Cabin Mates

We were actually sad to leave Melbourne after being there for nearly 2 weeks. I had quickly re-acquainted myself with the city and felt right at home there, and Tom immediately took to Melbourne’s genteel charms, preferring its stately, slightly more European feel to the hustle and bustle of Sydney.

We had a chance to explore the area a bit and had fantastic weather to boot. Nevertheless, Tom was also anxious to get to the outback, and though we bid a reluctant farewell, we were also eager to see what the rest of the trip through Australia had in store for us.

Before we headed for the outback, however, we made our way to the very quaint and attractive city of Bendigo, where I had one more friend to see. Like Kay, Wendy is one of my oldest Down Under friends, but ironically, I never knew her when I lived in Australia. Wendy and I met when I was on my way back to the United States after 6 years in Australia.

I had decided I wanted to go by ship rather than fly, and there just happened to be one passenger liner that was sailing from Australia to the USA that year—an aging ship named the SS Australis. It had been built as an American luxury liner in 1939 and had had a storied career on the seas, but it was a year or two after my voyage.

Coming on board was like stepping back in time. The décor and furnishings had not been changed since the 1940s, which gave it a touch of old-world glamour though its glory days were long gone and a luxury cruise it was not.

In those days, it was not uncommon for older Australians to save for a round the world voyage in their ‘golden years’, just as it was increasingly common for young Australians to take a year (or three) to see the world before settling down back in their then quite remote homeland.

The SS Australis was the last ship sailing that route and the over 2000 passengers on our passage were about half retirees and half young people who were using it as the cheapest way to get to Europe.

Whoever allocated the cabins must have thought themselves quite clever when they paired a young American and a young Australian together with two old women – one American and one Australian—all complete strangers who were to spend the next three weeks together in  a coffin-like cabin with 2 bunk beds and a teeny-tiny bathroom you could barely turn around in.

Though at first glance we had little in common, Wendy and I hit it off immediately, bonding over our shared disdain for Stella and Molly who we considered two complaining old crones (though they were probably only in their 50s or 60s, they seemed ancient to us) so we spent as little time in our cabin as possible.

The ship had all the trappings of a luxury cruise including a pool, formal dinner service every night and nightly themed shows led by several transvestite entertainers —it was just a kind of low rent version and we mocked the poor souls who had invested their retirement money on such a shabby ‘cruise of a lifetime.’

Those of us under the age of 30 pretty much just partied the entire 4 weeks at sea. Wendy and I worked our way through the cocktails menu (at 25 cents a piece we cold afford to), frequented the disco, the movie theatre and the pool. Wendy turned 21 on the ship and we had an epic party to celebrate.

We survived a rough passage to Auckland and endless days crossing the Pacific. We got ferociously sunburned in Tahiti and marvelled at the passage through the Panama Canal. Wendy disembarked in Panama and took off traveling in South America, while I went on to Miami.

Several months later, Wendy arrived on my doorstep in Sebastapol, California and stayed several weeks before heading off to Canada and then Europe. We met again a couple of years later when she came back to California with her new American boyfriend, Glenn, who she eventually married.

They settled in the Bendigo area but moved to San Jose, California for a few years when both our kids were young and we saw them several times during that period. We last saw each other about 9 years ago in Sonoma County when we coincidentally were both there on a brief visit, but we still had a lot of catching up to do on this visit.

On our first night in Bendigo, Tom got a night off from socialising and Wendy took me to an all-women’s comedy night with several of her local friends.

What a great idea! I’ve seen enough comedy shows put on by my son Mitchell in Sonoma County to know how male dominated the comedy scene is and it was so liberating for everyone– the woman host and the two women comics as well as the all-women audience—to let loose without having to deal with the male gaze (or guffaws). It was raunchy, it was edgy, it was hilarious and it was great fun.

The next day, Wendy took us on a tour of Bendigo and the surrounding area, including Eaglehawk, where she had grown up.

One of the highlights of the day was visiting the somewhat astonishing Buddhist Stupa and ecumenical centre of fatihs being constructed on the outskirts of Bendigo.

A huge structure that is still a work in progress, the stupa contains numerous massive and beautifully decorated statues.

On the grounds are areas devoted to many other religions: Sikh, Christian, Jewish, Ba Hai, Muslim  and others.

The Hindu section was having a special celebration that day involving little girls about 8 or 9 years old who were symbolically marrying the sun.

It was an elaborate ritual that the attending families were happy to explain to us (and allow us to photograph) that means the girls will never be widowed and thus not have to sacrifice themselves on their husbands’ funeral pyres as was the custom in the past.

When that practice was outlawed in India, this alternate ceremony took its place and it was obviously a very significant event for both the girls and their families.

After visiting the stupa, we went to see Bendigo’s other amazing wonder—the giant Chinese dragon that is paraded through the town each Easter and is so long it takes more than 120 people to animate it and has had a special building created to house it.

In this museum are several past versions of the dragon, all long, but none that long, and some interesting displays relating to the history of the Chinese in Bendigo, which was a major gold-mining town in the 1850s and 1860s.

The architecture of the downtown buildings and the names of some of the outlying suburbs such as California Gully reflects that heritage.

We both thought it a very pretty town and really enjoyed being shown around by someone who knew it intimately.

It was in the park in Bendigo that we saw the huge numbers of roosting fruit bats known as flying foxes that I described in a previous post.

I also saw several milk bars in Bendigo and even went into one to see what it looked like.

It was exactly as I remembered such establishments-a corner store with a stack of newspapers for sale and a small counter serving a limited selection of drinks and food. I was glad to see that at least a few milk bars were still alive and well in Australia.

Our final night in Bendigo Wendy took us to the towns fanciest restaurant where we enjoyed a truly spectacular multi-course meal and wine pairing. The food was top-notch as was the company!

It was so great being able to catch up with Wendy and see her in her own hometown, tootle around in her spiffy red Tesla SUV, discover that she had developed a real talent as an artist and see the rich life she has built for herself surrounded by close friends and family.

All too soon it was time to leave and continue on our way to the outback, but we will never forget the incredible hospitality and fun we had with my old cabin mate whose friendship I have treasured ever since we were carefree young women who spent three eventful weeks together on a ‘ship of fools’ back in 1976.