Aussie Halls

Friday 30th April was a significant day for the Halls. Upon us all was bestowed the honour of Australian citizenship, at an evening ceremony in Knox City.
The Mayor of Knox officiated. Here we see him with the traditional wlecoming eucalyptus leaves from the Wurundjeri people.
After our affirmation we too were given a eucaplyt leaf (Manna Gum) and a native shrub to welcome us to the community.

Here we all are straight after the ceremony. Kate was presented with the flag, complete with small Koala

More from Hanging Rock

 Here are a few more shots from our family picnic at Hanging Rock. These two show Kate and George on the tops with the plains in the background.




















Behind Kate is the actual hanging rock which gives the whole place its name.












Just to prove that we did indeed have a picnic here.

The Ada tree

Not far from our home in Rowville is the village of Warburton. This picturesque place is situated between a range of mountains and a state forest reserve. Decades ago the loggers cut down a lot of the large Mountain Ash from the forest, but they left one standing. This tree is around 300 to 400 years old and has been protected. It is called the Ada tree, and we went to visit it last weekend
It is hard to capture the size of these huge trees. It is quite an experience to stand at the bottom and look up at the long straight trunk far into the canopy above.

















A couple of photos from recent events of significance. Kate had her 11th birthday, and Nicky and Chris celebrated 18 years of marriage. The fruit bowls in the foreground are full of feijoas. These come from a farm that one of Chris' colleagues at work has just bought. An interesting flavour they are very popular in New Zealand. Tart and reminiscent of strawberry but with a coarse texture. Quite addictive.