Time Walks - Paramatta and Geelong

Good morning, we are continuing with Tony Robinson’s Time Walks.  In the first episode, Tony explores Paramatta.  The run time for this episode is 26:36. This episode is not time-stamped for easy division.  In episode two, Tony explores Geelong and the run time for this episode is 26:33.  This episode is not time-stamped either.

Parramatta is home to the rugby team the Eels.  Tony starts off on a farm and ends up on the outskirts of the Government House.  Originally it was home to the orchards and farms that fed Australia.  It was home to John Macarthur; he was a pioneer of Australia.  He brought down governors and brought the merino sheep.  In fact, people believe that he created New South Wales.  He was a successful man, however with great success comes a great cost.  He was a man whose moods swung wildly and when he heard that his son had died, he snapped.  The loving husband had become paranoid.  He tossed his wife out on the street; however, she was the one that kept the farm up.

Tony moves on towards town and walks along the river.  He admires the boats on the river.  There was one boat that was designed to run on horsepower.  However, the horsepower failed and the boat drifted out to see.  After the trip to the river, Tony tells the story about the Flying Pieman.  The man was called William Francis King and came out to Australia.  He dressed flamboyantly and he would sell pies to the ferry passengers.  He would walk between Sydney and Parramatta and sell pies.  He was known as the “walking celebrity” of Australia. 

Eventually Tony finds himself in church.  Samuel Marsden was a pastor in the church and was also the magistrate.  He was known as the flogging pastor and ruled the convicts with an iron fist.  Eventually, he got fed up with the convicts and headed to New Zealand.  The New Zealanders were so fond of him that they carved a font for the church he used to preach at.  What else does Tony learn about Parramatta?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out!

Geelong missed out on being the capital of Victoria.  Geelong had a beautiful bay and tree-lined shores.  A quirk of nature prevented Geelong from being Victoria’s capital.  A sandbar prevented big ships from accessing Geelong.  Despite this, it became Victoria’s second-largest city and is an important player in the economy.  Unfortunately, the pier burned down and its timbers were salvaged into sculptures that are found in Geelong.  Tony catches up with the artist who is restoring them.  He learns about who originally painted them.

Tony continues his walk and ends up in a villa.  The villa is beautiful and was built in Edinburgh and brought to Geelong.  It was known as the “Wedding Cake House.”  He continues to explore houses along the street, learning a little bit more about the history of Geelong.   He heads out of town to solve a racing mystery.

The 1930 Winner of the Melbourne Cup was a racehorse.  He was a hero to the people of the Great Depression.  He was a freak of nature.  So someone tried to assassinate him.  The assassins missed him and so he was taken away and hidden on a farm.  The minders were also hidden.  However, there were still problems.  He had a police escort to Melbourne, but the truck would not start.  The horse managed to make the race in time and win the Melbourne Cup.

Tony continues his walk and discovers more of Geelong.  He makes his way to the jail.  During World War II, Geelong jail was a military prison and the inmates became escapees.  In 1945 a group of inmates escaped into the prison yard.  The prison guard tried to call for help, but the prisoners had cut the phone lines.  The prisoners then looked around the prison yard to find a way to escape the prison.  Will these twenty-two prisoners manage to escape the prison?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out!

The Geelong episode was fantastic and the discussion on John Macarthur in the first episode was interesting as well.  This still continues to be a good series for a geography class!