Off the Beaten Track

During the early 1900s, a railway ran from Daylesford, via Trentham and to the Carlesruhe junction where the original bluestone station (1862) still stands although not in use today.  The line carried timber from the forest and potatoes from the local growers as well as passengers. The railway today is defunct but there are signs of its path and I find myself discovering some of its mysteries while I cycle the area. The line was opened in 1880 to via, Tyldan, Fernhill, Trentham and to Daylesford. It closed in 1978 and many of the stations along the way only retain remnants of their existence today. I intend on walking the old tracks during the warmer months in search of these remnants of lost history.

There's a gravel road called Rippers Lane that takes you pass a few farms and then it dips down into a small valley. The train in the past travelled over the creek that ran under the wooden trestle bridge that exists today as a relic of the past.

The train of the past ran over this trestle bridge carrying timber and potatoes to Melbourne via Woodend. 

With the recent rain, our creeks are flowing well - the recent summer dried all the creeks and the local reservoirs fed from the streams were at an all time low. Local residents tell us that this is the best they've seen for a decade. We may even have the trout return.

These little guys came out to check me out while I was taking photos - very friendly indeed.

We've Been Framed

During the week I posted on Facebook a photo of the frame being erected on the slab for our new home in Trentham. It's all getting a bit real now so I thought we'd add some more detail on the progress for our readers.

Come for a walk through our home - the frame has now been erected so it is just in skeleton form at this stage but we are now getting very excited.

The double garage will be fitted with a remote door control and both our cars can sleep comfortably from the outside elements. We can enter the house from the garage via a door to the LH side and if we have wet shoes or coats, they can be left in the garage or the laundry just behind the garage. The other door to the RH side in the garage leads down to the utility area - cloths line, etc...

We've just walked into the foyer via the front door. To the left is my study and next is a passage to the master bedroom. There's a powder room next on the left. At the very far end is the kitchen, dining and family areas.

MY study, MY domain looks out to the front garden, that is when I establish it.

Opposite the study is a living room. This will be painted in a dark grey with light grey furniture and white accessories I'm told.

We have double doors that open to the entrance of our master bedroom, en suite and dressing room.

Again like the study, the window offers a view to the yet to be established front garden 

Looking back into the master bedroom from the front garden you see an alcove to the left at the back where we may make into a little reading nook. The opening to the RH side takes you to the en-suite and dressing room.

To the right of the en-suite is a very generous dressing room.
Opposite the dressing room is the en suite that contains the double basins, shower and toilet.
The house was designed as a two bath house but we could not remember when we last used a bath in preference to showers so our home does not have a bath. They are replaced with double showers in the master and second bath room.

We've now walked down from the foyer to the kitchen, dining and family area. To the right at the far end is another room that Sue has allocated to me. It's the Butler's Pantry where "I" do all the cleaning up. It's where the dishwasher is kept and a sink for me to wash up.

Here's a view from the other side of the area. To the left is a large glass window and centrally there is a triple sliding door and then a double sliding door to the L-Shaped alfresco area facing north-west. This can then open the interior to the outside entertaining areas. 

We are informed that the roof goes on next week and then we pay another chunk of progress payment. That's OK as long as the progress continues swiftly. At this stage we a mildly excited as we can see the plans becoming a reality in bricks and mortar.

We shall continue to report the ongoing progress, punctuated by regular posts of our "Country Life" in the Central Highlands of Victoria.

DEPTHS of WINTER

Yes, we in OZ are now in the depths of winter but being inhabitants at sea level when we once lived by Melbourne on the Bay, we are now in the central highlands of Victoria. Today was our first dowsing of real snow.

Where we rent in Kyneton, we are 400 plus metres above sea level but where our new home is being built, we are 700 plus metres above sea level. Our friends who own a lovely historic home in Trentham sent me these photos - I am sharing them with you because I can't wait to enjoy this next winter.

I came out to my car to see it like this. Kyneton @ 400m above sea level

Framework arrived on a Friday

Friday's are becoming a day of surprises. Last week the concrete slab was poured and now this Friday the prefabricated steel frame arrived. We are hopeful that more surprises are in store for next week.

Our builder is one of the few that build with metal framing and being pre-fabricated should go up quickly. Being steel, it is free of rot or termite damage into the future.

You may have read in our last post that we met Kate, a local only a few blocks up the street from us. She was the one who asked how we chose Trentham and we told her that Trentham chose us. Her answer to us was "Well then you truely belong". Today we had another local visit us at the block.

Geoff took his French vintage Amilcar out for a test drive and said hello. He's as much as a Francophile as us as I'm to believe a 1950s Citroen 2CV is coming into his garage soon.

Geoff Scott and I sat on the MG Car Club Committee together, he as President, me as Editor. We now both belong to the Cool Country Classics Car Club in Trentham. Yes, I think we may just belong here.

This is my arty-farty photo of Geoff and his Amilcar.

RAIN, RAIN and more RAIN

Last week we had snow, this week its just rained and rained but the land can use it. The creek at the end of the property hasn't flowed so well for the last 2 years the locals tell us. The ducks are loving it and the frogs are croaking with happiness. We are so fortunate that the builder has poured the concrete slab before the rains came.

We had visitors up from Melbourne today and we took lunch at the Collective Cafe with winter soup. They told us that they visited Trentham Falls before catching up with us so we took a quick visit to see the result of the recent heavy rainfalls.

Our creek joins with the Coliban River before flowing over Trentham Falls.

Under the falls is a cave - can you see it?

Only today we met a neighbour walking her dog down our street and we introduced ourselves and she asked the question - how did you choose Trentham as a home. We said we didn't, it chose us to which she exclaimed, "then you belong here". It was cold today but her comment made us warm.