Bendigo By Night: drank

Fujifilm X30 with in-camera B&W(Red) filter. Enhanced and border applied in Snapseed app. 

Australian Gothic, Bendigo: playing with perspective

Walking around Bendigo city after tea revealed some interesting sights, particularly this Gothic decoration on a civic building, thrown into graphic nor by clever lighting.

I had a go at using the perspective adjustment tool in Snapseed, which I haven’t previously attempted. To be honest, it would have been easier on a screen much larger than my phone’s, but it was a good experiment. 

Here’s the original unedited image, taken with my Fujifilm X30 with in-camera B&W (Red) filter:

Destroyed by Fire: Wesleyan Methodist Church ruins, Tarnagulla

This charred shell of a grand old country church sits on a low rise in the Goldfields town of Tarnagulla, west of Bendigo.

The foundation stone was laid in October 1864, and the church opened in 1865 with a seating capacity of 300. It was damaged by fire in 2000, and is now privately owned – presumably by someone with a sense of humour, as there is a flock of pink plastic flamingos posted around the front.

Gothic Revival: St Mary’s Catholic Church, Dunolly

Out and About: Dunolly, Victoria

A misunderstanding took me to Dunolly, in the Victorian Goldfields Region, recently: I had been led to believe there would be a Swap Meet held there, as some signs along a wayside said so.

Unfortunately, upon arrival it became clear there was no Swap Meet, and the signs had been up from the previous year’s event – more fool me, for not noticing the date was one day out of plumb.

Anyway, the lack of Swap Meet didn’t dampen things, as Dunolly is a very interesting town to wander about, and for a Sunday in the country it was surprisingly busy. It is also home to the most amazing building materials salvage yard, and well-worth the visit if that’s your thing.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, STARTING AT TOP:

1. Help the what of the what?
2. Fantastical garden decor
3. i cannot find you but there is a face on the moon it looks like you
4. P. McBride 1852, Ironmonger
5. Dunolly welcomes you…
6. Established in the Goldrush days
7. G.S. Williams
8. Lan-choo tea for your teapot
9. Eagle Star Insurance
10. Groceries Hardware
11. The absent Swap Meet, advertised in a shop window
12. Town Hall, porthole to the balcony
13. Town Hall, where the wild things grow
14. Bet Bet Shire, 1864
15. Huge, creamy yellow roses for the bees
16. CLOSED sign on old sheet music
17. Pick the living critter…
18. Beautiful crackled paint
19. Dereliction in the Billiards Hall
20. Corner garage, closed

Talbot: a delightful Goldfields town

Since first visiting there in 2008, I have wanted to return to Talbot, situated south of Maryborough in the Victorian Goldfields region. It is a town well-endowed with handsome brick buildings, but – lamentably – the glorious curved main street “Scandinavian Crescent” is filled with mainly vacant shops. Despite this, the town attracts a thousand visitors to its farmers market each month, and the shops that are open (secondhand books, antiques, accessories, a gourmet cafe, and more besides) are certainly very appealing to the visitor.