Lorne - A Winter Weekend

It winter! While most (sane) people goes to the snow hills during winter to "catch" some snow, doing downhill skiing or cross-country skiing, tobogganing or just to play with the snow, we however did something really different.

We spend a week-end at the seaside town of Lorne, at Louttit Bay. If you are wondering where this seaside town is, it's in Victoria, Australia.

Lorne is situated along a popular tourist destination called the Great Ocean Road. That stretch of the Victorian coast is also known as the Surf Coast Shire. You can alway find something to do along the Great Ocean Road.

We wanted to take some time off to relax and to unwind, to enjoy the cafe culture, cellars, eating spots, shops, boutiques gift stores and galleries in the town and not forgetting also to see some of the area's surroundings. Beside the bay itself, we heard there are several beautiful fern gullies and waterfalls in the area that are worth the walk to.

Lorne is around 140km south-west of Melbourne. Passing through Geelong, the drive to Lorne via the scenic coastal route is 65 km. The route gives you the opportunity to take in the panoramic views as the road winds along the edge of beaches, across river estuaries, cliff tops and lush rainforests. There were many a time I wanted to stop and take some photos of the view, except that the road is narrow and windy; too risky to stop except for some designated scenic lookout spots.

If you are on the way to the 12 Apostles or other coastal attractions along the Great Ocean Road, Lorne is certainly one of the towns worth stopping, to rest and get a bite, especially if there is a farmer's market on the day.

The playground and trampolines are very popular with young children. There is even an outdoor swimming pool, but the pool was emptied since it is too cold to swim in, in winter. Even so, there were a number of children in shorts or short sleeves. They must have forgotten it is winter.

There are plenty of accommodations in town to cater for the summer crowd and in winter, you can certainly get some bargains. That however is a matter of differing opinions. There are some art works and sculptures placed around the town with some colourful home/accommodations and decorated cafes making the town look more like a seaside town.

For more photos of Lorne, click here.

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How The Holy Spirit Works With The Father And The Son

1 Peter 1:2 (NLT)
²God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace.

The Holy Spirit has the distinct honour of being one of the three members of the Trinity - the other two members being God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son. This particular verse shows how the Holy Spirit works with the Father and the Son in the life of a believer:

1. The Father chooses us and makes us His children.
2. Jesus redeems us, having died for us while we were still sinners.
3. The Holy Spirit draws us to the Lord and continues to work in our lives to make us pleasing to God.

As you can see, all three members of the Trinity work in concert to bring us into a relationship with God. For that reason, we see that the Holy Spirit is indeed an integral part of what has been called "the Godhead."

New Believer's Bible
Ps Greg Laurie

Be Fruitful, Fill The Earth, Subdue It

Genesis 1:27-28 (NIV)
²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
²⁸God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, a place of beauty and peace. They were place there with a mission; to be fruitful and to multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it, that is, to be master over the fish and birds and all the animals.

Adam's children and their children's children were to live under God's rule. They will extend the boundaries of His garden, His Kingdom with kingdom values, to the rest of earth simply by their devotion to Him.

This was God's Original Commission through the first Adam at the time of Genesis and still is today through the last Adam, Jesus in the Great Commission to his disciples.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Original Commission at the Garden of Eden was never abandoned even after Adam sinned. When sin entered the world, creation has been infected by darkness; manifesting itself as diseases, sickness, poverty, natural disasters, afflicting spirits, demonic influences, etc.

However, in redeeming man at the cross, Jesus retrieved what man (in Adam) had given away. In the process, the Original Commission was fully realized in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and we, the church as disciples of Christ Jesus, were restored to God's plan as a people made in His image to rule over creation and over darkness.

We do this by preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, by being fruitful in making disciples of all nations in all the four corners of the earth, subduing it by having the nations replace their earthly values with the Kingdom of God, kingdom values. This is done as prescribed in Matthew 28:19-20.

By fulfilling the Great Commission, we rule over creation but it is now focused on exposing and undoing the works of the evil one.

Matthew 10:7-8 (NIV)
⁷As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.’
⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely
you have received, freely give.

Mt Macedon Memorial Cross - Snow, Foggy and Cold

This posting is last weekend outing, just to do something different from every other weekends and to do it with an overseas friend visiting us. We opted for a day out at Mount Macedon, a small township 64 kilometres northwest of Melbourne. Just about an hour drive.

The Mount Macedon Township was largely established by Melbourne's wealthy elite in the post gold rush era of the mid to late 19th century who used it as a summer retreat.

We've been to this township a year or two ago, but we never did make it to the summit. This time we did.

At the summit of Mount Macedon is a car park and a cafe called the Top of the Range, Tea Rooms and Gallery. About 200 meters from the car park and out of sight from the cafe, is a 21 meter high Memorial Cross which was erected to commemorate Australia’s war fallen. The Memorial Cross is considered to be Victoria’s next significant war memorial after the Shrine of Remembrance. Surrounding it is an extensive native forest of a variety of gum trees which cover the mountain and also surrounds the town.

The view at the cross is said to take in Melbourne city, the Dandenong Ranges, the You Yangs near Geelong, that is, the entire southern plain towards Port Philip Bay. Entry to the Memorial Cross is free.

The day however was not a day for such a view. It was a cold wet foggy wintery day. Nothing of the much talked about view can be seen.

I guess the lesson here is; check the weekend weather forecast before making any plans for the weekend, especially one with the intend of seeing the country landscape, get to a local farmers market, shopping and dining to sample the local produces. Well we did plan to pack the day with activities.

All was not lost however, for we saw our first snow for the year as we were having lunch at the Top of the Range tea room, much to our joy and others at the cafe, especially the children.

For a wet cold snowing and foggy day, it was surprising that the car park was fully parked with a steady stream of people walking to and back from the memorial cross. For more images of the Mt Macedon Memorial Cross, click here.

This video is a short clip showing people enjoying the snow just outside the cafe enterance. On loading this clip onto You Tube, I found that snow has already fallen at Mt Macedon as early as the 24th May.

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Beechworth - Honey and Beer

Beechworth is located in the north-east part of Victoria. It is a well-preserved historical town, a former gold mining town in the mid-1850s, with a history that includes the infamous Ned Kelly.

However for me, Beechworth brings to my mind a 1.5kg tub of Pure Beechworth Honey. Yes, I do like my honey.

Located on the main street of Beechworth is the Beechworth Honey Experience Centre. Beechworth honey history started with Benjamin Robinson, back in the 1880's. After failing to find gold, he realise that there was better living to be made supplying liquid gold, honey, to the mining colony in exchange for solid gold. Benjamin soon became an expert apiarist, a fancy name for a beekeeper.

Today, Jodie and Steven Goldworthy's represent the fourth generation of this unique family tradition. Benjamin is Jodie's great grandfather. The Beechworth Honey factory and offices however, have relocated to the town of Corowa, the hub of a huge Australian honey gathering network.

The centre offers a wide variety of products ranging from honey based gourmet type food, drinks, beauty products, beeswax candles, gifts and hampers. We got to taste some of the honey products on display and watch a live bee colony between two glass sheets. Live because the bees can travel from inside their hive to the outside world via the clear viewing tube.

We took a 25 minutes free educational honey tour.  We learnt about the history of honey, beekeeping and watched a video on how honey is extracted before being packed. We also learnt about the importance of food security, in particular about why Australia's food security needs bee security.

We stumble across the Bridge Road Brewers, rather than went looking for it.

It is located just across the street from the Beechworth Honey Experience Centre, about 20 meters towards the town centre, in a 150 year old Coach House and stables. It also doubles as a pizzeria and so makes it a good place to enjoy lunch or dinner.

The laneway entrance, leads into the breweries large beer garden and children's play area. Inside, the brewery has an open fire place ideal for the winter months. The beer garden also doubles as Beechworth's outdoor cinema in the warmer months of the year.

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God's Gift and Your Gift to God

"What you are is God's gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God."

- Danish Proverb

Psalms 119:73
⁷³You made me; you created me.
Now give me the sense to follow your commands.

1 Peter 2:4-6 (NLT)
⁴Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. ⁵And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ.

Luke 13:18-19 (NLT)
¹⁸Then Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? ¹⁹It is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds come and find shelter among its branches."

Rutherglen - Stop For Lunch

Rutherglen is a small town, at the north eastern parts of country Victoria, 10 kilometers from the nearby Murray River border with New South Wales. It was named after the Scottish town of Rutherglen, just outside of Glasgow.

This old gold rush township was established in the 1850's. Today, Rutherglen is a major and the oldest wine producing region in Australia, with wineries all within a short drive from the town of Rutherglen. This wine region is particularly noted for its sweet fortified wines.

Passing through Rutherglen on our way back to Melbourne, we stopped over for some lunch. The main street of the town has an old historical charm about it, with most of the shop fronts retaining the same look they had a century ago.

I have heard much about this place but we will have to come back another time to explore this region history, sights, its soul, character, food and wine at our leisure. Autumn is recommended as the best time of the year to visit this region for this is the time after the harvest, when exciting festival and events happens.

We stopped at the Rutherglen Wine Experience Visitor Information Centre, located in the town centre on 57 Main Street.

The centre offers a display of the town's rich history, how wines are made and also provides comprehensive tourist information of the region, from information of local businesses, activities and events, bike hire, internet access, a gift shop offering great local wines, local produce and souvenirs, a cafe with delicious breakfast and lunch offerings, art gallery and lots more.

Yes, this place is packed with information of the region and a good place to start when planning your stay here.

Walking about along the Main Street of the town, looking for a place to have some lunch, we came across this odd named cafe, "Forks n Corks", serving Modern Australian cafe food, on 82 Main Street. Seafood Pasta, Fish and Chips were our selection for the day.

Just a couple of shops away, there is "The Home of Parker Pies". Just could not resist the temptation to pack a couple of them pies too .....for supper!

There is also an artistic flair to the town, judging by the arrangement of the bicycles. They were on display along Main Street. The railway line suggest a strong history of the place, but the line has long since been closed.