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Wednesday 8th January - Goulburn

Weather update - a low of 20.0 last night and upto 33.2 today.

We toured around Goulburn today, starting with the Big Merino, which is about 500m down the road from our van park. I went looking around the gift shop while Clive climbed up inside the sheep to have a view from the top. You can look out the sheep's eyes at the surrounds. When he came down I had bought a magnet, tea towel and a soft toy merino sheep. It will be called Lamb Chops, after the pet one that I had when I was younger.

In the Big Merino they have an exhibition, depicting the last 200 years of the History of Wool in Australia. Very interesting reading. The actual sheep structure is 15.2 metres tall, 18 metres long and weighs around 100 ton. Not the sort of sheep I would like to shear.

Now onto Union Street where my grand-farther was brought up. It has now been pulled down and forms part of the school. Luckily I have some photos from the council that were taken as it was being demolished. Another piece of history now lost in the past.

Next stop was the Historic Goulburn Waterworks. Goulburn was Australia's first inland city. It has many old buildings especially along the main street that Clive visited later by himself. It was my rest time. In the early days before the Waterworks most people had to collect water in tanks, wells or purchase it from carters. Due to the demands of a growing city, in 1885 the waterworks was located adjacent to a deep hole in the Wollondilly River at Rocky Point and powered by a steam engine. Withing two years this hole had run dry, so a weir was built further downstream, thus ensuring a continuous supply of water for the town.

In 1897 an additional duplex steam pump was installed adjacent to the original Appleby Beam engine from 1865. In 1918 an additional annex was built to house one of the first electric pumps in a NSW waterworks. The Waterworks in Goulburn provided townsfolk with a reticulated water supply up until 1977.

The Appleby Brothers Beam engine is the only one left in the world and can be seen working on special 'firing days', when large crowds come to see a piece of history. Clive was allowed to go to the top of the Beam Engine - something not normally allowed for visitors and this gives a view of the engine and the winches above needed to help with maintenance.

The walk along the main street, shows many different buildings, with some taking up a whole corner block and side street. From the grandeur of the Telegraphic Office, (Post Office), to some of the smaller ones, they are well worth the walk and to look at. The Dimmey's Store's / Harvey Norman Building is another huge one.

Next to St. Saviour's Cathedral. This Anglican Cathedral is a magnificent example of Decorated Gothic architecture and in 2013 the City of Goulburn celebrated its 150th birthday as Australia's first inland city. Royal Letters Patent granted by Queen Victoria on March 14, 1863, established the Goulburn Diocese. The Cathedral was completed after 10 years of building in 1884, built around the original (1839) St. Saviour's Church, whose bricks form the cathedral floor. Inside there are many stained glass windows, an ornate 3000 pipe organ, intricate stone carving and a reflective Soldiers' Chapel. There is no spire on this Cathedral and money is currently being raised to build one.

Conversely the Catholic Ss. Peter and Paul's Old Cathedral has a spire and was completed in 1890. This church served as the Cathedral church for the Diocese of Goulburn until 1969, when St. Christopher's in Canberra became the Cathedral. Again this is a beautiful building with stained glass windows, three dimensional Stations of the Cross and a pipe organ that in no way compares to the one in St. Saviour's. The windows behind the Alter are a blaze of colour and well worth enjoying. There are pictures of Bishop Mark Coleridge celebrating his last Mass there. He is now the Arch-bishop of Brisbane.

Clive also went to the Rocky Hill War Memorial, situated on a high cliff on the outskirts of town. The Memorial was opened in 1925 as a lasting tribute to those men and women who served in WW1. The square tower stands 20 metres above the top of Rocky Hill. There is an eternal flame inside the tower that Clive tried to photograph, but was unsuccessful. Sadly the museum was closed undergoing renovations. You can see the smoke hanging over the city from up here and we've included a photo from a brochure to compare our view to what one would normally see.

Fresh pies from the bakery for dinner. Spoiling ourselves.

Tuesday 7th January - Goulburn

A rest day today after yesterday's horror trip and long drive. Down to 15.8 overnight, but upto 35.4 during the day. Yes, the air con is working well.

Clive got the blog upto date and I read. We're going to see the Big Merino tomorrow and some other sights including where my great grand-father lived in Union Street. Sadly, this is now a school.

Rain, rain, glorious rain. It started raining late in the afternoon. Hopefully this will go everywhere that the fires are, but watching the news tonight it means that back burning will be limited and they are using graders instead to build fire breaks.

Chinese for dinner- delicious.




The Big
Merino.


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Stairs to
the top.


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Benefits of
Merino.

Interesting
thought.

The
eye.

Left eye
view.

Right eye
view.

Both
eyes.


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1888 Wool
Press.


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Really large
Ugg Boots.

Lamb
Chops.


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Historic
Waterworks.

Pump
station.


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Pump station and
chimney stack.


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Original 1883
boilers.


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Horizental
engine.


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Electric
pumps.

Old hand
pump.

Toy steam
engines.


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Appleby Beam
Engine.


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Old
tools.


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Top of
the engine.


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Children's
play area.

Fireman's
Cottage.


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Looking to
the Weir.


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No 2
Union Street.


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Telegraphic
Office.


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Town
Hall.


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Australian Mutual
Provident Society.

Evening Penny
Post Est 1870.


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Belmore
Park.


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1890 Fire
Station.


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St. Saviour's
Cathedral.


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Pipe
organ.


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Window behind
the Alter.


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View from
the back.


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Old Catholic
Cathedral.


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3D Stations
of the Cross.

View to
the alter.

The
Ambo.

Window behind
the Alter.


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Pipe
organ.


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Bishop Mark's
last Mass here.


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Original
plans.


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Rocky Hill
War Memorial.


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Looking up
the wall.

View over
the city.

Very
smoky.

How the view
should be.


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Trying to photograph
the Eternal Flame.

The
Museum.


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The walking
track.

Rain - view
from the loo.

Time to
hitch up.


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Plenty
of space.