Jamieson is a small country town in rural Victoria with a population not more than 250 making it a perfect destination for our summer vacation and digital-detox! Located in the High Country, it’s beautifully situated on the Jamieson River where it meets the Goulburn River which flows into Lake Eildon.

There are plenty of remnants of it’s past dotted around the town and I took great pleasure in leaving my camp site to take early morning walks by the river and around the town.

Juddy's Hut, an early miner's cottage by the Jamieson River

The view from behind Juddy's Hut

Jamieson Post Office Circa 1872

St Peter's Anglican Church Circa 1865

St John's Catholic Church Circa 1863

...and the not so historical but still delightful 'Perkins & Grey' Cafe

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Jamieson

One Great Reason to Visit Jamieson

One great reason to visit this travel destination is to enjoy the peace and quiet by the Jamieson River and if you score some warm weather, grab a tube and float downstream from Brewery Bridge to Finns Bridge.

For More Information

• Wikipedia
• Jamieson Historical Society

This week’s photo of the week is the spectacular view from the Freycinet Eco Retreat at Mt Paul near Coles Bay out over Freycinet National Park. As dusk approaches, the view also included many of the local wallabies.

Photo courtesy of @monstermashrna

A fellow Twitter connection from the Netherlands who is also interested in #dream #travel destinations had a recent family vacation to Boa Vista. He kindly shared his favourite photo of nearby beach ‘Praia de Salinas’ to where they were staying at Riu hotel Karamboa. It was his favourite because of the empty beach. Warm sea. Nice clouds. Sun. Peak of Estância (little molar on the left of horizon) in the background.

Photo courtesy of @JeanD99 and you can read more about his trip to Cape Verde – Harvesting Clouds. No kidding

One of the significant places we visited during our Vanuatu getaway, was the Cultural Village located on the eastern coast of Efate. We shared a small taxi/bus with a middle-aged couple who happened to be from Queensland, Australia (this was their first overseas trip) and their enthusiasm was contagious. The bus pulled off the main road which circles Efate and we drove for some 15 minutes along an extremely weathered dirt road. We soon pulled into a clearing, beside thick jungle and in the middle of nowhere, with the driver telling us to all hop out, adding ‘You can leave your bags in the bus!’. I suddenly felt dubious what was happening and was not going to leave bags behind. However, it turned out to be completely innocent.

The six of us headed into the jungle along the path we were instructed to take. It was quiet and beautiful but we were not sure where we were heading. Breaking the silence came the sound of the conch shell and then quite unexpectedly came tribal warriors out of the jungle towards us. Spears in hand, wide-eyed and yelling at us in a foreign aggressive manner, they charged. I got such a fright I swore!

Once they warriors realised we came in peace, we were escorted into the village and welcomed! We were shown how the traditional tribes lived and witnessed food preparation and preservation, fire walking and a tribal dance. The children were wide-eyed throughout. It was a wonderful experience.

Stripping the Coconut

Children in Traditional Dress

Spider

Preparing for the Fire Walk

Evidence of Past Sacrifices

A close girlfriend of mine was fortunate enough to enjoy 4 weeks travelling France. She and her partner stayed in some amazing historical Chateaus, tasting the local wines and totally indulging! I get to write about it and share her photos! These photos of Maison Louis Richard near Saumur in the Loire Valley particularly caught my eye as these are the sites that are less well-known. Maison Louis Richard is a large, very elegant 15th Century manor home and also boasts a swimming pool. A perfect base to explore the wineries of the Loire Valley.

Photos courtesy of Australian reader Helen.

A trek into the Sahara Desert by camel whilst in Morocco was experienced by Travel Tips Plus reader Julie. The trek was just a small group and allowed for many peaceful moments to enjoy the complete solitude the desert environment creates. The camels lumbered up and down the rolling dunes, passing only the odd tussock of grass and as evening came, the red, rolling dunes were replaced by a deep, black sky dotted with zillions of twinkling stars.

Photo courtesy of Australian reader Julie.

Johnston Ice Canyon is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. My English friend Lavinia was fortunate enough to have her first trip to Canada recently and shared with me a couple of fabulous shots she took of the area. I particularly liked the photo below, with the angle of the canyon displaying icicles hanging in place of water-falling and in the background, the pines towering upwards.

Photo courtesy of Lavinia from Dorset.

These Cambodian Monks were captured during their lunch time. The vivid orange of their robes lining the floor whilst they ate their meals, together with the colours and patterns of the nearby pillar added to the cultural experience not readily seen in the western world.

Photo courtesy of Australian reader Julie.

During a wet, steamy October visit to Elephanta Island and after disembarking from the boat trip from ‘ Gateway of India’ Mumbai, we were welcomed by a group of local women. They modeled for the visitors charging 2 rupees for a photo and more if they could get it! This photo was taken before a further 10-20 ladies came rushing over trying to get in the photo shoot to claim their 2 rupees.

A hot New Year’s Eve was enjoyed at Lakes Entrance during our summer holiday to the Gippsland region. After an early dinner, we made our way to the beach where the children enjoyed the sand, shallow water and sandbanks. We all waded for sometime cooling our feet as the sun began to drop for the last time for 2010. The images the sun-rays created behind the boat silhouettes, was so peaceful. Let’s hope that’s a sign for what 2011 will bring to our world.