On our way home to Melbourne we stopped in Holbrook to get some fuel. We saw a huge submarine near the road and decided to check what is going on there.

Photo from Wikipedia

We read an interesting story. The town got its name after in honour of Lt. Norman Douglas Holbrook, a decorated wartime submarine captain and winner of the Victoria Cross. To his honour, the town's namesake, the Holbrook council acquired a portion of the hull of HMAS Otway, an Oberon class submarine, after it was decommissioned by the Royal Australian Navy in 1995. The Navy gifted the fin from the submarine to the town. This resulted in a fund-raiser by the town and district to purchase the whole submarine. This drive was successful in raising $100,000, almost all a gift from Lt Holbrook's widow, Gundula Holbrook. However, this amount was insufficient to purchase all of the Otway. Through negotiations with the scrap yard in Sydney, the town did succeed in purchasing all of the outside skin of the Otway above the waterline. This part of the Otway is now displayed in Germanton Park in the heart of Holbrook, having been dedicated on 7–8 June 1997.

There is also a good submarine museum and I highly recommend you to visit is.

My son was so happy to be there! By the way, have YOU ever look at the periscope? :)

Time to go back to our precious cats and to work. Hope that you will find my notes useful :)