10TH ANNUAL MOUNT BEAUTY MUSIC FESTIVAL (Parts 1 & 2)

Together with friends Robyn and John, we are off to Mount Beauty on Wednesday, (April 22), to attend the 10th Mount Beauty Music Festival ,(our third), in Victoria's picturesque high country. Some 40 plus artists will be performing over the weekend, (three mornings, afternoons and nights of entertainment for $60), including amongst others, Bluegrass Parkway our very favourite band from WA, Greg Champion of ABC Radio - Coodabeen Champions fame, the fabulous Ploughboys whose rendition of "The Wild Colonial Boy" is fantastic, and Ted Egan, the well known world champion beer carton player and ex Northern Territory Administrator, who has upgraded his act from playing a beer carton to a Vodka carton, an Aussie icon if ever there was one.

We have rented a house in Mount Beauty for five nights, (less than five minutes from the township), with views from it's deck to Mt Bogong, and are all looking forward to some very pleasant days. Hopefully the weather will remain fine while we are there, as this part of Victoria is generally seen at its best in mid to late autumn.

The aptly named town of Mt Beauty sits at the base of Victoria’s highest mountain, Mount Bogong, (1986 metres). This beautiful little town was planned and created by the State Electricity Commission in the late 1940s, and was originally home to the thousands of workers who built the Kiewa Hydro Electricity Scheme.

Mount Beauty, located approx 350 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, is accessible from a number of directions. One of these, the Great Alpine Road, a 308-kilometre route from Bairnsdale in the south east, to Omeo, Dinner Plain, Mount Hotham, Harrietville, Bright, (Turn off shortly before Bright to Mount Beauty via Tawonga Gap), Porepunkah, Myrtleford to Wangaratta in the north west, is an extraordinary drive at any time of year.

The Great Alpine Road packs a powerful scenic punch, taking you past valleys, mountains, forests, rivers, vineyards, farms and historic villages and the nearby heritage-listed village of Wandiligong, before arriving at Bright.

Last time we went to Mount Beauty, (2007), for the music festival, we drove the long way via Bairnsdale/Omeo/The Great Alpine Road to Harrietville, turning off shortly before Bright on to the Tawonga Gap road to the Kiewa Valley and Mount Beauty. This year we are again going via Bairnsdale to Omeo which contains many impressive 19th century buildings, including the post office, court house, pub and the 1858 jail built of logs. Omeo has a complex history, created by European and Chinese gold seekers, mountain cattlemen and farming families.

However this time we will be taking the Omeo Highway through Ensay and Anglers Rest, before taking the recently sealed, (April 2009), Bogong High Plains Rd, which will take us to the alpine resort of Falls Creek, from where we will proceed down the mountain to Mount Beauty which is situated at the base of Mount Bogong. The Bogong High Plains Rd from the Omeo Highway to Falls Creek is not new in itself, but it has only ever been an unsealed summer road, closed to winter traffic owing to snow, should be interesting.

If you are are looking for a few days break in April 2010, why not consider Mount Beauty for the Mount Beauty Music Festival, which generally takes place on the last weekend (Friday-Sunday) of April - you won't regret it.

HAD A GREAT TIME (AGAIN) AT MOUNT BEAUTY(Part 2)

The drive to Mount Beauty via Falls Creek took place on the most beautiful of days. Just as well that we chose to go and not return this way, as snow fell on the mountain over the weekend and the temperature at Falls Creek dropped to -3 degrees on the day of our departure.
As we had a free day before the festival commenced, we went over the Tawonga Gap to Bright and Wandiligong, then back to Harrietville for a coffee. Harrietville, which we both love, is a really nice little town in Victoria's north-east, arguably the most beautiful part of the state.

While there we discovered that a house at 226 Great Alpine Road, (positioned between #2-3 on the map), which we had long admired was for sale.

We first noticed the house when we met the builder a couple of years ago, (selling raffle tickets in the street for the CFA). As our interest was high we contacted the agent in Bright and made arrangements to view the house on our way home last Monday, via Harrietville, Bright, Myrtleford, Wangaratta and the Hume Freeway to Hampton.
We were not at all dissapointed with the inspection as the house is very well located, in tip top condition and has everything that one could want.

Having returned to Harrietville for a third inspection, we are currently negotiating to buy the property to live in, with the view to (perhaps) sharing our time between Harrietville and Melbourne. Hopefully all will go well but if not, we will still be returning to Harrietville in November for the Bluegrass Festival, which we have been attending with Robyn and John for a few years.

HOW TO GET TO HARRIETVILLE

Harrietville is a 4-hour drive from Melbourne via the Hume Freeway to Glenrowan, from where you take the Milawa exit and follow the signs to Myrtleford on the Great Alpine Road. Continue on the Great Alpine Road through Bright, then a pleasant 25km to Harrietville, the last town this side of Mt Hotham.

Alternatively continue on the Hume Freeway past Glenrowan to Wangarratta, taking the Great Alpine Road exit to Bright, continuing on through Myrtleford to Bright and Harrietville.

If travelling from Sydney, take the Hume Highway to Albury-Wodonga. Follow the snow signs to Yackandandah then the turn off to Myrtleford, where you turn left onto the Great Alpine Road, continuing on to Bright and then on to Harrietville.

The following article from the Melbourne Age, refers to the thrice weekly bus trip from Bright to Omeo and return, for $9.20. What great value for Seniors.

We had a great time in
and look forward to returning for the
Harrrietville Bluegrass Festival in November,
as well as the Mount Beauty Music Festival in April 2010,
which will no doubt be every bit as good as we have
come to expect, since we first discovered it.

TODAY, (APRIL 1), WOULD HAVE BEEN MY DEAR OLD MUM AND DAD'S 76TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Bridal Party
Best Man, (Groom's Brother), John (Jack) Maher
Bridesmaid, (Bride's Friend), Isabel Cuthbert
Groom, Francis Ronald (Ron) Maher - Bride, Ethel Ruby Douglas
Bride's Father, George Douglas
Flower Girl, (Bride's Neice), June Grant.

Mum and Dad who were married in St Monica's Catholic Church, Footscray, on the 1st of April 1933, were the proud parents of six children, Beverley, Ronald (Brian), Alan, Barry, Francis and Janet. Sadly for them however, three of their children, Beverley, Barry and Francis, lived such short lives, Beverley, 3 days, Barry, seven and one half months and Francis, 1 day.

I cannot begin to understand just how difficult a time those early years would have been for my parents so early into their married life. They did however overcome their grief, and went on to live a happy life together, until Mum passed away on 6th March 2001, aged 88, followed by Dad on 28th October 2002, a few weeks short of his 92nd birthday.

Mum, who was born in Bairnsdale, Vic, on February 17 1913, and Dad, born in Werribee, Vic, on November 27, 1911, spent most of their married life living in the western suburbs, (Footscray) Stafford St, (where I was born), Napier St, Greenham Place, and Coronation St (Kingsville).

70 Coronation St, their last address address in the western suburbs .

In 1993 they decided with very little (if any) prompting, to leave Footscray/Kingsville which had been home for the greater part of their life, and move to Silver St, Cheltenham, where they were close to Brian and Betty, (Cheltenham) and Alan and Lyn, (Mentone now Hampton). At that time Janet was living in Laverton, but has since moved to Tarneit, (Werribee).

On the verandah at Werribee (Dad's birthplace).
Grandmother, Uncle Bill, Mum, (Auntie Ag), Dad, Uncle Tom

Mum and Dad were very happy in Silver St, and
never regretted their decision to leave Coronation St
Silver St Cheltenham

1969 -Anthony's Christening . Dad with Brett and Michael, Mum with Anthony,
Debbie, Carolyn, Julie, Greg and Stephen
Off on a cruise

Another cruise

Land's End, 1977

You can take the boy out of the Western Suburbs,
but you can't take
the Western Suburbs out of the boy

Michael, Julie, Greg, Carolyn, Anthony, Stephen, Debbie, Simon, Brett, Mum, Dad, Mark

How I Like to Remember Them - Gone but not forgotten