The 49ers

I know football season just started but don't worry this isn't another fantasy football article on the 49ers. This is about the town of Bendigo, the home of the Australian gold rush. Kelly and I rented another He-on-day (aka a Hyundai) and journeyed two hours north of Melbourne to check out how the Gold Rush town was holding up. Although the gold mines are still open for tourists the main draw for us was the plethora of restaurants focused on locally grown produce and the exhibit at the Art Gallery: The White Wedding Dress: 200 years of Wedding Fashion.

Main street Bendigo is right off a Victorian Colonial style Hollywood movie set including the Court House, Town Hall, Post Office, Bank, and the Local Watering Hole.

After a quick walk through the 1850's and a snack at the local market of fresh bread and olive oil we were off to check out the wedding dresses. Here was my analysis of the exhibit: "Lots of white, crazy long tails, and very uncomfortable looking". Pretty insightful on my part. Here was Kelly's take, which is likely a little more meaningful...

“I’m certainly no fashionista, but I seriously can’t imagine how some of these
dresses were ever stylish. And some of the corsets that women donned back in the day -- their waists would have been less proportional than Barbie! I’ll definitely be taking the more comfortable route with my wedding dress. Some of the “tails” that Adam mentioned above, also known as trains, were quite magnificent and many of the veils were absolutely beautiful. Gwen Stefani’s dress was my favorite; Dita Von Teese’s not so much (she wore it to marry Marilyn Manson, if that says anything). Adam was a good sport and didn’t ask once if I was ready to go yet. I’m looking forward to wedding dress shopping when we’re home in December.”

Me again. After some tasty snacks and a few glasses of wine in town we headed to the outskirts of town where we stayed at a great little winery, Domaine Asmara. We crashed in the 2nd bedroom and enjoyed a nice family style dinner with Andreas, Henni and their son Benjamin. Andreas cracked open a few bottles of wine including their newest not yet released Cab Franc/Cab Sauv mix, which Kelly and I happily

indulged. Great wine is the perfect way to carbo-load as Kelly ran an awesome 20 miler the next morning!

Sunday was filled with two ridiculously fresh meals split by a visit to Australia's oldest working pottery. Kel and I spent some time on the throwing wheel crafting a cup and a bowl. After they are glazed and fired we'll have some home made mementos from our great little weekend in Bendigo.

Love

Adam and Kelly

PS Spring has sprung.