Back to Sydney

My time down in Victoria has come to an end.  I've just returned to Sydney to spend my last nine days enjoying the sand and the surf with Leighton.  I sure did leave Victoria on a high note though, after sampling some of Melbourne's amazing food and enjoying the recreated mining town of Sovereign Hill.

I started my trip back to Sydney by working for Laharum grove one last time at the Slow Food Market in Melbourne.  It was really fun selling the products that I had spent that last three weeks preparing and packaging, as well as exploring the other stalls at the market.  This market was very much like the Moscow Farmers Market that we see each spring and summer, but with slight differences.  There was an entire section of the market dedicated to meets and cheeses at the Melbourne market.  I was able to sample many very nice types of cheese from a very soft Brie to some wonderful marinated Cheddar's.  Also this market was completely dedicated to food and along with the meets and cheeses it had all of the fruits and vegetables that you could grow around Victoria during this time of the year.  So there were lots of colorful booths with tomatoes, rhubarb, lemons and the like. 

The "Slow Food Market" was brought about in direct contrast to the fast food craze that is sweeping the world.  In order to get a spot to sell in the market you have to produce your own goods and so almost everything at the market is home grown and organic which is really nice to think about as you take your time, sipping a coffee or eating a few fresh nectarines from one of the booths.
The market setting fit very well with the overall theme of slow food, because it was situated within the walls of an old convent.  The convent is no long used by the church but it was saved form being demolished and now houses many art studios and small private clinics along with a wonderful cafe bakery that uses the original convent ovens to bake excellent breads and pastries.  I am not sure how often they have markets in the convent walls, but it really added to the feel with all those individual stalls selling produce and the old stone buildings of the convent rising on all sides.

The day before I left Melbourne we all took a trip to the Sovereign Hill gold town located just outside of Ballarat.  This town is a recreated 1850's gold mining town that depicts life back in the days of the gold rush.

Everything from the blacksmith to the bakery is authentic and run as an 1850's town including a troupe of actors and actresses which portray the life of an 1850's miner.  In the town we spent quite a while panning for gold in the river and even acquired a few flakes to take home.  We also learned of how gold is purified and melted down while we watched as a $130,000 gold brick was pored in front of our eyes.  It was sure something to watch it sizzle in the cold bath as he chilled it from red hot to touchable, and to see the gold gleam as it sat in the light.  It was quite a place to hang out for a day what with playing 1850's games, such as nine pin bowling, seeing how traditional candles were made and the way an 1850's machine shop was run.  It was one of the best tourist attractions I've visited in Australia and sure made me appreciate how easy we have it with our microwave ovens, TV's and hot tubs.

Now I'm back in Sydney and I have a week left to play around on the beach and hopefully take some awesome pictures.  I hope the weather will cooperate.