left. 

 

Yup, definitely coming back here again ^.^

Lavender in Summer

Summer has arrived in Australia and it's getting pretty hot out. Last Sunday was a beautiful day. Sean and I decided to visit Warratina Lavender Farm.

 

It's a lovely place featuring a tea room serving lavender-flavoured ice cream among other delicacies. Lavender-scented sachets, lavender-flavoured honey and other goodies can be purchased there as well. 

 

We spent a fair amount of time goofing around amidst the shrubbery. Here I am, surrounded by sweet-smelling lavenders. 

 

Lavender is one of my favourite flowers. We bought a lavender sapling and planted it in our garden. It's doing pretty well thus far.

   

On the stitching front, there's been plenty of progress on Moment of Reading. 

 

Merry Christmas, everyone!