FRIDAY'S HISTORY LESSON: BRIGHT...

Bright is situated in the Ovens Valley at the foot of the Victorian Alps, offers beautiful scenery and landscape. The air is so clean and fresh and the weather surprisingly mild. It isw 308 kilometres drive away from Melbourne in a N/E direction.

Explored, like so much of Victoria, by Hume and Hovell in 1824, the first pastoral runs in the Bright area were taken up in the late 1830s - one of them by Hume's brother-in-law, Dr Mackay, whose difficulties with the local Aborigines caused him to move to another property. In 1845, Thomas Buckland established the area's first cattle run near the river which was later to bear his name.

(The Weston Family in front of their fruit and confectionary store in Bright, Victoria, about 1865. Source: Museum Victoria Collection)

The real development of the district began in 1853, when W.H. Pardoe discovered gold along the Buckland River. Despite his attempts to maintain secrecy, 3000 diggers swarmed into the valley within six months, turning the river into a filthy alluvial gold mine. 1000 died of disease and others fled until only 500 remained.
The Chinese arrived in large numbers to sift abandoned claims. But in 1857 Bright saw a massive uprising, a riot if you will, between the Chinese and other prospectors. There is so much more to the history of Bright and the Gold rush that it cannot all be said in one post alone.

There are many ski resorts surround Bright, with Mt Buffalo National Park being the closest. This is obviously one attraction to the area, although Bright offers various activities all year around. Fishing during the summer time is also a great experience. I got to have a go at fly fishing back in year 9 in High School whilst on student camp there. It was just so relaxing too.



Mt Buffalo in snow.



Hang gliding Bright, a post card.



A vineyard near Bright.

There are a whole host of walking trails around Bright which are great for bush walkers and cyclists. There are often fabulous lookouts along the way, giving spectacular views of the surrounding area. If you want to look at the area from a different view, then hold on tight to one of the popular hang gliders.
Around the town there is an interesting museum where you can learn about the history of the area, as well as a winery and the pretty Centenary Park.

Bright Post Office.

The post office in Bright reflects the feel for architecture of old Victorian times. I guess you could say that each old town in Victoria has a building similar to this one. I just love the attentiojn to detail both inside aswell as outer of these buildings.

Staying in Bright, and not in the mountains, means you can pick and choose which mountain resort you want to visit each day. It's viable to travel to Mount Buffalo (27 kilometres), Mount Hotham (51 kilometres) or Falls Creek (58 kilometres).

Simone's restaurant is THE PLACE to eat when you visit Bright. It has been there for 20 years and is run by George and Patrizzia Simone. It is set inside a lovely old Victorian Cottage in the very heart of Bright. Italian cuisine at its finest. People from Melbourne have been known to go to Bright to celebrate their wedding anniversary at Simone's.

Bright, a terrific place for a weekend break or a week long vacation, no matter the season. The scenery, arts, the history, the local foods and of course the wines are just wonderful.

HISTORY LESSON FRIDAY: THE BLUE DANDENONGS…..

View of Melbourne from atop of Mount Dandenong

For over 100 years the Dandenongs and the Yarra Valley have been a traditional Summer retreat for people from Melbourne. These ranges, 50 kilometres from the centre of Melbourne, are a renowned beauty area and tourist attraction.

There are a number of pretty townships dotted throughout the hills. Many of the gracious old homes have now been converted into guest houses and restaurants. The Yarra Valley, in particular, boasts the best Wineries with restaurants that also serve local produce ( I know of this especially due to colleagues going on wine tours in the Yarra Valley....well, nurses do love their wine....right?)

'Skyhigh Restaurant' atop of the Mount Dandenong

The entire area is famous for its beautiful gardens and for its great variety of European trees. These are particularly attractive in the Spring and Autumn. Many excellent restaurants and galleries aswell as antique shops are ideally placed for a relaxed day out from Melbourne. Avid birdwatchers would also enjoy a tour of the area, you can even hand feed some of the birds in some locations.

By far, my favourite place of all to visit is the William Rickett’s Sanctuary on Mount Dandenong Road is a natural forest area in which Rickett’s, a musician and naturalist, has sculptured in clay a number of Aboriginal figures and symbolic scenes. It is believed there are over 93 sculptures in total. From 1934 until his death in 1993, William Rickett continued to work on his masterpieces.

Puffing Billy, one of the Dandenongs most popular tourist attractions, leaves from Belgrave and travels 13 kilometres to Emerald Lake. This little train, loved by children of all shapes and sizes (yes, adults too!) is pulled by the only surviving locomotive that was designed for narrow guage tracks. The locomotive celebrated its Centenary in the year 2000.

Emerald Lake

Silvan is a pretty township located in the Dandenongs, it has the annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival. This has been going on for 53 years now and growing larger in popularity by the year. The history of how the Tesselaar Tulip Farm came about can be read HERE. It is a wonderful place to go and just relax.

There is so much more I could mention here, but it would be too long a post. So, when in Melbourne, pay a visit to the Dandenongs, its beauty and its history will not dissapoint you.