Great Ocean Road, 2008 and 1923.

After inflicting my little rant on you earlier this morning I thought I would follow it with a photo post of something much nicer*.

The Argus 23 Oct 1923 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1993552

The picture below was taken in 2008 when we were travelling home after a few weeks in the Flinders Ranges. We decided to take the long way home and turned down the Great Ocean Road for a bit of sightseeing.

The Great Ocean Road is 250-ish km of one of the most picturesque drives you can do in Victoria.

It was built by returned soldiers from WWI between 1919 and 1932 and is the worlds largest war memorial.

Much of it follows directly along the western coastline of Victoria, and there are many places to stop and marvel at the amazing views of rock piles standing out in the turbulent Southern ocean.

It is also known as the shipwreck coast, and is where the well-known wreck of the Loch Ard occurred in 1880.

The road is a hugely popular attraction to overseas visitors, and is the only place I have ever been that has the need for signs at each car park exit reminding the driver which side of the road Australians drive on.

Watch your step!

*Nicer, except for the little sign on that post. It is a representation of a person who strayed too close to the edge and is falling to their death….

Fashion to die for. 1923.

I have done a post before about fashion that kills, a hobble skirt that well and truly hobbled the wearer, and these two cases from 1923 detail other unlikely ends thanks to vengeful attire.

The Brisbane Courier 24 Apr 1923 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20616349

In the first case an Italian girl fainted at a ball. When attended to by a doctor it was discovered that one of the bone stays in her corset had snapped, penetrating her skin.

This minor injury should have not been too much of a problem, except for the fact that the bone had been soaked in prussic acid. She died of blood poisoning.

The second victim, Mademoiselle Lapille, was another victim of fashion choices. At a dance (again!) a friend used a fox stole to playfully nip the Mademoiselle’s nose with the sharp teeth. Very soon after the offended nose reacted and swelling spread over the attached face. Although an operation was performed (what sort of operation do you think?), the unfortunate Mademoiselle Lapille died soon after.

Both of these cases involved using bits of dead animal to create fashion. I wonder if the women’s deaths were some sort of karmic revenge?

Ghost Laying. 1923.

Western Argus 26 Jun 1923 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article34258506

Laid to rest, then laid to rest again. More definitely the second time though.

Burning a body to ashes without a proper crematorium would have involved quite a bit of effort I suspect, and be a bit hard to keep quiet in a small place.

Apparently the neighbours knew what was going on though, and even helped. The sons were hardly desecrating a corpse on the sly and the victims next of kin were the instigators. I wonder what law these men broke?

An unexpectedly deadly hobby. 1923.

The Advertiser 28 Aug 1923 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37201356

Collecting butterflies wouldn’t be high on my dangerous hobbies list but here is an example of how even the most innocuous pastime can kill you.

I wonder if Rabbi Meyer was found with a look of horror on his face? Did he lick his finger then realize, too late, what was going to happen?

Was a ghostly butterfly chuckling in the background?