I turned 60 on Wed.15.7.09 (St Swithin's Day, the patron saint of rain; also midwinter day).
As I did for my 40th and 50th, I had a week of smaller parties (for different interest groups) rather than one large party.
The day itself was spent skiing at Mt Buller; the family function was on Sat.18.7.
Here is the function for boating and tramway enthusiasts (the aim was to pass under every bridge carrying a tramline over the river, but we ran out of time).
I hired the 1924 wooden river launch MV Grower, for a 2 h cruise up Yarra River to a point well beyond the normal Herring Island round-up point of commercial cruises.
I enclose three photos.
* The funnel and navigation light have been lowered to provide clearance under the 1930s Spencer St bridge (and one other). Coming the other way: a small private steam launch.
* In Hawthorn, only 5 km from Melbourne GPO (longer by river), but who would know? This was a truly glorious winter day: mild and sunny, and we had been cruising through green parklands and wealthy suburbs. The bridge is an 1860s railway one, expanded in the 1880s in matching style (bluestone, ie basalt, abutments).
* My guests. I picked the date to be half way between my birthday and Michael's 23rd (on 22.7). Instead of my going to Echuca, he came to Melbourne, and presented me with a dvd of the famous 'All the rivers run', with several Murray River paddlesteamers used as part of the set and the plot. I am on the viewer's left (blue cap and blue jumper).
I have had a couple of earlier marine birthdays. For my 45th, friends invited me to a mystery bay cruise ('Just wear your dinner suit'). Half way through the meal, the boat sank.
The reality: this was a Titanic-theme restaurant, in a former hotel in the bayside port suburb Williamstown.
A year or two back, when there was insufficient snow to ski, I went on a genuine bay-cruise restaurant ferry.
Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
Main Menu
UserBox
Search
