[Image: Amelia Schmidt][dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A99E90;”] P [/dropcap]eople rarely need an excuse to go to Port Fairy, but if you love books, writing, or just words, this weekend is the perfect time to visit the quaint fishing town for the Ex-Libris Festival of Words.
The event runs from Friday to Sunday and this year’s theme is Dressed to Kill, offering the tantalising combination of crime and fashion.
Once again festival co-ordinator Marg Sinnott and her team have pulled together an impressive line-up of authors and guest speakers, including the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia, Kirstie Clements, former detective Simon Illingsworth, prolific children’s author Justin D’Ath and the Western District’s own, much-loved ABC announcer Derek Guille.
In keeping with the community spirit of the festival, there is a vast array of events to suit all tastes and many are free.
For a full listing of guests and a downloadable copy of the program, please visit the Ex Libris website.
In conjunction with the Ex Libris Festival of Words, quirky local bookshop Blarney Books & Art (James St) is holding its annual children’s picture book illustration exhibition, which this year is called UNREAL.
Helen and Des Bunyon from Customs House Gallery are hosting the event, which is now – remarkably – in its 24th year.
The Arrival: Shaun Tan
Again, the line-up of work to be displayed is impressive and includes illustrations by the award-winning Shaun Tan, Leila Rudge, Judy Horacek, Felicity Marshall and Mark Wilson.
(And be sure to tuck an extra couple of dollars in your wallet, because it is almost impossible to walk out of Blarney Books without buying at least one secondhand gem tucked away on their shelves.)
For more about the illustration exhibition, visit their website.
Blue tunes #1
Who doesn’t need a little music in their life now and then?
Given our name is Bluestone, we figure it is only appropriate to choose some music that features the word ‘blue’ in its title or lyrics.
Once you start looking, it is incredible how many songs have something to do with blue.
Here is our first choice – relax and have a listen…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGkaMfloq9E
Climbing the cape: Cape Bridgewater
After living in Tasmania for a time, the bar had been set very high for bushwalking. A visit to Cape Bridgewater, however, exceeded all expectations.
The view from the top of Cape Bridgewater back to the bay is simply spectacular.
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #DDCE8D;”] E [/dropcap]xactly where the Great Ocean Road comes to an end in south-west Victoria is open to debate, but those who turn off too early – say, at Port Fairy – are missing one of the most spectacular beaches and cliff top walks in the state.
Cape Bridgewater is only 20km west of Portland and wraps itself around a long, crescent-shaped beach that is perfect in itself for a long walk, but the real joy lies in a two-hour return walk to the tip of the cape that takes in two seal colonies.
You can prime yourself for the walk ahead with a morning coffee at the charming Pickled Pelican café in Percy St, Portland – say that three times quickly – or breakfast at the funky Bridgewater Bay Café that has absolute waterfront views. (Unlike many beach cafes, this one is open all year round).
The walk starts with steps up from the carpark about 100m west of the café, although we still managed a wrong turn and ended up on a wheelchair ramp rather than the steps, which was slightly embarrassing.
The seal viewing platform gives a birds-eye view of the wildlife.
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #DDCE8D;”] F [/dropcap]rom the carpark, the track meanders high along the farmland boundary before descending to the shoreline where Seals by Sea Tours run seasonal boat trips out to the seal colonies, cutting the travel time to a few minutes. For those who like to walk, however, the trek is just beginning.
The track rises up to the cape in a steady climb, but is still steep enough in parts to work up a sweat on a warm day and requires a reasonable level of fitness (be sure to carry a water bottle, and binoculars are also handy).
The views as you move up and along the cliff face become increasingly spectacular and are equal to those of the more famous parts of the Great Ocean Road around Port Campbell and Peterborough.
[quote type = “center”] Allow time for plenty of stops to take photos, as on a clear day, the views across the bay are vast and breathtaking.[/quote]
While the scenery alone is worth the walk, Cape Bridgewater is also home to the largest mainland colony of fur seals in Australia and there are two viewing platforms from which to watch them at rest and play.
The first platform overlooks a flat rock that is equivalent to a seal sun bed, while the second, at the end of the walk, looks down on a reef that the seals use for surfing (this is where the binoculars come in handy).
[quote type=”center”] While wildlife is wonderfully unpredictable, we were lucky enough to see a dozen or more seals frolicking in the surf and catching waves like Kelly Slater.[/quote]
The geology of the area is also fascinating, with the tip of Cape Bridgewater actually part of a volcanic crater – such facts always make my head spin.
After a packed lunch, the return walk was less arduous, being mostly downhill, but equally as beautiful, with the mid-afternoon sun shimmering on the water.
This is a walk that is not too long, not too difficult, and very rewarding: perfect for a fine spring day.
Robin Sharrock and his personalised red Vespa. (Image: R. Sharrock)
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A5CECD”] I [/dropcap]s it a love of Italian style or a desire to be different that is driving a Vespa revival in the south-west? We speak to Warrnambool photographer ROBIN SHARROCK, who has had three Vespas, paired with five helmets and two foxtails, about the attraction:
So, for a scooterist, it is a scooter or nothing?
That’s right. If I didn’t have a scooter, I wouldn’t have a motorbike. They are entirely different experiences and I am not into motorbikes. A push bike maybe…
How did you get the Vespa bug?
I first saw Vespas during a trip to Paris many years ago and everyone was zipping around on them. I thought they looked good, they are a cost efficient way of getting around and they are quite safe.
You have since owned three Vespas?
Yes. I started with a green 150cc in 2008 and then I moved up to a 250cc that was a rare, orange colour. I found that one on the Internet and had it shipped down from Sydney. Unfortunately that was a write-off after I was hit: like all bike riders, I have had many, many close calls, but only one hit, thank goodness. After that, in 2010 I bought my current one, which is a red 250cc. Between them, I have done about 35,000km…but the red one, being red, is definitely the fastest!
On the road: Robin has taken his Vespa as far as Hobart, Tasmania..via the ferry, of course! (Image: R. Sharrock)
What is it about the Vespa scooter, in particular, that is so appealing?
It is an iconic Italian work of art. They were designed in 1946 as a step-through bike that women could ride easily, but now of course everyone rides them and they are part of a huge scene right around the world. You start with the classic scooter and then you can customise it to suit your taste, so that it reflects a bit of your personality. It becomes a passion.
[box type=”download”] Vespa is Italian for wasp, which is similar to the sound made by the early Vespa’s.The Vespa was patented by Piaggio and Co., who originally made locomotives, carriages and aircraft. After Audrey Hepburn side-saddled with Gregory Peck on a Vespa in the 1952 movie Roman Holiday, sales increased by 100,000! If you would like a new Vespa, expect to spend around $8000-9000. [/box]
How have you customised your Vespa?
Well, I have two foxtails. One is your regular foxtail that I got from a guy who was selling them in Hahndorf (South Australia). It looks good and its good for safety. And I also have an Arctic fox tail that came off a fur coat. I was in an op-shop in Lorne – we had gone for a ride there – and I was asking if they had any fox tails and a woman told me she had one, from her mother’s fur coat which she had bought in Canada. Her mother had removed the fur trim from around the neck, so I bought it from her for $25. It is very special, so it only comes out for special occasions.
The authentic Arctic foxtail recycled from a fur coat. (Image: R. Sharrock)
Do you dress for the Vespa?
On long rides I have all the safety gear, but on shorter rides, yes, I might pick out some shoes, or a coat and a scarf is always a must. I also have five helmets and I choose one that suits my mood for the day, so yes, it is a fashion thing.
And are there days when you don’t ride the Vespa? After all, south-west Victoria can be a windy place!
I like to ride every day, unless it is teeming with rain. I have a tall screen at the front for added protection from the wind, rain, stones, bugs…so that helps. You sometimes get pushed around a bit, but it has 145kg on the ground, so it holds its own pretty well. I plan to ride until I am too old and can’t ride anymore.
Robin Sharrock has been a photographer in Warrnambool for 28 years, including as a senior ‘snapper’ with the localnewspaperbefore turning freelance in 1999. He is also an amateur astronomer and plays bass guitar, banjo and upright bass…but not all at once.
[box] * Warrnambool has a scooter club, Vespa+, that meets regularly for coffee and conversation. You can ride any make of scooter to be a member. Call Robin on 0409 215 613 or email him at robinsharrock@hotkey.net.au for details.[/box]
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A5CECD;”] I [/dropcap]MAGINE living in a place where an election was held every three years and, no matter how many candidates ran, the same party kept winning? Would you call this a healthy democracy? Well, we live in a place just like that and it is called the federal seat of Wannon.
For the past 58 61 years – that is 10 years longer than I have been alive – the Liberal Party has won Wannon.
In the past 58 61 years, there have been 2223 federal elections – the 23rd 24th will be held on Saturday – and, in that time, just three different Liberals have held the seat of Wannon: Malcolm Fraser, David Hawker and Dan Tehan.
It is not surprising that the Liberal Party has come to treat Wannon as a soft landing for its next generation of MPs. Dan Tehan, who seems like a nice enough guy, was parachuted into the seat of Wannon four years ago.
He had little connection to south-west Victoria, but bought a property near Hamilton to try and fast-track his status as a local. Is that all it takes for the Liberal Party to secure this seat? Judging by the 2010 election result, it appears so.
And while the Wannon electorate has fallen into line year after year, many of these same voters can be heard complaining – yes, complaining – that they are being taken for granted.
Of course this contempt for safe seats is not confined to the Liberal Party, they all do it, but this election Wannon voters have an opportunity to draw a line in the sand and demand a real contest.
With the help of the redrawn boundaries, Wannon is now defined as a ‘marginal’ seat, although it still requires an almost a 6 per cent swing to change hands.
And, for the first time in a long time, the ALP has a strong local candidate in Warrnambool secondary school teacher Michael Barling who has had time to build his profile and who has committed an enormous amount of energy toward winning the seat. He has done this despite the antics of federal Labor making it increasingly impossible for him to win: he has not given up.
I am not normally a Labor voter, but I am going to vote for Barling because he represents to me what politics should be about.
It is about presenting voters with a real choice, not a fait accompli.
It is about supporting a candidate who knows and loves the electorate because he or she has spent most of their life here, not because they have been forced to relocate in the lead up to an election.
And it’s about having a candidate with a strong moral compass who is prepared to challenge the party line on issues like asylum seekers and gay rights, rather than follow it blindly.
Above all, however, it’s about electing an MP who will continually fight hard for the seat, whether in Government or in Opposition, knowing that they will be held fully accountable at each election.
This will happen if Wannon shifts even further into marginal territory after Saturday: that’s the sort of democracy I want to see in action.
![[Image: Amelia Schmidt]](http://the-terrier.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/books.jpg)
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