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Jane's adventures

This blog is about my travels. At home in New Zealand, in other parts of Oceania, North, Central and South America and in Europe.
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The United States

5/18/2016

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My next trip is through the United States. I arrived in Chicago on a crisp spring evening. Chicago is the third biggest city in the states, and is a stunning place to visit if you get the chance. For now I am staying in green, leafy, springtime Wisconsin. Then I'm heading South.
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Melbourne Museum

5/12/2016

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If you have a spare day in Melbourne, I would recommend a trip to the Melbourne Museum. In particular, I would recommend both taking the tram there and taking one of the free guided tours of the Museum. I was the only participant on the tour I went on, but I found it extremely interesting. Australia has a very rich history; amazing natural history (including a giant, prehistoric ancestor of the wombat) and Aboriginal and European human history. I particularly liked the exhibition on rocks and minerals. Australia has an incredible wealth of minerals lying beneath its ancient surface. From uranium to opals to rare pink diamonds, Aussie has everything!
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150 million year old prawn fossil.
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Walk to Mitre Lake

5/11/2016

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The view from the top of Mt. Arapilles.
PictureThe lake in the distance.
The view of the surrounding countryside from the top of the Arapilles is spectacular. I saw a shimmering lake in the distance. It was so clear and still that it looked like a mirror, reflecting the clouds above from the ground. I decided that the next day I would take a walk to go and see it.

​I walked off through the bush and observed some small berries and fruit on the way. I've always liked botany, and survival stories and I wondered which ones I would be able to eat if I really needed to. Next time I go to Australia I would like to do a 'bush tucker' tour to learn which Australian plants are edible.​

PictureBerries on the way
Walking along the path made me think about a book I had ​been reading a book at home called  'extreme survivors' - a collection of great survival stories from around the world. One of my favourite survival stories was about three girls Molly Craig (aged 14), Daisy Kadibil (aged 11) and Gracie Fields (aged 8). It was 1931 and the three girls had been relocated from where they had formerly lived in a remote aboriginal community in Jiggalong in Western Australia. The girls had then walked an enormous distance, 2,400 km (1,500 miles) through difficult terrain to get back home. This story reminds me of what a big  difference training and experience make to survival. The book has been made into a movie called 'Rabbit proof fence' which I recommend.

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Mitre peak, my way marker on my quest to get to Mitre lake.
​I walked off towards Mitre peak, which I knew was roughly in the direction of the lake. On the way I discovered a cycle path, called the 'Arapilles Big Sky' path. I think that would be a great cycleway to ride on if you liked cycling and ever happened to go there.
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​I kept ​walking and walking towards the glistening lake, and got closer and closer. One sign said 'watch out for snakes' which was slightly alarming, but luckily I didn't see any. The vegetation started to change and it turned into interesting marshlands. I wandered through these for some time, until I first got a sighting of water. I decided I just had to go and see it, and on the way I found some tiny sea shells in this dreamy inland lake.
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Climbing

5/10/2016

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The Arapilles has a huge range of climbing to choose from. There are long multipitches, short beginner routes, short hard routes and on and on. Over 2000 climbs have been developed since the 1960's.

​If you go climbing in the Arapilles around Easter, nice fellow climbers often leave easter eggs on some of the climbs for others to find. Awesome!!! :) I got in some great climbs with great climbing companions. I was amazed by the variety of rock forms and great quality of the rock. The arapilles is known for rock features called 'chicken heads' little knobs of rock that you can easily sling as you go past - a much appreciated geological feature!​
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Building anchor after my pitch on Lamplighter.
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Mt. Arapilles

5/9/2016

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PictureThe organ pipes









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​Mt. Arapilles is beautiful, a climbers paradise. It rises out of the Wimmera plains and there are thousands of climbing routes to choose from. Although camping facilities are basic, the campsite is well located, close to the climbs. Early in the morning, the sounds of kookabura chortle through the camp. Sometimes families of Kangaroo hop through, easily clearing the fences on the nearby farms. Wattle and other plants are out in flower, and at night the stars come out, shimmering above the rock buttresses.

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The main bluff
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Golden wattle
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Kangaroo hop through the campsite.
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Destination: Horsham

5/5/2016

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PictureSouthern Cross Station. Melbourne.
Early on Thursday morning, I was perched with coffee on hand, observing the morning commuters streaming from the trains at Southern Cross station. I thought about all the times I'd done the same ritual, and felt lucky that I was now taking the train in the opposite direction - towards a holiday.

​At quarter to 8 I headed down to the train to Horsham. I must say I am most impressed by the level public transportation service provided in Melbourne. The train glided out of Melbourne and towards Ararat, then I would take another bus to the small town of Horsham. From there I would catch the Wimmera bus to the Arapilles campsite, also known as the Pines.

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Nearly there. My final bus - Wimmera roadways are a friendly local bus company. The Arapilles are visible in the distance in this photo.
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First stop, Melbourne

5/4/2016

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First stop is Melbourne.  I spent the day exploring Melbourne and preparing for my trip to the Arapilles, buying camping supplies and food. Melbourne is a beautiful city, and has some great architecture and little oasis from the busy streets, like this one below.
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A cute cafe in Melbourne.
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Melbourne has a much appreciated tram system.
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Australia for a week

5/3/2016

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I am in Australia for one week, headed to Mt. Arapilles, a rock climbing area about 5 hours North-West of Melbourne. Mt. Arapilles has fantastic quality rock and incredible climbing.
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    I am a traveller from New Zealand. My blog is to inform friends and family about my adventures. I hope you enjoy it!

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