We left Philip Island this morning and after a few hours of driving we arrived in the Dandenong Ranges just east of Melbourne and after a leisurely drive through the ranges, we came to rest at William Rickett's Sanctuary - a four acre section dedicated to the work of William Rickett.

The whole area is filled with clay figures of Aboriginal people and their dreams, which are half hidden amongst the trees and rocks along the pathways that William Rickett spent almost sixty years carving, many of which are his interpretations of the dreams that form the basis for the Aboriginal beliefs. They all seemed to blend in seamlessly with the surroundings and it was fascinating wandering around seeing all these sculptures that were hand carved and kiln-fired by the same man. The whole area reflected his views that people need to act as "custodians of the natural environment" and it was really peaceful - until we would suddenly see a pair of eyes staring out at us through the trees making us jump!

In amongst the trees and sculptures was a small wooden shack that housed a few wooden pews and a television showing a documentary about William Rickett that was played on a continuous loop. It was here that he spent most of his life living in the middle of the trees and his creations, and there was also a workshop at the top end of the sanctuary where there were a few designs that were still in their infancy when he died in 1993.

We spent a couple of hours walking around in the tranquility before it was time to head back to the car to continue our drive round the ranges, stopping at a couple of lookouts on the way that offered some great views across the Dandenong's as the sun was beginning to set in the distance.