Just another gold town?

Charters Towers is another gold town, but the difference is that they have preserved the best of the old, and are not afraid to show it off.

We booked ourselves into a great site with excellent cabins, very clean and well appointed, unlike the last one we were on. Set among palm gardens, with plenty of room between cabins, we were overlooking the swimming pool and a liitle stream.
Betty has a slight problem, she is using a bit of oil, so we had to book her in for a service and a lookover, fortunately we were advised that there is nothing seriously wrong with her just that we will have to watch her oil levels as the oil light is not working.
Anyway, it gave us time to have a good walk round  to see the historic heart of the town. Few towns can compare with the elegance and grandeur of the civic buildings,  and the historic hotels and quaint cottages from the gold rush era are close enough to be easily explored on foot.

I always thought that Stock Exchanges were for big cities, but Charters Towers had one as early as 1890 to try to regularise the sale of shares in the various mines that were springing up all around. Many rogues were digging holes and salting them with gold, selling shares in worthless mines, and then skipping town with the money.(I think there are some like that still about!) Anyway, the stock exchange tried to sort that out, and I believe was mainly successful.

Also here a local mine manager, having had his salary cut from £8 to £6, shot the chairman at a board meeting, and was later hanged for his pains.

Dotted around the town are some great Sculptures, usually with descriptions, we saw one of a famous bag lady, who was reputed to have fallen in love above her station, and when she was rebuffed by his family took to the road. Another is of a swaggie, whose heritage is unknown, but represents the variety of people who have passed through the town.

Bring a country town, country music had to be represented, and a great sculpture at the town entrance shows three musicians.

There are so many superbly maintained old buildings here it is impossible to show them all, but one among them is the Telegraph and Post Office, built in 1892. The clock tower was added in 1898, and still chimes every half hour, the building replaced an earlier post office from 1878, just six years after gold was discovered here by an aboriginal horse boy who was chasing a pony spooked by a thunderstorm.

I have earlier mentioned Queenslanders, a style of house building common to this area, a tin roofed wooden building mostly surrounded by verandas, and often on stubs or stilts. There are many in this town, some better preserved than others, but all wonderful buildings which I would be proud to live in.
Many have ornate wrought iron as this one has, with split level roof. This is one of the nicer examples, still privately owned.

Charters Towers then is well worth a visit for a few days, apart from the weather, which was not good, there is much to see, good museums, plentiful history, just a great town. I'll leave you with a few more pictures.

Bl**** Weather…..

The following day was wet-, it poured down most of the night and much of the next day, so our planned walk was a non starter. Instead we drove down to the lake, and the dam, which is pretty, but fairly ordinary.

Anyway, as the weather did not look like improving we decided to move on the following day, up to Airlie Beach, a two day drive, stopping overnight in a motel on the way.

Reaching the main road, the M1, ( not quite like ours, it is more like the A6 Carlisle to Penrith- single carriageway!) we found ourselves in sugar cane country. Mile upon mile of cane lines the road both sides, and occasionally we would come across a sugar plant. The cane is moved to the plant by a narrow gauge railway, which criss-crosses the road, or runs beside it for miles. Only once did we see the wagons that move the cane, and we were past before we could get a photo.

It is harvesting time now- just started and will go on til October. We are told that they fire the cane, well the lower part of in anyway which is dead and dry leaves, to get rid of the insects and snakes before the reaper goes through. The machine cuts the cane into short sections, and deposits the leaves as mulch.

The cane has to be processed in the plant within 24 hours, which mainly involves crushing and boiling,  and depending on the quality, can be made into brown sugar, white sugar, or even icing sugar.

After harvesting they plough and replant, placing four inch sections of cane into the furrows at regular intervals, and it re-roots itself.

From time to time we came across citrus plantations, mainly oranges and mandarins, but also limes and lemons. A few mango plantations as well.

Our second day’s travel saw better weather, the sun shone, but it was still remarkably cold. Airlie Beach is just like we remember it, perhaps a little more developed out of town, but not much different. It is pretty quiet at this time, there are still quite a few backpackers around, but generally the tourists appear to be elsewhere at the moment.

We stayed in a mediocre cabin on a mediocre site, froze the first night even with four blankets on, but the next day dawned bright and sunny to warm us up a bit.

There was a P&O ship outside the harbour, guests being tendered into the harbour. It was a pretty long tender, as the Pacific Dawn was too big to come in close. We spoke to a couple of the guests. It appears that this ship regularly sails out of Brisbane as far as Cooktown and back.

In the afternoon we took ourselves off up the coast to Dingo Beach and Gloucester bay,

At the latter there is a restaurant and I suppose one could call it a motel called Montes, ( a few chalets on the beach) far off the beaten track and beyond the tarmac road.

We found that place purely by chance,  I have no idea how they get their business unless it is repeat, there were only a few people there at lunchtime, but plenty of staff to look after them.

It really was idyllic, a beautiful beach with a great restaurant, we almost booked there and then, but as it was we had a drink and a walk down the beach then took off back to Airlie beach.

So today it is a little overcast again, a bit warmer, but at least no rain, and we are on our way north to a town called Charter Towers, which promises to be interesting.

In the meantime – here is a couple of photos taken in Airlie Beach.........

Just a bit disconcerting to go for a p and be faced with these beauties.......

The feathered variety....

A short night in Brisbane was followed by a trip north to Noosa, a pleasant area of coastline with many inlets and lakes. The weather was not great, it seems to be that way when we come to Queensland, but in any case we were using the time there to do our housekeeping, washing ironing etc, and preparing for the next six weeks while we travel the length and breadth of this state, up to Cape York and west across to the Northern Territory border and beyond.

Noosa is very much a boating and fishing area, and perhaps a retirement area too. There are many typical "Queenslanders", houses that comprise a main area , often on stilts, surrounded by shaded balconies, themselves surrounded by trees for shade. Most are very attractive, and well kept.

There are many seabirds in the area, Egrets, Australian Darters, cormorants, and of course pelicans. The shoreline abounds with them, which indicates that the fishing must be good around here. Unfortunately we don't have the time at the moment- and in any case it usually means feeding the fish rather than catching them!

The weather did not really improve over the three days we spent there, and we moved on some 450k up to Cania national park, a camp site some 45k from civilisation, but with excellent facilities.

As we arrived it was bird feeding time, there are a large varity of exotic birds here, from Galahs, (a common Oz parrot that is mainly grey with a pink neck and breast, cockatoos, and Rainbow Lorrikeet, which as it's name suggests, is multi coloured. There are also many animals on this site, which is close to a lake, but as yet, because it is raining, we have not had a chance to see them! There is good walking round here too, but as we are fair weather walkers that's out too! San fairy ann- we can watch the campers from our chalet, and sympathise with them.......

Anyway we'll relax for a couple of days and plan the next six weeks, which look quite exciting.

A sleepy backwater.

That's Melaka- but it was not always so. Fought over by battling colonial forces since the 14th century, it is halfway between China and India, and attracted merchants from all over the East. Before that time it was peacefully ruled by a Sultan, but in 1509 the Portugese decided they needed the port for victualling and atering, and sent the Sultan packing south to Johor. After an 8 month siege in 1641 the Sultan and the Dutch, who already had most of Indonesia, took it back. In 1795 the British, purporting to help the Dutch out when they were involved in a war elsewhere, took over. But as was usual with the Brits, they wouldn't leave, and deported the Dutch residents to Penang up the coast. Melaka though, gradually declined as Singapore became the major port in the Malay area.

So it has a chequered history, and has left a mixed Chinese, Portugese, Dutch and British population who have become Eurasian over the years. The modern city is built round Chinatown, two or three streets that contain old shop houses and temples.
We were lucky, Silver, our taxi driver, is a very knowledgeable guy who took us to many of the places that were worth seeing.

There are at least a dozen museums of all types in Melaka, we visited just two of them which gave us an insight into the past of this great city. The first was a general museum, in the Stadhuis, the former Town Hall and Governor's residence. It is beleived to be the oldest Dutch building in the East, built shortly after the Dutch occupied Melaka in 1641. Many of the buildings in this area are red, the story has it that the British decided to paint them this colour   after the original  Dutch white started to wear off leaving the red laterite stone showing!

In the museum are displays of Chinese and Malay weapons and ceramics, as well as a reconstructed Dutch bedrooms and a dining room of the period. A large room portrays Melaka's history, and in another uniforms from history are on display.

The second museum we visited is in the shape of a 14th Century Portugese ship, a maritime museum which tells of the early history of the city.I have to say it is too small to do it justice, but it does give a fair outline of the time.

We spent two days in the city, seeing many historic sites that I could bore you with, including a 16th century ruin of a church which was visited by St Francis Xavier and where he was temporarily interred before being transferred to Goa, where he remains to this day.

The Brits made it into a store for Gunpowder, put a lighthouse there, and a lookout post.
We had a tour by rickshaw, where we saw some of the old city walls, which originally came right down to the port, but because of reclamation in the last century are now some half a mile from the sea. We also saw a transport museum, that consisted of a Train, a plane and a hole in the ground.

Melaka is certainly worth a visit, we only saw the half of it, we did not for example take a trip on the river which is highly reccommended, or a lift up the tower to see Malaka from above. There are many more museums of interest, and much more history to learn about the area.

I will append a few more pictures below, to give an idea of some of the other sights we did see.

What a place!

It is an hour and a half by taxi from KL international airport to Melaka, ( also know as Mallacca to us Brits), and another half hour to find the place when the taxi driver goes round in circles. Eventually we found a guy at a security post in the middle of nowhere- it turned out to be the hotel, the Philea Resort, some 7k outside the centre of Melaka, and just 150 mtrs from where we came off the motorway! (See location below)

What a place- reception is in an outdoor complex which includes a lounge, two restaurants, a conference room and bars, (as well as two karaoke rooms!) quite different from usual hotels.Oh- and a ballroom too! (Unfortunately I have lost the photos of that area!!)

As we were taken up to our rooms we passed the swimming pool - well, we haven't seen anything quite like this. Two waterfalls drop into a river alongside the pool, which is a good forty metres long, and 20 wide. A cafe is across the river, as well as a games room, and some of the more expensive log cabins too. Beds line one side of the pool, but behind are a number of open sun cabins where one can get into the shade if we wish.

This place really takes your breath away, for £80 a night it is unbelievable, all the resort is made from logs, and I understand there are no nails anywhere!

Just up the path is a sauna, a large gym and treatment rooms all in seperate litlle cabins.Our own cabin is in a block of four, a sizeable bedroom and a large bathroom with a bath as well as a large shower. But we don't expect to spend a lot of time in there- there is too much else to see and do!

There is also a forest walk, and a team building course which we didn't have time to see, as when we were not seeing Melaka we spent all our time by the pool, completely reserved for just us!
It turns out that the hotel is almost empty, apart from a conference that arrives after breakfast as we are leaving for the airport on the third day we only see one family and another couple, and that is in a resort that will take 500 people in 180 cabins. We are told that they expect to be full the next week which is a local holiday.
Full or empty, we would reccommend this place to anyone for a peacefull few days, quite apart from the city itself, which I shall write about in my next blog entry. In the meantime here are a few more pictures.......

After two very hectic weeks

of Rotary we had arranged to spend a few days relaxing in Penang, an island off the north coast of Malaysia, in a superb resort facing the Mallacca Straits. (See Map below)
Roger and Kate had left us to go home from Bangkok, so it was just the Workington crowd and us, spending our days round the pool.
Anne spent much of her time in the beauty parlour- not that she needed it, I think she just wanted to get away from me for a while!
As usual I couldn't keep still, and went to try out the parascending, another new experience, it was fun while it lasted, and I didn't even get wet!

Taking off from the beach, and skillfully steering myself back to the beach, I even walked on the water!( that was down to the boat driver who deliberately slowed down to dunk me!) Anyway it was a bit of fun, I will do it again given the opportunity.











The food was great- we ate out at various places during the three days we were there, and even managed to gatecrash a private party in the Hard Rock Cafe! Mazda were holding a launch party for their new vehicle with a rock band, and we were invited in by the guy in charge, a Geordie no less! We had taken a rickshaw the mile and a half to get there, and it was a great finish to our time there.

So- Tomorrow the rest go back via KL to the UK, but we are going on to Melaka, some two hours south of KL, for our last couple of days over here.

On our last day in Chiang Mai

Anne and I elected not to take the trip to Laos and Burma (Myanmar), it was a 15 hour round trip and we thought we may do it over a few days sometime in the future. So we met up with Roger and Kate Brunt to see Chiang Mai itself, and visit a couple of outstanding temples there.

Chiang Mai is an ancient walled city, the wall itself is built of very small bricks and some of it still survives. Built originally to keep out invading Burmese in the 8th century, it failed when the invaders laid siege for many weeks.

There were five gates, of which only two were opened at any time, and a moat encircled the whole city, which still mainly survives, with decorative fountains playing to keep it oxygenated and free from weed.

The first temple we visited was on the banks of the river, the same river we rafted on the previous day, and the same one that flows through Bangkok. Buddhist of course, as most are in Thailand, very decorative both inside and out.

The four of us then took a boat trip down river, which was disappointing to say the least. There was little to see, except the dredgers which were deepening the river and raising the banks to avoid a repetition of the flooding which took place a few years ago, and most of the buildings along the banks either belonged to the rich, or were hotels. 

We eventually arrived at a little cafe which we entered for a drink, I have to say that the pineapple was quite delicious, the highlight of the trip!

Afterwards we made our way to another temple, completely made from Teak, quite beautiful both inside and out. 

Wat Long Molee is an old and significent site, whose name first appeared in historical texts of 1367. 10 monks from Burma were invited to bring their Buddhism, but it was not until 1527 that the chedi was built, followed by the main hall in 1545.

Tomorrow- on to Penang- an island in the north of Malaysia, where we will relax for a few days in a resort before we all make our way back to our respective homes- except for Anne & I of course, we will return to continue our adventure in Oz

Rotary Fellowship in Bangkok

The following is the report I have written for Norwest about the convention.

 

A very modern Conference centre in the suburbs of Bangkok was the venue for the 103^rd R.I. Convention where some 35,000 Rotarians and their partners from all over the world enjoyed fellowship and inspiration, among them a number from our District. Five Workington Club members, President John Mather, AG Alan Hoggarth, PP John Head, Secretary Rod Earlston and PP Ken K irkwood, were joined by Accrington PP Roger Brunt and PDG Ron Bailey from Carlisle South, each with their partners.

The party travelled via the Greentown club in Ipoh, Malaysia, to continue the friendship which started with the visit of the 2009 GSE team to our district. The visit to Ipoh was marked by the planting of a tree in a local park by the two club presidents, and great fellowship was enjoyed by the party during the four days they were there.

The party moved on to Bangkok together with a number from the Greentown club, staying in the centre of the city, some ten miles from the Convention Centre, which necessitated long bus journeys through the Bangkok traffic morning and evening.

The opening session , on  Sunday, took place in two seatings as the vast hall was not able to accommodate all the attendees, when a speech of welcome was given by one of the daughters of the Thai King, whose family is revered  here. She was followed by a Thai cultural Dance programme, and speeches of welcome by the chairman and the R.I. President Kalyan Banerjee. But the undoubted highlight of the session was the Flag Ceremony, where each of the national flags of all the countries of the world who host Rotary clubs were brought into the arena, some 203, finishing with the three new countries who have joined the Rotary family in the past year.

The event finished with a performance by the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.

One of the better parts of Conventions is the House of Friendship, which gives attendees the opportunity to meet delegates from all over the world, to visit the multitude of project stands showing there, and to hear and indeed take part in the entertainment that is on offer in the huge hall. Local Thai entertainers were alternated with entertainment from all over the world, Jazz bands, drummers, Thai boxers, Romanion dancers and Rock bands were just some of the entertainment offered all day and every day in the vast room, together with opportunities to see the Thai culture and dress.  Many R.I. accredited vendors were also present, allowing us to purchase Rotary branded goods such as scarves, ties, shirts, pins and many other items.

Each plenary session was preceded by entertainment, Indian Dance Troupes, Piano Trios, Thai Yoga Boys, Bulgarian Tenors to name but a few, and all the sessions included inspirational addresses from people such as Angelique Kido, from Unicef, Dr Mohammed Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Rotary Peace Fellows, and Dr Bruce Aylward, Asst Director General for Polio, WHO. In addition many break-out sessions took place over three days with titles such as Literacy, Education and the Future Of Humanity, Revitalising Rotary’s Impact, and Peace and Prosperity through Microcredit. It was impossible to attend all the sessions, so each of us chose those which interested us.

On the downside, the main plenary sessions were held in a hall so vast that it was impossible to see the speakers directly , having to rely on the huge TV screens that were dotted about the room. The sound system was excellent, so there was no problem in that way. The transport system, with so many people to move at the close of sessions, was under a great deal of pressure, but improved as the days went on.

On the other hand the registration was painless, and providing one wore one’s badge there was no problem moving from venue to venue. The House Of Friendship was well organised, and the availability of food of all kinds was excellent.

After the close of  business on the Wednesday the 1190 party took off up country to Chiang Mai for a holiday, followed by a few days in Penang, Malaysia,

before travelling home.

 

Elephants, oxen and bamboo rafts.

To the north of Chiang Mai is the elephant camp, and that's today's destination. As we arrived we could see the tourists mounting the elephants, and taking off through the river, which incidentally is the same one that runs through Chang Mai and down to Bangkok, some 500 miles away.

We climbed onto our ride, and made off down to the river,  for about half an hour.

It was a bumpy ride, particularly when we were going downhill when we tended to slip forward off our seats.

Every so often we would approach a small tower at our height where a lady would be holding our a bundle of sugar cane or a bunch of bananas for the elephants, at 20 Baht each. After a couple of these we got fed up and said no, but our elephant was determined not to pass it by! Eventually we arrived at the dismount point, where we were to return to our starting area by Ox cart. Not easy to control these oxen- particularly when the driver gets down to take a photo of us!

It was yet another experience to cross off our list.

Arriving back at the village we stopped for lunch, a Thai buffet, an excellent selection which gave me the opportunity to choose.

Following lunch we were treated to a show by the elephants, they are traned to play football, to bow on demand, and gave us a show of moving large logs, both towing them and rolling them with their trunks and feet. One in particular could  kick a football very acurately into a net, and even back heel it after throwing it into the air with his trunk. But for me the highlight of he show was to see three of the elephants painting pictures- i would not have beleived it had I not seen it with my own eyes. Two even signed them with their own name. Later we spoke to the owner of the camp- a British lady, and questioned her closely as to how they were able to train such an animal to do this. She told us that it could only be done by kindness, it was impossible to beat such a large animal into submission, and as the Mahouts relied totally on the camp for accomodation, schooling for their children and even food they had a great incentive to treat the animals carefully. 

Then came the highlight of the day for me- the bamboo rafting. Big John and Julie shared our raft, and as we made off down the river I was amazed to find how stable they were. Two locals punted us along, steering us down the centre of the river, past small local villages as well as virgin jungle, and in one case, a rope

bridge crossed the river. We were also treated to the sight of some of the locals sliding down a slip rope, which looked very exciting.

All of us took a turn at punting, the pole was surprisingly heavy, and the river was running quite fast, so it was not so easy as we had imagined. Arriving at our debark point, our guide Peter was waiting for us with our bus, and we continued our day with a visit to an orchid farm. I have to say that although there were a few nice flowers there, there was little else to entertain us, and most of the orchids were flowerless.

Never mind- we had had a brilliant morning, and although there was a monkey and a snake show on offer we elected to return to the hotel to relax by the pool, and in my case- to write up this blog. Job done!