What an amazing day we’ve had. Australia is just an amazing land.
This morning Kerry drove Erin, Charlie, Harry and me to the top of the Dandenong ranges to ‘The Lookout’. What a magic place! This tells a bit about where we were -
“Get some Perspective & Escape the noise and pressures of the concrete jungle. Less than one hour from the Melbourne CBD you can be SkyHigh – on the uppermost reach of the Dandenong Ranges, amid cool fern glades and lush towering native forest, looking at the big picture, from the Mornington Peninsula across the majestic sweep of Port Phillip Bay, surrounded by Melbourne’s growing urban fringes, to the You Yangs on the southern horizon....First established as a survey point in 1861 this historic area, which has recently undergone a lavish and sympathetic redevelopment, affords a unique overview of Greater Melbourne. Enjoy the unparalleled vista from the SkyHigh Bistro or fire up a public barbecue, spread a rug and picnic on the elevated viewing terrace”.
http://www.skyhighmtdandenong.com.au/home.aspx
We met Emily, Trevor and their four kids there, and a little later Max, Mike and Trevor joined us. As suggested by this web quote, we found a picnic table and has a delicious lunch of cold pizza and roast almonds! Emily’s delicious slice came out again… We went for a walk through the bush and had heaps of fun.
Later, at the recommendation of my Mum and Dad who visited last time they were in Melbourne with Mike, Sharon and Kerry, we went to the ‘William Rickett’s Sanctuary’.
“The main work of William Ricketts is the sculpture park that he named Potter's sanctuary, but is now known as William Ricketts Sanctuary. He worked for more than fifty years on the transformation of a natural old-growth eucalyptus forest into a unique place of spiritual renewal and quiet reflection. The sanctuary reflects a spirit of place expressed through one man’s dream. Deeply felt connections to the earthly mother and the spirit of the land are explored in 92 ceramic sculptures of people and animals, which merge with the natural surroundings: a wise elder is as one with an ancient tree, his beard flowing into its trunk and roots; young children play with native animals among ferns and flowing water; and the human and natural spirit become one.
In the 1960s the Victorian Government bought this place from William Ricketts and made it a public park. William Ricketts lived in this place until his death in 1993.”
I don’t need to write a lot more as the sculptures best speak for themselves. It was a truly special experience to visit the Sanctuary.
There will be a few more photos as I’ll be getting some more from Emily when we catch up next. What an amazing place…
1 comment:
So good to look at this wonderful sanctuary once again. A very spiritual place! Thank you Liz
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