Hey friends! We're back from our trip to Robe, busy unpacking, re adjusting and keeping warm as it's much colder here in Daylesford. We had a great time and I really loved the road tripping. One highlight was going through the town of Linton where some of my ancestors lived and worked, over a hundred years ago. The girls and I ran through the long grass in the old cemetery, looking for Walkers and Hogans, passed the graves of so many from long ago. Chinese, Roman Catholic, Irish, many who had come out in the gold rush of the 1850's. We finally found the grave of poor William Henry Walker, who died aged 21 in a mine accident. I knew of this story but standing in front of his headstone I felt a real connection with family, as strong as a heart beat.
Moving on we drove through many tiny towns. Some still pulsing with life and others where the life and soul seemed to have drained away. I feel for these little towns, it's so hard to keep a community going when there is no work and people move away to survive, to have a life. You can sense the hustle and bustle of days gone by, in the many old buildings with their jaunty signage now fading away. I have a real affection for these towns, for the buildings, for their history and people. Luckily op shops are still buzzing along and I was so excited each time we passed an open one! Hamilton gave me some cushions and doilies and a dear little ceramic house.
In Coleraine we stopped for a break and a play at the netball courts. I managed to take this crazy shot of Rosie, wow!
After about 5 hours we were nearly there!
We settled in to our cabin, reunited with the rest of our family and friends, and hit the beach. Robe is very windy, situated where it is, but that didn't bother the kids. The colour of the water is AMAZING! so turquoise!
It was good having Charlotte with us, we don't get to see her so much these days.
We explored this beautiful old limestone building on the edge of the caravan park. I fell in love with the old wood stove in the kitchen, with it's pretty tiles and massive fire place. There is something magic about a stove like this, spreading its warmth like a glowing heart, so snug to sit near. I've always wanted one in our kitchen. Maybe not as big though!
One of the best bits of being at Robe was hanging out with friends. Rosie got to ride her bike heaps and visit Cheeky Monkey Simon, her godfather and mate.
And the other kids played and rode and mucked around all day with their friends. I loved the way this meant we weren't always organising things, it all happened around us with not much planning. Lovely!
Char and I took a spin out to Kingston one day for a change of scene. We drove past this amazing old homestead which really captivated me. So many buildings sadly in bad condition,
and a beautiful, ancient lemon tree standing regally in the courtyard.
It's yellow lemons smelled delicious so I picked a few, thinking of the others who
would have tended this sweet garden so many years ago.
Then we hit the op shop and I was in heaven! So many gorgeous treasures, I could have stayed there all day. This op shop in Kingston is a real flash back to the way oppies uses to be. Cheap, cheerful, not picked over and with so much atmosphere. I was as happy as a clam.
After that amazing experience it was time for lunch. We found a cute old fashioned bakery and got stuck into sandwiches and shared a truly incredible cream filled donut. Boy oh boy.
Sitting by the pier we watched the birds fly past and stared out at the sea. Such a rugged and isolated town, and beautiful with it's limestone buildings and vast stretches of beach and sky. I'll definitely be going back.
Yesterday we headed back home, through the same sweet towns, past the same brown fields to our own little town that we love. It's good to be back and I now feel like I truly am on holiday, relaxed and ready for the new year. Are you having a happy January? I hope so, lovely ones. See you soon xo
