Victoria Open Cut Gold mine walk

We went and climbed a poppet head and had a walk through some historical open cut mines. Amazing when you think about all the hand digging that was done and the huge amounts of gold that they pulled out of the mines. The mines here were operating in about 1842.

Riverboating on the Murray

We took Kelly to Echuca today and had a one hour cruise down the Murray River on the Pevensey which is the riverboat that was used in the TV series "All the Rivers Run". We took the train to Echuca which was an hour and a half each way. Here are some photos of our day. Some of them are mine and some are from Kelly's camera.

Face Painting

Em & Em have a sleepover

We did a kid swap last night. Natasha went to stay with her friend Sophie and Emily came to stay at our house. The two Emily's wanted to pretend they were sisters so we did the same hairstyles this morning and we are off to the shopping centre shortly for some free facepainting.

A Potty with privacy

Rhys takes his potty training very seriously and prefers not to have an audience when number twos are in progress!

Sacred Heart Cathedral

This impressive church presides over Bendigo. It is over 300 feet high. The foundation stone was laid on 25 June 1897 and the church was blessed on 29th September 1901. The final spire was completed in 1977. I have tried to use photos which give an indication of the sheer size of it.

Easter Hat Parade (more photos)

Here are some photos of the girls at school with their hats on

Easter Hat Parade

Easter Hat parade is on Thursday at school. Last year we didn't realise what a big deal it was until the day when Natasha had to quickly don a chinese hat that was lying around in her classroom. So this year we put in a little more effort. Don't they look cute?

Fun in the Sun

This morning we packed up the togs and towels and headed for the pools with our friends. Enjoy!

"Look here Xavier, I'll show you how to swim"

Catching up with family and friends

It was great to have a trip to Waiheke Island in the rain and spend some time with John (Wayne's Dad). We also managed to catch up with Butlers, Tom Keven Way neighbours and the girls had a great day at the zoo with Richard and Stacey.

Giant Slugs and catch up with cuzzies

This slug fell out of Nana's worm farm. Children surveyed it with a mixture of reactions from interest through to trepidation. Stacey and Caleb were there to join in the fun.

Mum's Party

Mum's 60th was a lot of fun. It was great to catch up with everyone. The kids dressed up for the occasion.

Trip to New Zealand

Well we are here after months of anticiption and we are up to day three already. Not much sleep was had in our poky hotel room. The flight was great, Emirates gives a great service. Here are some photos of the trip over. Dad took the plane landing photos.