Phoenix v Melbourne City

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No tour responsibilities today! So it was a leisurely stroll to the Southgate entertainment precinct on the banks of the Yarra river for a very nice and relaxing breakfast at Soho Cafe. From there we had a wander around the CBD, we stumbled on the former Commercial Bank of Australia building where back in the gold rush prospectors brought their golden treasure to be weighed and paid out. The concierge in the building gave us a brief but very informative run down on the checkered history of the building, including how the panels below the tellers were hollow and if there was any trouble the tellers (who were all armed) were instructed to shoot through the panels - not the iron bars where a bullet could ricochet anywhere. There were panels riddled with bullet holes closeted away in the building.

From there we jumped on a tram and headed up to Victoria Markets, definitely not my scene but Jeanette had a good time exploring the massive indoor market which had pretty much everything for sale. Eventually we escaped and trammed back to the CBD and our favourite riverside cafe Pilgrim for a bite to eat and a quiet drink.

We had made contact with a few local Phoenix fans and arranged to meet before the game at a pub near to AAMI Stadium. We went over to the stadium early - around a 10 minute ride from our hotel - to have a look around the area. We did that and then settled into the Precinct Pub for a pre game drink. The local Nix supporters turned up and there was some excellent banter. Someone had a couple of spare tickets so we got free entry which was a nice bonus. The game itself was terrible as expected. The Nix aren't up to the League and capitulated 2-0 without registering a single shot on goal. There was plenty of witty comments and black humour to lighten the mood in the away supporters bay. AAMI Stadium was awesome, a genuine football ground and even with the small crowd there was a decent atmosphere.

While we were at the ground we learned there had been a terrorist attack just outside our hotel. A guy crashed his car, set it on fire at started trying to stab people, 1 person was killed and another 6 injured before police shot the perpetrator. When we got back to the hotel all was quiet but sections of the road were cordoned off and there was an extremely heavy police presence.

Our last night in Melbourne, tomorrow we head head home.

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Photos

AAMI Park
A very impressive stadium and home of Melbourne City FC

Pre Game Drink
Jeanette enjoying drink at Prescient Bar - very nice place just down from Stadium

Shit Game-worse team
But fans still gave Nix a good reception when they came to thank the fans after the game.