Apart from the Tulips on display, they have other gardens with Ranunculus, Daffodils, Pansies, Azaeleas and a mass of other flowers to look at. Very colourful. There are food stalls with all sorts of foods, some with Dutch leanings. There was a couple singing when I was there, playing the grand piano and a cello but other times I’ve been they’ve had dutch music, bands and all sorts of other people performing.  The staff are in Dutch outfits – not sure how they walk in those clogs all day.

This gives you a slight idea of what I saw today. School holidays are coming up and it will be a great place to take children to play and wander around.

I first went to the Tulip Festival about 2 years ago with a somewhat pregnant daughter.  I loved it and went back again last year, twice, so I could have some time on my own with my camera in tow.

A friend recently gave my husband and me Tulips in a pot – they were in flower already.  A picture of one of them is below, bathed in early morning sunlight on our front verandah. We have tulips planted but they haven’t flowered yet. The daffodils are out though, as are the jonquils.

These are just some of the views I got yesterday.

1. Walkers and rider on the wall

2. The mist is starting to disappear as the sun rises

3. Young kangaroo. There are many in the park.

4. Grey Heron

5. The sun has dissipated most of the mist

One of the most popular attractions is the Puffing Billy steam train.  A favourite with both kids and adults, it is a great half day or full day event.  You can catch the train from Belgrave to Emerald Lake and stay there for a picnic, or walk around the lake, or stay in the kiosk for a meal.  Or you can travel further to Gembrook and wander the street there, looking at the various stores, before catching the train back to Belgrave.

Belgrave also offers a lot to view. The main street is lined with lots of interesting shops and many, many cafes or all sorts of types of food.

The Puffing Billy on the historic Trestle Bridge

Emerald Lake Park

A Vintage car on display in Gembrook

Photography Exhibition  

10 May—5 June

If you enjoy nature photography then the photos of Kathie Thomas will interest you. A winner of Bendigo Bank’s 2011 Calendar Photography Competition, Kathie will share more of her images at:

Kallista Tea Rooms, 103 Monbulk Road, Kallista.

Official opening:
6-9pm 13th May.

All welcome.

Please note: the Tearooms are closed on Wednesdays.

So what makes people think that all the bunting and signs put up do not apply to them?   Already many people have had to be rescued by the CFA at Lysterfield because the fire tracks are not currently accessible by ambulances.  There have been injuries and many people fined for walking or riding through Lysterfield Lake Park alone.

I was at the park today, taking photos of the lake, the lost beach, boats, etc and saw people walking across the weir. I thought perhaps it must be open so went to the start of that track myself. No, there is bunting there and a sign clearly indicating the tracks are closed. And yet, there were two people of a quite mature age walking at the other end and up the hill. I wonder how far they got before they were stopped by the Parks Vic rangers, or fell into difficulty themselves?  A young man came up to me while I was taking the shots below and asked about the track being closed. He had an accent so perhaps he can’t read English but I explained the tracks are indeed closed and if he goes, he may get fined, or even injured on a track. He went away again.

The two people I saw walking up the track – I later saw them heading up the hill, instead of turning back.

This shows how high the water did get after the flooding rains.

I’ve never seen water in the slipway before.

The beach is covered by water or washed away, and the path along the front of the lake is under water in many places as you can see below.

Crossing the famous trestlebridge

Return trip on the trestle bridge

We were disappointed that even with a booking they didn’t have a table for us when we got there and they had to rearrange other customers to fit us in. This was partly because the MG Car Club had increased their booking just that morning and the windows where I hoped we would sit weren’t available. So I wasn’t able to take bird photos at the feeder – one of the special things about the Kallista Tea rooms and also one of the reasons why I wanted to go there.  I had brought my camera prepared.  However when the MG Car Club people turned up, I was able to content myself instead with some photos of their cars.   If you click on the image below you’ll see more of their cars in the gallery at Flickr.

MG Car