28th February 2011
We had a smooth trip back from Tasmania to the mainland and a fair easy journey from the docks to the caravan park at Dingley Village despite the Navman trying its hardest to go via Montagu road which has the notorious low bridge. As we arrived there quite late we only put the awning up, Foxy had travelled well despite being shut in the caravan on her own all day she didn’t make any mess, but was glad to get out when we arrived in the docks.
1st March 2011
We put up the annex with perfect timing as it rained the moment we completed the task.
2nd March 2011
We managed to organise a doctor’s appointment for Merry as she is due for her 2 yearly check-up. In the morning we took a walk through Dingley Village which appears to be quite a classy area with some serious real estate within its boundaries, however, it has one slight drawback being close to Morabbin air field although it has not caused us any noise irritation, unlike Jandakot air field. In the afternoon we took another walk to check out the huge parkland on the other side of the road which meant walking for about 1km down the road to the entrance which announced ‘No Dogs’.
3rd March 2011
Merry visited the doctor and gained the required referral and was able to make an appointment at the Day Hospital for Monday, so the whole deal will be dealt with inside a week
5th March 2011
This was the first day this year to vaguely resemble summer, although the night time temperatures are still low, but better than Tasmania with snow still on Mt wellington.
We drove through to the old heritage town of Williamstown on the eastern side of the bay and walked partially round one of several walks recommended by the visitor centre which took in Nelson’s place hotel that has a model of the Titanic as a roof, and then on to the Time ball tower in Gellibrand Coastal Heritage Park. 
This is a large canvas ball raised to the top of a pole extending above the grey stone tower and dropped at exactly 1.00pm daily as a time check for shipping. The walk also took us to the Botanical Gardens, which was quite small and didn’t really impress as it was full of weddings and kids parties, and then back to the harbour. The town has many of the original facades still in good repair and shows off the original heritage despite the modern alfresco decorations at street level appearance. The harbour is home to the HMAS Castlemaine which is now a naval museum, and as we drove out we detoured to the old original morgue and then homeward.
10th March 2011
We left the caravan in storage at Dingley Village and moved in with Garon and Sue for a week or so. There have been a few changes since we were here last year with new curtains, new screen security doors front and back, a new back fence and the back side fences covered with bamboo panels enclosing the new decking that covers the entire compact backyard and finished off with a cane outdoor setting. The front entrance porch has also gained a timber deck and a row of standard roses has appeared across the edge of the driveway facing the front door. The lounge has the addition of a large picture of a magnificent bark shedding tree caught at the right time with the sun bringing out the colours against the misty background.
11th March 2011
We took advantage of some unusually fine Melbourne weather and visited the Caravan and Camping Show at the Caulfield race course and managed to avoid changing the caravan. This was mainly due to there being nothing better than what we already have in an appropriate price range, and even then it would have meant entering into the 5th wheeler category.
We did however, see some interesting ideas should we actually have a van made to order, and also bought a $100 shower tent for $45 plus a pair of springy back supports that fit onto virtually any chair, making an ordinary chair very comfortable. Last time we were here we went into Melbourne on the train and on the return trip got off the train and discovered the next bus to Garon/Sue’s area was not for quite some time and walked the half hour journey. This time the bus was at the bus stop and departed the moment we got on and sat down. A much better arrangement when you have walked around a show ground all day.
14th March 2011
Being a public holiday Monday it became part of a relatively lazy weekend which doesn’t happen for Garon/Sue very often, and even then Garon finds it hard to not to give up reading, which he enjoys, and attend to some chore/job that he happens to think of. We on the other hand did relax for most of the day but took an hour long walk both to and along the beach which is about a 15 minute walk away for us, at our pace. There is only one stretch of beach that dogs are allowed on without a leash and both sides of that area dogs are not allowed on at all until after the end of March. The dog area is not exactly the most attractive beach as it a bit rocky and collects seaweed but the dogs don’t mind.
15th March 2011
We drove back to the caravan and removed the side wall of the annex and took it to Bayswater and had the canvas place there that we used once before, modify the top rope edge so that it is easier to install when we erect the annex, and also had an extra flap added to the skirt. We then called into the Jayco agency and bought a replacement filter for our drinking tap ad replacement gas struts for supporting the boot lid in the open position. That was not available so we went to an engineering firm in Dandenong, for these but still had to order them for next week.
16th March 2011
Barry visited a specialist and arranged hospitalisation for a minor day surgery job next Thursday and then collected the modified annex wall/skirt and refitted them with ease.
19th March 2011
We spent a fair part of the day working with Garon/Sue levelling and compacting various areas of the garden, and then laying artificial grass on them.
20th March 2011
Garon/Sue drove us down to Mornington for late but pleasant breakfast although not all of it was totally up to the expected standard. We them drove out to the Cranbourne area of the Mornington Peninsular to a Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s Cruden Farm where an Open day was being held to support the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. The House wasn’t open but the gardens were available wandering or picnics which many others took advantage of. We didn’t because of the late breakfast. After arriving back at Garon/Sue’s we walked to Black Rock House that was built in 1856 -1858 as the original holiday home by a Charles Hobson Ebden who became disgustingly rich after selling land in the Collins Street area. He left an estate of 100,000 pounds in 1867 when he died during lunch in his beloved Melbourne Members Club. The suburb surrounding the House was named Black Rock after the house and is still a very wealthy area. The house was originally to be built as a castle but only the stables and courtyard walls were completed in this style as the stonemasons left to join the Gold rush. Some of the building was continued in brick until the bricklayers also joined the Gold rush, so the house was finished in timber.
