Ballarat Bygone - A Simple Life
Surprisingly, the coach to the Land of Quartz wasn't as boring as I expected.
A fortnight ago, I bestowed upon myself to visit these two and another friend before my holidays ended.
3.5 horus of travelling and happy to finally see where exactly the place I want to work at is based during my travels, I arrived to the cold region that is Ballarat. It is a whole world unto itself - the archteciture is unique in combining the new with the old and maintaining the modern with the Gold Digger days. It reminds me alot of America, although I've never been there so I have no idea how this comes to be.
The little hut of the residence of these two resides north-west of Ballarat in a town called Carngham. It was a spectacle within itself. After hearing so much of this adobe, here it was, nestled in a sharp-off-the-road turn, shadowed by the pine tree farm and Blair Witch country out the back, I could feel the interior decorator and landscaper bursting within me to do a "Block"-esque routine in the middle of buggery.
Essentially it was everything I had imagined right down to the creaking door. This city slicker had met true country style of living. I was Paris Hilton from "A Simple Life". After a Cook's tour around the block and house itself, pissfarting with the computer, my friend (who I met on the net through a chance email that she received from me that contained only my email - damn viruses). After meeting her two friends, we sped back into Ballarat, to venture later onto to the town's nightclub, "Rattle N' Hum".
Surprised by the fact I wasn't allowed in due to my hooded top (which I could either "tuck in" or "take off"), I was to witness later the usual bunch of try-hard Surfies, Metro's, and delicate young girls. After many, many beers and bourbons from my friend's boyfriend, I kicked up on the dancefloor much to the amusement from the others who I think spotted I was from the Eastern Suburbs by the way I danced. The DJ improved, especially the remix of "Californian Dreamin'" that got me dancing up a storm. I liked the use of the projector screen displaying the showcase of video clips for each song too.
3am - friend's housemate and I are roaming the streets of Ballarat. Chips, cheese and gravey - supposedly Ballarat's dish - was purchased and we feasted on it in the cold, wintery, dank streets of Ballarat.
5am - entertainment happened in the form of me showing my Yr. 7 film to my friend, having a deep and meaningful, and being welcomed to her boyfriend's spew in the hallway.
On the way up, I thought it to be befitting that I see a movie of importance to me at the place where it all started - where I saw my first film back in the 80's - The Regent Theatre. Only befitting in the sense that my career is rumbling in the distance and this cinema, was where I encountered my first sampling of celluloid - in the form of Tim Burton's Batman.
So we saw Shrek 2 (which was brilliant, and related to what Im doing in my course and it was shown in either the same cinema where I saw my first film or nextdoor to it).
Later that night, I was back at the dishevelled cottage where the interior decorator and landscaper inside of me was bursting to the point where we discussed for ages the potential of the place. More computer technicalities and problem-solving followed the night with great-tasting beef, a showcase of my movies (again), and chatter. Dubious about the large dead mosquitoes hanging from the celing and cobwebs, and freezing from the cold, I found to be in a bed of comfort.
Friday - mad rush to the train station saw me just missing the train and not even having enough to buy Macca's. Amidst the chaos and near enough to below zero temperatures, I boarded the train in the afternoon and had the fortunate case of a schoolgirl sitting opposite me. Nothing eventuated as she fell asleep and so did I on the way home.
