First of all, something intangible. I think this place must be rainbow city, it's amazing how often I walk out of the gate here and look straight into a rainbow. I've never seen so many in other places I've lived in. I don't always catch them, and in fact I was trying to film the evening cockatoos, but this is all that I managed to take.
Now the heritage bit.
(If you don't know what 'intangible heritage' refers to, check out the Heritage Victoria site)
I had a good morning on the Alfredton bus where I caught some intangible heritage that's pretty much missing now from the buses in Melbourne. I caught these words and phrases; 'plenty of dough', 'dill', 'strewth', 'good on ya' out of the chat behind me. This is the natter of my childhood, and despite Heritage Victoria I reckon it'll soon be gone.
Hard to take a picture of 'intangible heritage' but last night's meal comes close to it.
Red roast pork ribs and dried beancurd and peanut soup.
Bak choy and Chinese broccoli with dried scallops
Rice, and at the very edge (of the pic) offal simmered in a soy and anise stock.
140 years ago Ballarat would have been redolent with thousands of similar meals as the huge Chinese population cooked up dinner. All Yin's dried goods, typical of Cantonese cooking , would have been for sale in countless little shops along Main Road. The vegetables would have been growing in the market garden allotments along the creeks and the pork would have come from the backyard. Just about everyone - Chinese, English, Irish, Welsh, German - kept a pig or two in the backyard.
This weekend Ballarat is showing off some of it's tangible heritage and lots of buildings and gardens and collections will be open. It's worth a visit to the Ballarat Heritage Weekend if you are in the neighbourhood.
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