So...two days before I left Melbourne, my family friend (let's call him Uncle Bob!) and I decided to make a day trip to Steiglitz...and we brought my friend (aka Marco's owner) along. Uncle Bob's a really experienced driver and literally knows Melbourne inside-out, so a trip to Steiglitz would be something really fascinating for him! Plus - he is very knowledgeable, so I always learn a lot from him.
So off we went! And along the way I had the opportunity to take pics of the gorgeous Victorian landscape.
Passed by a rural fire station and a vineyard, which seemed so lifeless. I guess it's not grape season...yet. This region is known as Staughton Vale.
We had a drive through the Brisbane Ranges National Park, situated in Anakie - a small rural town. We didn't get to go through the town centre of Anakie though. The Brisbane Ranges National Park contains three hills - known collectively as the Anakies.
Got a bit lost when driving through the national park, but eventually we managed to reach the historical town of Steiglitz! This was the very first view I got of Steiglitz.
And as we drove through the town, I realised that it was almost deserted...apart from a couple of people who lived there. It was super quiet! The old buildings were intact though.
Steiglitz was established in the 1850s during the Gold Rush in Victoria, and was quite a bustling town...until the late 1870s. Currently, Steiglitz has a population of less than 100 (which explained why it was super quiet!). Most of the old machinery and buildings have been preserved though...and Steiglitz is now gazetted as a major historical site.
One landmark of Steiglitz - the courthouse. It is open on certain days of the week, to allow people to enter and learn more about the town's history. When we went, it wasn't open. But there were signboards to inform us about the town and its history, so that was good enough!
Steiglitz was never meant to be a big town. Which meant that its buildings were pretty spread out.
An old drapers and outfitters building tucked away in a corner.
And of course, the church of Steiglitz. A tiny little chapel situated right at the top of the slope.
I found this old, rusty mailbox - presumably belonging to one of the former residents here. The post office in Steiglitz is no longer in use.
Decided to head back after a while, and we drove in the direction of Geelong. Along the way, Uncle Bob pointed out these impressive stone walls, which stretched for miles and miles. These were built by hand...and were so well-designed such that the stones were arranged according to shape and size. These walls were meant to divide the land such that people knew which portion(s) to occupy. They're pretty common across Victoria and even in England.
As we drove, we spotted this massive herd of sheep being rounded up by a sheepdog! How cool!
After about 50 kilometres on the road, we were back in Melbourne...and on the Westgate Bridge!
Dropped my friend off in the heart of the city, and that, of course, gave me lots of photo opportunities. All of these were taken from the car. Good to sit in front!
We headed to Coburg for dinner after that.
On the day I left Melbourne, I decided to hang around Williamstown (where I spent most nights). As I was walking out of the driveway, I spotted this really chubby cat in front of me. He meowed a couple of times to say hi...and then he jumped up onto the gate and started rolling around! He then proceeded to have a thorough bath...but all the while he was friendly towards me, and didn't hiss or anything.
It's kinda interesting how I see cats everywhere I go (apart from Perth for some odd reason). In my old residential hall, there's my Aggie. In Williamstown, I see this chubby fellow. In my friend's house, we've got Marco...and in Singapore - wherever I go, a cat will just appear out of nowhere. Gosh! #crazycatlady indeed.
Anyway that wraps up today's post! Our next post - and final post of this series - will be of Williamstown itself. Do stay tuned!