Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Trip Start
Nov 16, 2007
1
17
40
Trip End
Aug 2008
Melbourne,
Australia
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Straight into Pete's car and whisked off to a BBQ to see another old friend, Tim, and his new wife, Lucy, along with the BBQ hosts. After traveling for months without seeing a familiar face, the sudden immersion is a little startling, but a bit of home cooked food and a beer settles me into the flow
Melbourne
. The rain eases off towards the evening and we bid our goodbyes, heading off to Pete and his wife, Clare's, house in North Melbourne. It is a beautiful warehouse conversion and a very welcome change from the hostels of the last few months. Clare is feeling unwell, so Pete and I head out to grab a beer and watch the evening session of the Australian Open. It turns out to be the longest day in open history, with Leyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis finishing their match at 4:45 in the morning.The next day, Clare heads off riding, and Pete and I head down to the nearby market. A series of enormous iron roofed structures make up the Queen Victoria Market, threatened with demolition until a campaign saved them in the late 80's. Now they are listed buildings and heave with locals at the meat, vegetables and niknak counters. We get some beautiful steaks and a rack of lamb for the BBQ tonight. As we head back to the house, Pete shows me round the local area. North Melbourne is a really young and trendy area a short tram ride from the CBD. Warehouse conversions and lively restaurants set along wide streets.
After lunch, Pete and I drive around Melbourne, Pete introducing the various neighbourhoods and sights before heading down to Albert Park where his cricket team are playing
Melbourne
. It is a bizarre setting with the pit lane of the Australian Grand Prix right next to the ground. Apart from the time when the race is actually held, the circuit is an open road and we drive round the route following in the tyre treads of Schumacher and Alonso. Pete's cricket team are playing against a local side called Ajax. We hang around watching the start, but can't resist the nets sitting on the far side of the field. It is a spectacular view back over the Pit buildings towards the skyscapers of central Melbourne, a little distracting when you're batting.Soon after returning home, Clare returns from riding and then Tim and Lucy come over. Pete commands the meat BBQ while Clare manages her meat free version. We tuck into Australia's national dish with a good bottle of wine and some of Tim's home brew Porter. The tennis and coffee finishes off the evening nicely.
The morning brings my first solo exploration of the town. I walk down through the markets and into the city centre. Compact and with trams flowing throughout the city, Melbourne is one of the easiest places I have found to travel around. It has skyscrapers and some recently regenerated areas, but it still feels like a peaceful and mature town. I wander down along the banks of the Yarra to Melbourne Park which plays host to the tennis centre and the world famous stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne
.A tour of the stadium is a great chance to see both the public areas in a stadium that accomodates over 100,000, and also some of the off limit areas like the players rooms and the press rooms. It is an amazing structure with giant suspension struts supporting the huge roof. To allow everyone to have a good view of the field, the seating increases in steepness as it rises adding to the towering feeling from pitch level. That day it was being setup ready for a concert at the weekend to celebrate Australia Day, but I can imagine what it must be like when it is full.
Wandering back through the centre of town, I get lost in the maze of arcades and galleries that make up Melbourne's heart. It is one of the best shopping destinations in the world and has all kinds of interesting little alleyways. After lunch I continue to explore while slowly continuing back to North Melbourne.
In the evening, another friend to meet as Pete and I go down to the centre of town to meet up with Braden. This time we trawl through the trendier bars of Chinatown, catching up on Braden's path back to Melbourne and his new career in media production
Melbourne
. A lot of the conversation turns to the recent droughts and now floods, especially important to Braden's family with farming at its heart. With us meeting later in the week, we head our separate ways. Pete and I wander through a shopping centre built around a tall tower that used to be used to make lead shot. It is one of the oldest remaining buildings in Melbourne and is a startling sight surrounded by an enormous glass cone.A bright sunny morning bathes my path down to Melbourne Park, this time to go to the Australian Open. None of the queuing associated with Wimbledon. A ground pass gets me into everything but the main court and I spend the day wandering through the corridors of tennis. I get to see the Woodies in a legends match, which the home crowd love, then a mens' doubles match-up followed by some womens' doubles. The highlight is seeing the Williams sisters playing a Chinese pairing and surprisingly losing in a close match. At the end of the day, Pete joins me to watch a mixed doubles match involving an Indian pairing of Mirza and Bhupathi. A great competition in the gathering twilight. Then we watch the final singles match on the big screen setup in the courtyard. A great day out.
The next day, I have arranged to meet another old friend for lunch, Leon
Melbourne
. This also gives me an opportunity to explore the eastern side of Melbourne, around the Parliament building and the enormous Exhibition Hall and Museum of Melbourne. Situated in the lush Carlton Gardens, the Exhibition Hall was the first building in Australia to be given a UNESCO World Heritage designation and its sheer size is staggering. It was here that the ceremony of the federation of the Australian Commowealth took place in 1901. After exploring I meet up with Leon who works for the state of Victoria nearby. He has settled back into Melbourne life and it's great to see him. We grab some Japanese food and chat about friends and life. In the afternoon, I explore the area further east around trendy Brunswick Street before heading down to meet up with Braden and Pete for a net with Pete's cricket team. The first ball I bowl sends a shooting pain down the back of my arm, but after a bit more stretching out, it loosens up. Great to be playing again, and the BBQ afterwards is a great chance to meet some Australian cricketers. Pete and I head back to North Melbourne through a clear and starry night.I'm heading to Canberra the following evening, but first I wash get some washing done. After dropping the big bag off at the bus station, I explore the Docklands area behind it. Very similar to many regenerated docklands around the world, the mix of glass, metal and water makes for a great new space not far from the centre of town. Along a series of large wharfs lie gleaming apartment blocks mixed with restaurants and cafes. Dominating the harbour is the large Telstra Dome, used as Melbourne's second sporting and entertainment venue after the mighty MCG. In the evening, I meet Pete, Clare and Tim at a bar on one of the wharfs to grab a bite to eat and have one last goodbye before heading off towards Canberra. On the road again, this time heading east.
