April 25: Visit in Swan Hill

April 25 saw us leave the quaint roads in Echuca

and travel even further west and a little more north to Swan Hill, another rustic town along the Murray River. The Swan Hill region is currently experiencing a locust infestation, and as we travelled, we often ran into swarms of them flying at us! Our car was covered, and we had to wash our car twice over the course of our two days there, in an attempt to rid the car of the pests! It was there by the car wash that we happened upon a literary Austin car, aptly called "Jane Austin"!

The town of Swan Hill is home to one of the most natural sections of the Murray River, providing ideal habitat for wildlife and that elusive Murray Cod. Upon arriving in Swan Hill, a huge memorial to the Giant Cod greeted us. It was originally built as a prop for a movie. Another highlight in Swan Hill was the Burke and Wills tree. It is purported to be one of the largest Moreton Bay Fig Trees in the Southern Hemisphere.

Can you find me in the picture, nestled among its roots? It was planted around 150 years ago to commemorate the visit to Swan Hill in 1860 by explorers Burke and Wills. Now for your history lesson - Burke and Wills led an expedition at that time from Melbourne to the north coast of Australia to discover what existed north of Melbourne. It was a lavish expedition, outfitted with 27 camels, 23 horses and 20 tonnes of supplies. Swan Hill was the last camp before the force crossed the Murray River into the neighbouring state of New South Wales.

Our next stop was a visit to the Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery where a most unusual sculpture greeted us.

By now it was time for lunch, so we drove out of town to a gourmet restaurant called "La Mangia Cafe" at the Sonre Farm.

The farm is renowned for its pistachios (I am munching on pistachios even now as I write this blog!), almonds,

olive oil and olives Of course the food was enjoyable and the "flat white" coffee was superb, but best of all was what I found outside! Check out our next blog to discover what it was!

Our afternoon attraction was the Pioneer Settlement Village in Swan Hill. It sits on the banks of the Murray River and depicts the ingenuity, hardship and dedication of the people living in inland Australia from 1830 to 1930. There are more than 50 buildings which can be explored, some which are still the originals and others which have been faithfully restored. The village houses many historic items as well as an impressive collection of heritage agricultural machinery.

You could visit a rich homestead or a poor one, hear a sermon in the local church,

peek into a travelling school caravan, or check out the pioneer hospital equipment, like this gurney. When we were tired of walking around the main streets, we took a ride through the area on a horse and cart. I was thrilled to find a music shop where we could sing along with one of the "locals" in period costume who was operating a player piano. Rick was happy to hitch a ride in an old Dodge car. We both loved the general store which sold penny candy as well as the the chemist shop which offered pills promising to "cure every ailment for just $3.00" ! We found the local bakery and the cart used to peddle its goods. Another highlight was viewing 3D photos in the giant Kaiser Stereoscopic Theatre, imported from Germany in 1890. A steam engine train and the PS Pyap, an original working paddleboat, were other prominent features of the village. Along the banks of the Murray River ancient Aborigine sites could be seen. Established in 1963, the Pioneer Settlement Village was the first outdoor museum in Australia.

We stayed at a lovely resort in Swan Hill for night, right in the heart of the town.

Later in the evening we returned to the Pioneer Village for a Sound and Light show to see the settlement at night. We were shepherded into a long cart, and driven to the various buildings around the village. Each stop gave us a story of some historical significance. Everything appeared different at night from what it looked like in the daytime. See for yourself - here is the General Store by day and the General Store by night. Another obvious contrast was the Lower Murray Inn by day and the same inn at night.

Other sites of interest included the post office,

the fire brigade, some authentic gas pumps, the tractor shed, the harness maker, and the brightly-painted barber shop! The show concluded at the location of the PS Gem paddlesteamer that ran aground on the Murray River in a time of drought. This is where it has remained moored ever since as part of the museum.

All evening long during the show we saw possums running along the ground or sitting up on a building. We tried in vain to capture that elusive possum on film many times. Every time the light would focus in on them, or they would hear our cart approaching, they scampered away. Check out the last picture. If you look carefully, you might be able to see part of the vanishing possum!