APRIL 2019 : BALLARAT, VICTORIA : Kryal Castle

Our final day we spent at the very entertaining Kryal Castle, which had a full program punctuated with engaging activities.

A  well established venue with lots to investigate.

From the entrance of the castle you are led through a series of tunnels, with an introduction to the medieval world of knights and dragons.

The present theme throughout the day was Alice in Wonderland

In the Jester Theatre the story of Alice in Wonderland unfolded in 15/minute episodes during the day.

Some wizardry 

... and a potion workshop

Some Mad Hatter craft

The Tooth Fairy

A maze to explore

Dakota trying to pull the famous sword, Excalibur, out of the stone.

Lots of activity around the arena

 Alice, imprisoned by the Queen of Hearts, only to be freed by the success of the White Knight.

The Queen makes a grand entry

Jousting competition 

The deciding contest 

Amusing from beginning to end

M&M

APRIL 2019 : BALLARAT, VICTORIA : Lake Wendouree and the Botanical Gardens

We had an opportunity to meet up with family today, who drove from Melbourne to lunch with us. We decided to meet at Piper’s cafe by the picturesque Lake Wendouree, near the Botanical Gardens.

Ros, my sister, and her sister-in-law, Wendy, who lives in Ballarat and works in restoration architecture.

Warm inside. Wendy, Ros and my niece, Stephanie

Another niece, Liz, with Koby

Exploring the park

The Stoddart Statue Pavilion donated to the Gardens in 1884

The Robert Clark Conservatory, constructed in 1995

The present seasonal display

M&M

APRIL 2019 : BALLARAT, VICTORIA : Sovereign Hill : Aura Sound and Light Show

Despite a big day at Sovereign Hill we booked to go see the new Sound and Light Show extravaganza, which captivated us all. Aura is the story of gold from its creation until today. As we entered the theatre precinct there were some enticing 3D special effects of gold mining days.

We were given 3D glasses, which heightened the children’s excitement

Koby thought the glasses were particularly cool.

The first 20 minutes was a dramatic 4D representation of the creation of the universe and gold.

We were, then, transported in open-sided buses to another site 15 minutes away.

We stood in an open air theatre watching colourful projections over a small gully of the local Wadawurrang tribe’s Dreamtime creation story.

In near proximity was another theatre, where we sat inside. The first section was about the early settlement of the area by colonists and the effect on the local indigenous population. Gold, although known about by the Wadawurrang tribe, was not considered important or valuable as it was too soft for tool making.

Suddenly, as the establishment of the goldfields unfolded, the screen split to reveal a huge 64 acre set, where the rest of the story was told.

Then home for dinner at our Big 4 cabin - 3 bedrooms, en-suite, modern kitchen and laundry facilities and warm!

The happy campers!

M&M