“… and mingled with ladies carrying knives…”
“…. Rainbows have nothing on the variety of hues on display here..”
We’d left the Flinders, tasted the Clare Valley and were heading east. We passed through Springton and stopped to visit the Herbig Tree where once, over 150 years ago, a German set up house and started a family, one that numbers over 900 today.
Next was the Grampians where our visit would be a brief one. Lorraine had never been there and I’d never come in from the west so we both had something to look forward to.
You don’t have to go far before the ravages of the February 2014 bushfire are visible. Scorched blackened trunks with vibrant new growth and Xanthorrhoea by the hundreds with their new shoots dominate the landscape.
They’d had some rain recently and the flow was quite good, unlike the last time I viewed McKenzie Falls decades ago. We walked the entire descent and mingled with ladies carrying knives. This could have been scary at other times but they were only volunteers controlling weeds that were also springing up.
No sooner had we left than we were stopping at Pink Lake and then it was on to Melbourne, headed for the Dandenongs. It was also the eve of Lorraine’s birthday and the plan was to take her to a spot I knew up there and we would bask in the glow of the floral displays the next day.
Well, that was until peak hour, centre lane of three at the traffic lights, green flashes on and I suddenly start banging the floor with my left foot, my face contorted into a look of horror. My clutch pedal had disappeared!
What followed has been a tale of boasting rights. I haven’t met anyone who had a birthday to match this one. First up I pushed it into 2nd gear and rolled miraculously into an adjacent parking spot.
Being NRMA members we started our phone calls there. 42 minutes later we finally had immediate needs organized; a tow truck was on the way and Lorraine started dinner (one of the pluses of having your home with you).
We’d dined and washed up when said truck arrived. He of the charismatically impaired personality loaded our vehicle while Lorraine watched bug-eyed as the Winnebago was chained up the back. We were dropped at an Iveco depot around 9 p.m., in a dark side street where parking was forbidden after 7.30 a.m. The depot didn’t open till 8 a.m. but what choice did we have?
IT’LL BE ALL RIGHT IN THE END
We waited for a cab that had been booked to take us to a serviced apartment. I’d promised Lorraine clean sheets for that night so it turned out I hadn’t let her down. What was amazing was that we’d even managed a booking. Melbourne had 50,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in town for a rally and space was at a premium. So much so that we couldn’t stay in the apartment the following night.
We woke in the morning and a Pandora with 8 opals popped up for Lorraine’s present; breakfast was in a chic cafe next door with her favourite, eggs Benedict. How good was it going?
Next we contacted the Iveco people. They were very helpful and told us it would take a minimum 1 ½ days at best, probably 2 ½. That meant another night somewhere else. We contacted our go-between at the NRMA. Soon a hire car and cab were teed up but he was clearly having trouble with accommodation. Not only were the Jehovahs here, it was Caulfield Cup in two days time.
No matter, we were Dandenongs bound “Just like I promised darling”, he said with a mile wide grin. We hadn’t gone but a kilometre from the hire car place when we got a call that no accommodation was available at Dandenong. We then had to explain that The Dandenongs is an entirely different place. He got the message.
Lorraine took the next call; our man had done his job but wanted to know if I was prepared to have “x” amount of dollars taken from the $3,000 available to premium holders. Frankly, I replied, I’m just so happy to be sleeping in the Dandenongs I couldn’t care less how much was coming out of the bulk amount.
Lorraine then rang our digs to confirm the booking. The receptionist voiced the opinion that since the NRMA had rung, we must be in trouble and she would give us a free upgrade.
So we made our way to Sassafras and our accommodation “Monreale”. We really had no idea what to expect, winding down a narrow road and through a gateway you’d never drive a motorhome through. With luggage in tow we made our way through an exquisite garden dominated by tree ferns and into a bungalow with everything you’d ever need. My premium cover didn’t include meals but here in the fridge were rashers of bacon, a carton of eggs, every breakfast cereal you could name (except my favourite Weetbix) and all types of liquid. Oh, and did I mention the complementary bottle of liqueur and Lindt chocolate bar on the coffee table?
As we brushed past the spa over to the canopied bed even I reluctantly had to admit that this was a step up from the motorhome. Then again, at $500 a night (weekend rate), you would expect that, wouldn’t you? I spun Lorraine a yarn of how I’d arranged the clutch to expire just to give her this surprise….not sure she believed me.
Next call was to Miss Marples Tea Rooms, an institution in these parts. Miss Marples in Sassafras is a place you just can’t walk into and get a table; no, patience is of the essence. They don’t take busloads here but it’s so popular they’re full all day.
We were only too happy to chill out for a few minutes before getting a table. The staff (all female I should add) are so obliging and efficient they’re an object lesson on how to run a restaurant.
After our main course we opted for a waffle dessert between us and I happened to mention in passing that it was Lorraine’s birthday so she was allowed to have a treat. It seemed like no time at all when a waffle with ice cream appeared, candle atop and the packed restaurant were all singing “Happy Birthday”.
Her next treat was the Alfred Nicholas Gardens, one of my personal favourites, where the founder of the Aspro Company spent his leisure time. These days it’s run by NPWS and, like the National Rhododendron Gardens we were to later visit, it’s free. I still find that hard to believe.
Winding our way down the zig-zag path to the classic lake with boat house, the fabulous eucalyptus regnans that bind the garden together are ever present in their magnificence. Multi-hued rhododendrons and azaleas are scattered throughout while clivia, camellia, fuchsia, temple bells and viburnum are also guaranteed to catch your eye.
The pond at the bottom with spreading ginkgos hanging over the footbridge is featured in many a promotional brochure but somehow the garden doesn’t seem to attract the hordes you might expect.
No, they all go to the National Rhododendron Gardens, which is where we headed next. Fortunately, there is more than enough space there for all the tourists.
This must surely be, if not the most popular, certainly up there in terms of Australian Gardens. The vast 40 hectares (104 acres) site can comfortably host a shipload and the Jehovah’s Witnesses were there in force when we walked in the gate.
The Ferny Creek Horticultural Society formed the Australian Rhododendron Society in 1960 and approached the Forests Commission for a suitable site to establish a rhododendron garden. A 20ha site, extended to 40ha in 1975, was selected from the Olinda State Forest on the eastern ridge of Mount Dandenong. In 1995, the National Rhododendron Gardens came under the management of Melbourne Parks and Waterways.
I’d visited before, but this time more blooms were out than I’d ever seen before. Swathes of colour bedecked the slopes, especially around the lake. Rainbows have nothing on the variety of hues on display here and distinct Japanese maples and dogwoods were scattered amongst the floral aurora. The Lake (that’s actually its name) is fed by springs. Interestingly it holds 14 million litres of water and is the reservoir for the garden.
Lorraine was tired but the continual excitement of even more colour and variety around the next bend lent a lightness to her step and when we reached the proteas her face was awash with joy, so much so that a potted example of a King Protea made its way all the way back to Moonee Beach and now sits in our garden.
Meanwhile we headed back to Monreale, dined on gourmet pizza in our luxury surrounds and cuddled up on the luxurious lounge.
We’d had a phone call late in the afternoon to say our motorhome was ready but we advised them that we weren’t and we’d call in sometime next day. Why spoil what turned out to be a perfect birthday surprise?
There was just one thing the next day that we’ll never forget. After we paid the mechanic’s bill and stepped into the motorhome, there was an overwhelming feeling that we were at home again; an air of welcoming and familiarity that had been missing and we didn’t even realise. Still, we’d managed to put up without it!
The Dandenongs have so many wonderful things to see. Parks Victoria control Alfred Nicholas Gardens, National Rhododendron Gardens, R.J. Hamer Arboretum, William Ricketts Sanctuary, Mount Dandenong Arboretum and George Tindale Memorial Gardens – all of which are free – best bargain in Australia!
The 1,000 steps memorial is a huge thing up here as well. Over 1,000,000 people try out this memorial to the Kokoda Trail annually.
See http://www.dandenongrangespoint.com.au/attractions/1000-steps/ for more details.
In addition to Miss Marples, Mount Dandenong is a food lovers’ paradise with many famous eating establishments such as Pie In The Sky etc.