08 December 2014

Bendigo (Part 7): Areas of attractions

Travel December 08, 2014 0

One lucky thing about visiting Bendigo when we did was the season. It was early spring, and it was evident from the flowers that sprung up everywhere, from the cracks of the sidewalks to the luscious gardens that adorned houses along the roads.

Even just walking around was pleasant, and we walked around for hours enjoying the scenery in the cool air of spring.

Our wandering ways led us to Rosalind Park, which was smack-dab in the middle of Bendigo's CBD. It was tulip season, and the bloom of the flowers brightened up the entire park.

Holding an Americano from Old Green Bean to feed my coffee addiction

Just as we were about to leave for greener pastures (Oooooo...), we were stopped by a photographer, who asked whether he can take a picture of us.

Go to a suburban town for schoolwork, get a mention in their newspaper. Sounds about right.

Adding 'freelance model' to my resume. Emphasis on the 'free'.

North of the Rosalind Park is the majestic Camp Hill Primary School and the Poppel Head Lookout, where you can look about for miles in any direction. It was a long trek uphill, and a rather steep climb to the top of the Lookout, but we (fueled by coffee!) will not be deterred.

The rightmost, steepest path leads to the primary school, which is halfway to Lookout point.

Not your average school architecture.

Camp Hill Primary School is built halfway along the slope of the hill up where Lookout point is. The kids here must be fit as anything. On our way down, I watched as two senior citizens dressed in workout clothes powering up and down the hill like it ain't nothing but a thing. Which, as my aching thighs can attest to, is more thing than what I can muster. To be completely fair for me though, I was being weighed unnecessarily down by a Moroccan Chicken Wrap breakfast. Otherwise, I could very well be chugging up and down the hill with the best of them. No problem.

A trip to Bendigo is also incomplete without a visit to the Sacred Heart Cathedral, a cathedral built in the neoclassical style. Like how the old towns of Europe were built around their cathedrals, Bendigo's cathedral was situated right near the centre of the map.

Sacral Heart Cathedral, as seen from the Lookout

Bendigo's Chinatown is also another place we simply had to make time for. There was a Golden Dragon Museum, which we didn't go to because of a lack of time, but we found peace and tranquillity at Bendigo Joss House Temple. Where, naturally, we offered a joss stick as per tradition.

This wasn't a very good shot, but I enjoyed the surreality of juxtaposing the Chinese gates against the Western-style buildings.

We also snuck in some time to take a stroll through Bendigo Botanic Gardens. Tulips are not the only thing in season, as what we mistook to be fruits hanging on trees turned out to be bats.

Bendigo is a place of beauty and relaxation. I didn't get the draw of Bendigo at first, being too immersed the hassle of unpacking while trying to find my bearings. But when I did, it was hard to leave. Bendigo is a place with a slower pace of life, a bubble of serenity insulated by the hectic studying that I have come to treat as the everyday life of being in Australia.

If you're touring Melbourne and want something famous and spectacular to see to justify the air ticket, you probably won't find it in Bendigo. But if you want a few days of relaxation, where you can wake up late on a day off, walk to a good brunch place and have a cup of coffee before take a leisurely stroll around the area and check out a farmers' market showcasing the best and freshest local produce, then Bendigo is about as good as it gets.