Thank you to Carmel Sanderson for your wonderful collage of photos of this two day excursion

Thirteen members of the Grovedale Marshall Probus Club embarked on a two-day trip to Bendigo on Thursday 24th March. Included in this trip was a visit to the Great Stupa’s Peace Park.

Members were treated to a fascinating tour of this Buddhist monument. The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion situated near Bendigo, Victoria, is the largest Buddhist Stupa in the Western world and is the same size and design as The Great Stupa of Gyantse in Tibet. It rises to a total height of 48 metres above Bendigo's distinctive bushland and is 50 metres wide at its base.

The Bendigo Stupa also houses the world's largest gemstone-quality Jade Buddha, standing at 2.5 metres high. The Buddha was completed in 2008 and embarked on a decade-long world tour to 120 cities across 20 countries.

Thank you Merv for these great pictures too: