Heart at Home

I have been trying hard to upload some photos I took of a family excurion we took on the weekend with absolutely no success at all. I am getting quite frustrated, but have been getting a bit of housework done, as I complete a chore with each attempt.

So now I am trying to upload them one at a time, with a little more success. We took the children on a trip into the heart of the city to see the replica ship Duyfken, which was docked just metres from my darling husband's workplace. The Duyfken was the first European vessel to have discovered the northern coastline of Australia in 1606.

We caught the ferry into the city, an adventure in itself, then queued for about half an hour to see the ship. I was shocked at just how small it was. Just imagining the courage of a little ship with twenty brave crew setting out into uncharted waters is mindboggling to me. It was so very small, inside the cabin I could feel the top of my head just brush the ceiling beams, and I am only 5 feet tall. This photo was taken inside the cabin, in which eating and drinking utensils were displayed. The children were very impressed with the cannon. I loved the timber smell that surrounded us a we climbed down into the ship. It was so dark below deck. A couple of lanterns lit our way. We saw the cargo hold, where we learnt a little more about the spice trade. Nutmeg was a very popular cargo, being valued the same as silver! Even a tiny ship could carry a fortune in spices.

In all it was a very uplifting day. I have a passion for history, and Brett has a more specific interest in nautical history, so we both greatly enjoyed passing our interest on to our children. The kids were very impressed with the whole experience. I think they were hoping for pirates, but managed to mask their disappointment. Cannons and the carved figurehead made up for their loss!