Melbourne

Melbourne 13th - 21st September 2008

Another wild Snake - Melbourne suburbs!

So back again to suburban Melbourne, for slightly longer this time around.  In all we spent more than a week in the company of my sister Carrie and bro-in-law Andy, who looked after us very well indeed.  Much food, alcohol and fun was provided all week, which is nice, and most of it gratis for myself and Helen.  I won't bore you with everything we did, as much of it was mundane (it's nice not to be active for a while) but some of the highlights were:

Melbourne City: On a number of days we simply jumped on the train and went into the city centre, mooching around as you do, looking at the buildings, shops, watching life pass you by as you sit in a cafe.  It's a very nice city in which to do all of this.  Victorian buildings sit alongside recently completed skyscrapers.  Trams, both old and modern, rattle around the city.  Every so often there would be a tiny alleyway, lined with Cafes and restaurants, which just make you want to spend half your life watching the world go by.

A stormy Mornington

We were also lucky enough to be there when the Australian Olympic Athletes held a parade after getting back from China.  I didn't know any of their names, or how well they did, I don't even like the Olympics, but I watched the parade anyway.  All I can say is that the Australians are very proud of their athletes, and looking at the medal tables, they should be.

We also spent a night out on the tiles, which is pretty rare for us, when we went to the Crown Entertainment Plaza, which is basically a large Casino and associated restaurants and attractions.  After a few games of bowling, we headed onto St Kilda and it's famous Hotel Esplanade ("the Espey") where various bands play.  It's a really decent, grimy pub, where the floor is sticky and the music loud.  My type of place for sure.  

Flinders Street Station, Melbourne

Mornington Pensiula: Since Carrie and Andy had some time off we headed up to Mornington Pensiula, where Andy went Surfing for a bit; then we spent the day being very middle class by doing some Wine Tasting.  Helen in particular enjoyed this, as for three months she has been subjected to my low-brow, working class ways.  Whilst they were all banging on about "the length of this wine" and how it "tastes of tar, mud and a hint of beetle" I walked around the Vineyards themselves, which were just beginning to bud (it's spring here, afterall).

Dandenong National Park:  On the outskirts of the Melbourne metro area is this awesome national park, with large hills covered in cold climate Rainforest. One of the walking trails is called the thousand steps, and it was very true to it's name - Helen counted them all.  Whilst I took my time, I was passed various times by mentals who think running up and down them is good for them.  I beg to differ - none of them could breathe, they stank of sweat and were all very redfaced.  I on the other hand was my normal male model self. Also nearby is a hill with clear views of Melbourne's city centre, so we headed up there, only to be met by low clouds obscuring the view.  Which seems pointless even writing about to be honest.

Old and new, Melbourne

Normal Domestic Life:  Just walking the Dogs around the local parks and wetlands was a fun experience, catching up on 6 years of life with my Sister, getting a look at real Australian daily life, and we even saw another wild Snake - thankfully the Dogs were on leashes!

Catching the AFL semi finals on TV:  I still have no clue how Australian Rules Football works, but I do know that it's popularity is pretty much confined to the State of Victoria.  This really surprsied me, but elsewhere in the country Rugby (both league and union) is more popular, and is called Football too.  I also, for Helens birthday, got tickets to the Australia vs England Rugby World Cup Match in November, in Melbourne.  When getting the tickets, I also took a quick look around the venue, the Telstra Dome.  It's smaller than most stadiums I've been to, but I reckon the atmosphere will be awesome, and I can also see everything from my seat, hurrah!

Olympic Athletes

I liked Melbourne a lot, and can see why it's constantly voted to be one of the world's most habitable places.  We got around easily, the pace is slow, there is heaps of things to see and do, and it's surrounded by stunning countryside and beaches.  Thankfully we will be back here in November.

My family

A smug looking Helen, wine tasting

Vineyards, Mornington

Thousand Steps

Melbourne from Mt. Dandenong

Melbourne Skyline

Melbourne Skyline, again