One Winter Night In Caroline Springs

Sunset at Caroline Springs

One Winter Night In Caroline Springs

                *for the kids

               It was a chilly winter night.  I got off at the bus stop near Taylors Hill and crossed the main street to North Gate Village. With the wind blowing strong, I put on the hood of my jacket.  In a few minutes, I was trying to open the main door with the silver key but it would not open. No one was inside the house.  I waited for a home companion to arrive but, half an hour later, I was still out there in the cold. Temperature was down to 10 degrees.  It was too quiet then in Caroline Springs.

               Caroline Springs is a suburb of Greater Melbourne.  It occupies a generally flat land where houses have started sprouting sometime in the early 2000. These are beautiful houses with modern designs.  There are reserves and playgrounds in key areas. Caroline Springs is under the jurisdiction of the Shire of Melton.

                From the City proper of Melbourne, Caroline Springs is only about 20 minutes by train. From Flinders Street Station, you take the train bound for Sydenham with its terminal at the Watergardens Shopping Center. From there, you ride the bus to Caroline Springs. It is only a few minutes away. There is no traffic buildup in the area. 

                 There was one option left to me to get inside the house.  And that was to scale the fence and squeeze past through the sliding window.  But I was thinking that the alarm system was too sensitive that any slight, unusual movement would trigger the alarm, and consequently, alarm the neighbors who would then call the police.

                   What I did was to walk back to the bus stop and flag down the Westrans bus. Inside, it was warmer. I was back to my comfort zone. I took the seat nearest the Vietnamese driver as the bus made two round trips. It served as my temporary refuge from the biting cold outside.  

                   On the third and final trip, I got off at Caroline Springs.  There were now lights inside and around the house. I called everyone's attention. I was emoting. While they were watching, I tried again the key, but this time, it worked !! I was puzzled. Everyone was laughing. I looked like a fool. That was one winter night in Caroline Springs.

                                                                                             - Konted 

This is at Melbourne City proper.  Caroline Springs is only about 20 minutes away by train.

Take the train at Flinders Street Station.

Metlink train 

The train terminal at Watergardens

Westrans bus plies the Watergardens-Caroline Springs route.

Westrans bus leaves on time.

The bus stop at Gourlay Road in Caroline Springs.

Near the Roundabout in Caroline Springs

Northgate Village's principal road

Beautiful flowers

Quiet neighborhood

Caroline Springs is part of the Shire of Melton.

Good housekeeping

Winter begins in June and ends in August.

Children's playground at North  Gate Village

Beautiful house near a reserve in Caroline Springs

Another beautiful house at North Gate

Well-kept mini garden complements the brick house.

A row of houses near the Roundabout

There are playgrounds in key areas of Caroline Springs.

A covered picnic area with free use of electric grills

CS Square Commercial Center

Fresh fruits and vegetables are available everyday.

Most popular bakeshop

A man-made lagoon near the business center in Caroline Springs

Springside School for kids

Beautiful garden of Springside Kindergarten

Mothers are allowed inside the classroom.

Caroline Springs Grade School

Caroline Springs library

Conducive to learning

A wide variety of books

Free use of computers

Caroline Springs Gymnasium

Main lobby of gymnasium

In Netball, u don't dribble the ball.

A swamp in Caroline Springs

Parks and playgrounds are managed by Parks Victoria.

Donna's house

Eiffel joins long distance cycling tours.

Ivan and Laura's nest in Caroline Springs

Maximus with his Tita Vina and Tita Laura