Swapped seats with a guy who had an aisle seat D36 who obviously made a last minute booking as he was separated from his friend seated next to me in seat D56. I sat next to a guy who slept most of the trip and didn't say a word. Just as well as there was a very loud family next to me and in front of me. The mother made her sons do their homework, the grandmother kept complaining all night long and had a very bad cough - then again everyone around me was coughing and spluttering and the mother just would not stop talking all night. To get some sleep I put my blanket over my head, slept with a facemark on and pulled my hoodie over my head all night.
Saturday 10th March 2018
First stops as soon as I arrived at Southern Cross Station @ 8 am toliet and brush my teeth, Myki top up in preparation for Bacchus Marsh tomorrow, money from ATM and some food - a scallop stick and chicken yakitori (I hope it was cooked). Then off to Melbourne Central YHA to try and check in early or at least have a shower and place my wheelie bag in the pay lockers. Shower done and luggage in locker done however too early to check in or dump my luggage in room even with my online check in and being close to 9 am. Dump food into refrigerator and try to dump as much stuff in the pay locker as possible but uh oh there is a problem the entire locker system has malfunctioned and I am unable to place the rest of my luggage in it or reopen the pay locker to retrieve my wheelie bag therefore returned my temporary swipe card to reception, take my other back pack now full with stuff I could not put with my wheelie bag onto the free city circle tram with me to the NGV to see Triennial . Luckily I can cloak my backpack in for free and just take the things I need with me to see the Triennial.
Around 1 pm I am not feeling the best but try to complete as much of the Triennial as possible. By 2.30 pm I failed to complete the virtual reality game I had queued up for and started feeling really dizzy. So I quickly returned my controller abandoning the VR game to have a quick toliet stop and head to the members lounge to have a hot peppermint tea and biscuit in a hope it would make me feel better. I really need to take a Panadol for my aches and pains - I think I am getting the flu - gee thanks Kate!
Resting in the members lounge now and blogging. I hope by the time I get back to the YHA I can check in and retrieve my wheelie bag out of the malfunctioning pay locker. If not I'm stuffed as I leave tomorrow for Bacchus Marsh and have no clothes. My poor stuffed possum is in my wheelie bag inside the pay locker. I will need to find a shop still open and purchase a spare set of clothes if I can't retrieve my luggage. I have at least a spare set of clothes, towel and underwear in my backpack as well as toiletries and a pair of jelly shoes. Always be prepared!
Photos attached below are just some of my favourite pieces from Triennial - there maybe some photos of artworks that are from the NGV's collection however they may not be part of Triennial. If I wasn't feeling unwell I would have spent at least a few more hours at Triennial
1. Victoria Amazonica 2017
Studio Campana/Yarrenyty Arltere Arstists/Elliat Rich
2. Eternity-buddah in Nirvana, the Dying Gaul, Farnese Hercules, Night, Day, Sartyrand Bacchante,........ 2016 - 17 Xu Zhen (artwork has a very long title which is a description of the artwork itself)
3. See below for artist details (the entire ground floor cafe area has had a refurbishment to be included as part of Triennial)
4. 50 Manga Chairs 2015 Nendo - loved this gallery.
5. Flower Obsession 2017 Yayoi Kusama - this was one of the first interactive artworks I visited. Given a red flower to place anywhere within the house already covered in everyone else's flowers, I had no idea where to stick mine therefore placed my NGV program in one of the flower covered baskets with my flower and photographed it removing the program afterwards but leaving my flower. Notes : As requested by gallery staff for visitors to this interactive exhibition, flowers are not to be placed on windows, glass doors or floors (tripping hazard). Flowers are not to be taken outside the art gallery as souvenirs, if unused they are to be returned for others to use. If you want a souvenir take photos.
6. Santa Cruz River 2016-17 Alexandra Kehayoglou - interesting piece of artwork & a selfie photographers paradise however one lady was more worried about catching head lice from laying on the carpeted artwork then the artwork itself.
7. Artist unknown? Part of Triennial or Collections? Nice piece of artwork though. Another one of my favourite artworks
8. Materials 2016 - 17 Tom Cargo - one of my favourites, would have completed the game to the end if I wasn't feeling unwell and had to leave. Think the old versions of Zork less the keyboard typed commands but with the addition of VR headset and Wii hand controller !
9. NGV Triennial : Voices Bar, Lounge, Ideas Level 3
10. Ore Streams 2016 - 17 Studio Formafantasma
Whether the below artworks were part of Triennial or not they were some of my other favourites because they were just simply amazing!
Comment : I am unsure of who the artist is for this piece of artwork however it is very similar to a piece of artwork on display inside Customs House Sydney quite a few years ago which I may or may not have blogged about previously. The above piece of artwork seemed bigger then it was with the illusion created using mirrors around the room and strategically placed colours and patterns interwoven (unfortunately causing a few visitors to become disoriented and walking into them) - anyone remember the good old string art we used to do at school with the wooden board nails and endless string? An early form of combining Maths with Art.
Comment : the above artwork looks as if it is constructed from some type of metallic material(s) however upon closer inspection it is actually a large tapestry somehow giving it a metallic illusion!
Comment: I absolutely loved the above interactive piece of artwork. I could have sat there and watch this projection over and over again. It is actually a 2 part projection(s) starting with a detailed monochrome sketch of a city with a second moving coloured projection of the cities movements of people and transport as it changes from day to night projected over the top of the monochrome detailed sketch creating a ghost like effect.
13. Legend Collection Spring - Summer 2017 Guo Pei
14. Garden Wall Retallack Thompson & Other Architects outdoor installation)
15. Hands On : We Make Carpets For Kids (Interactive exhibition in NGV's dedicated children's space) - one of my favourites - in terms of interactive kids art activities time after time nothing beats the NGV's contantly changing dedicated children's space which are fun for adults too! "We Make Carpets" - they sure do!!! HEMA sets remember them ? Eat you heart out!!! Fuzzy Felt with Velcro on steroids! Noodles are not just for fun in the pool! Ropes are not just for indoor climbing sponges are not just for washing up and shuttle cocks that don't bounce back but resemble HEMA beads on steroids without needing to get out the iron and baking paper to make them stick together!
16. SmellScape Melbourne PastPresentPast Sessel Tolaas
17. Moving Creates Vortices & Vortices Create Movement 2017 Teamlab - one of my favourites - another interactive piece of artwork where you move and the floor moves with you.
18. Young Speculative Wanderers 2014-15 Uji (Hahan)Handoko Emo Saputro
19. Hail The Dark Lioness 2014- 17 Zanele Muholi
20. Untitled 2012- 15 Shilpa Gupta
21. Tipo Passe Series 2014 Edson Chagas
So hot in Melbourne!
Dinner grilled fish, raw gourmet vine tomatos, basil a wedge of lemon and some kiwi berries but not before trying half a slice of bbq chicken and mushroom pizza from The Pizza Project (which I do not recommend) and my favourite Spanish churros covered in dark chocolate and filled with custard. Must try some of the other flavours some time such as strawberry cheese cake or salted caramel or even triple chocolate. Wish these were available in Sydney.
Sunday 11th March 2018
Didn't get much sleep last night my 2 roommates returned really late and instead of going straight to bed packed and repacked their bags until the early hours in the morning making so much noise. I managed to get a few hours sleep but woke up at 6 am Sunday morning as per my alarm.
Had a shower and breakfast. Checked out then stored my suitcase in a medium pay locker - same locker selected as yesterday - no small lockers available as they are always the first to be taken.
Off to Bacchus Marsh for the annual Autumn Harvest Festival which I missed last year due to a late overseas trip.
Coach replacement of trains again which is ongoing for at least the next 2 years as the Ballarat line is upgraded with new stations dual tracks added and general upgrade of stations including Bacchus Marsh.
Missed the 8.16 am train as I was too lazy to get up earlier and caught the next coach at at 9.16 am at Bay 64 coach terminal at Southern Cross Station which was an express coach to Bacchus Marsh.
Arrived at Bacchus about an hour later. A local 435 bus was just arriving therefore I forgot to tap off before tapping on again on the bus. Great timing though.
Walked through the main street of Bacchus Marsh and to The Village Green (I think it is called) where the Harvest Festival is located. Spent about 30 minutes looking around then walked all the way down The Avenue of Honours to Paynes Orchards in the searing 30+ degree heat. I wanted to go to Naturipe to go strawberry picking but it was way down the end of The Avenue of Honours and far too hot to walk to. There are no shuttles during the Harvest Festival to take you to pick your own fruit properties unlike the annual Strawberry and Cherry Weekdend Festival.
Apple picking at Paynes Orchards it is then. It costs $5 entry fee and $4 per kg to pick any of the 3 varieties of apples available off the trees. Apples up for grabs today - Fuji, Jonathan and Golden Delicious.
It was a long hot walk as the apple trees were towards the back of the orchard. As I walked down the dirt track in between the countless rows of apple trees, a little girl asks her mum "Where are all the apples?"- that's what I wanted to know! - far to hot to walk too far. Finally I see a bunch of apples and gradually more and more trees had apples on them. Left Golden Delicious right Fuji.
Armed with my 2 kg capacity bucket (I aimed for a smaller bucket this time) sunscreen, lip balm 30+, hat, sunglasses, long sleeved shirt and long pants and hiking boots I started picking a few apples but wanted to see if there were any other variety of apples around to pick. I met a farmer who told me there were 2 apple trees he just opened up which are 2 original apple trees with Jonathan variety of apples on them. He said have a taste of them and see what I think then go right further down the dirt path over the bridge where all the Jonathan's are. Secret stash - I take a short cut with my barely filled bucket of apples to find the 2 trees - I picked a few - the 2 trees were full of red apples. I was told by the farmer he had tasted one of them and they tasted ok the previous day.
After picking some Jonathan's I walked back to where everyone else was - no one else was picking Jonathan's. Bucket now nearly full although I only managed to pick a little over 1.5 kg I head to the cashier to pay for my pickings. I also buy some crab apples which are larger then the cherry crab apples I am used to in Tasmania.
Do you like the little moustache on my pie? -I had a lot of trouble getting the bbq sauce out of the squeeze bottle onto my pie the moustache illusion was therefore by accident.
After lunch and a final look around the Harvest Festival, I wondered of to The Village Shopping Centre to buy some water for my trip back to Melbourne. First stop toliet break (instead of using the port a loo) and to resoak my cooling towel in water which had dried right out from the heat. I thought about buying and changing into a pair of shorts but decided not to add any more extra to my luggage.
After water from Coles I checked out where the bus departed back to the station. I had just missed a 435 bus by a few minutes and buses only run on Sundays every hour although there are 2 buses on opposite sides of the street at the back of the shopping centre that take you back to the station - the catch is they arrive a minute apart therefore I played it safe and waited for the 435 and not the 434 across the road. I didn't have to wait long for the bus as I had time to shop around before boarding the 435 bus at 2.34 pm back to the station.
The next coach replacement from Bacchus Marsh Station arrived at around 2.58 pm and there was already a group of people travelling back to Melbourne - most of them for 1 of the 4 sold out Ed Shereen concerts starting at 6.30 pm on each night.
On time departure back to Melbourne by express coach service. No stops which means I'll be back in Melbourne at Southern Cross Coach Terminal in approximately an hours time. Still boiling hot but the countryside scenery is beautiful.
Back at Melbourne Central YHA - retrieve my luggage from the pay locker - no problems today and an extra $2 cash paid. Onto final repack change of clothes and retrieval of my leftover food from the refridgerator in the kitchen and fill my Contigo with hot water as well as recharge my phone.
Next stop 2 x dark chocolate custard filled Spanish churros from upstairs concession at Southern Cross Station, water and extra snacks from Woolworths then last minute shopping at Spencer Street Outlet half an hour before closing at 6 pm. The station is full with crowds of people coming back from the races and heading off for a quick snack or Ed Shereen merchandise purchases before heading off to see the Ed Shereen in concert at 6.30 pm across the other side of Southern Cross Station.
Yep there was custard oozing out of it - I must have sucked this one dry!
After my last minute shopping at Dotti for a pair of black leggings, I walk back down to purchase some dinner. I decide on a rather large lamb hummus and tabouli kebab made at lightening speed on site before heading off to Platform 1 to take a seat and eat it while waiting for the XPT train to arrive to take me back to Sydney overnight.
My oversized kebab - 10 minutes to make but 10 hours to eat - why are regular kebabs so large that you can't finish one these days? - we don't have to eat like the Americans!
Enroute I popped into the Sydney Explorer XPT ticket office to inquire if I could upgrade to a first class seat or sleeper. Nothing was available - again another fully booked train.
The train was late arriving (as usual) and the cleaning of the train was so rushed you could tell the carpets had not been vacuumed in Car D Economy class. Another major delay was a problem with the left front pair of swivel seats. I watched as at least 3 staff members boarded through Car D Economy to attempt to turn this pair of seats from backward facing to forward facing without success each time. Whoever booked those seats would have to become very friendly with the other 2 passengers seated in the row behind them and be willing to travel backwards for the entire 12 hour journey back to Sydney! Failing this the 2 passengers were upgraded to car B - wait on First Class? I thought the train was fully booked? Maybe a lucky no show couple of seats.
Then there were my little Indian friends remember the 3 guys that booked late and were separated until I swapped seats with one of them on Friday night well guess who ends up sitting next to me but this time in the window seat with a big "Hi!". This time his friend was seated a little closer to him in the Asile seat just in front of my aisle seat which was D 52 so I swappoed seats with him again this time before the ticket inspector came around. No problem I explained to the ticket inspector that we knew each other - ah musical chairs!
It turned out great as I sat next to an 18 year old girl from Wollongong who just came down to Melbourne to see Ed Shereen. That's just crazy all these Sydney residents travelling to Melbourne just to see him! He is going to be in Sydney in less then a week's time!
Back in Sydney and got some sleep but the train was travelling a little too fast during the night for my liking. We were still 30 minutes late arriving at Sydney Central Station ( delays can cause an 8 am arrival)
Back home I slept for the rest of the day after putting my unfinished kebab and other goodies in the fridge. Work again tomorrow (Tuesday).
End of another one of my adventures but stay tuned for the next one!
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