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Published: November 9th 2006
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The one hour flight passed over the imaginatively named Snowy Mountains and dropped us down into Melbourne where we took a bus to the impressive twisting roofed Southern Cross Station. Catching a local train to
South Yarra we were immediately struck how similar it felt like the suburbs of London. Red brick buildings splattered with tag graffiti in fairly run down stations all with a cool chill in the air, well we could have been in Clapham.
Our accommodation for the duration of our stay would be the Claremont Hotel, a grand old English hotel now rejuvenated as a backpacker’s hostel and where on reception a curious but exceptionally friendly man bravely sported an Uma Thurman bob to die for. After checking in we caught the train into
Flinders Street Station and exited onto a grand interchange where a bold mix of cutting edge modernist architecture in Federation Square provided a huge contrast to the ornate and colonial Flinders Street Station building. Walking up Swanston Street past St Pauls Cathedral it was immediately clear that Melbourne was a city steeped in history and architecture which boldly represents its era. With Trams almost outnumbering cars, the streets appeared much busier than
those in Sydney and certainly seemed to buzz with a younger student crowd. After picking up some information in the I site on Federation Square we caught a rush hour train back to South Yarra and again reminding us of London we were crammed in like sardines in a world of armpit whiff.
The next day raring to go we walked down South Yarra's Chapel Street where hundreds of small independent fashion boutiques were lazily opening for 10.30 and caught a tram to the
Botanical Gardens. Of particular interest was the Australian Rainforest walk, the ornamental lake and long island where symphony of birdsong (those glockenspiel ones from New Zealand) rang around and where a huge Cockatoo swooped past and spat bits of bark at us from his lofty perch. Heading into the city we opted for a walk over Morell Bridge and along the river bank past the huge area solely containing huge sports arenas. At Alexandra Gardens, hundreds of workers were power walking or jogging on their lunch breaks making us reminisce at how lazy in comparison we are in England.
Crossing Princes Bridge we entered the amazing
Federation Square building, a jaunty and angular copper
shoebox and exiting via the BMW theatre we stepped out onto the river terrace to find a huge "Earth from the air" exhibition by the photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Although we had been to the exhibition in London before his aerial pictures from around the world were stunning and it was nice to see the people of Melbourne walking amongst the huge posters fascinated by the ecological story behind the shots. From there we jumped on a tram up to
Queen Victoria Market where we wandered amongst stalls and traders selling everything from fruit and veg to cheeses and any meat or fish you could imagine. After a long walk back and around the shopping friendly Bourke Street we popped into Quantas to shuffle around some flights and headed back to the Claremont to rest.
The next morning we headed back into the city where thousands of screaming kids had congregated to meet the stars of Australian Idol at Fed square. At a jog we left them to it and took great delight in posting the heavy jumpers and fleeces we had worn throughout South America back home. The destination for the day was however the
Melbourne museum, a stylish
Earth from the Air
Aerial photography exhibition and striking modern building with an annex which appears to have been modeled on a half sunken Rubik’s Cube.
Inside the Australian section was sadly more about Melbourne and the history of its signage, sewerage and construction. Equally sadly in a different sense, the highlight of the section was the set of No.26 Ramsay Streets kitchen which we took pride in having our photos taken in! The set was home to the Robinsons, the Martins and the Scullys and the rear walls of the ply board sets were scrawled with doodles and messages from the likes of Kylie and Jason.
Downstairs a heartfelt and moving exhibition told the stories of the persecuted lives of an aboriginal community. Although the situation is fast improving, segregation of indigenous Australians has devastated many thousands of lives ...
Moving onto the Natural History and Evolution sections, the Melbourne museum flourished by opening up with what must be one of the most dazzling collections of minerals in the world where we were stunned at how the most inorganic structures could have naturally formed. Across the sharp interior we entered a taxonomist’s heaven where several thousand of Australia’s and the worlds most treasured
Queen Victoria market
.."pound for a pound" not ringing through the halls of the market here. and unusual animals lay preserved in glass displays. Present were the stuffed remains of Thylacine (an extinct dog come tiger) the Tasmanian devil, the Cassowary and awesome collections of spiders, snakes, birds and crustaceans. All it seemed had been hand picked for their remarkable features and diversity.
In Dinosaurs, aside from the giant inauthentic skeletons which normally dominate museums, on display were many very authentic fossils including a complete skeleton which cleverly still lay in its genuine fossil sediment and some amazing 450 million year old amphibian footprint the size of a lions. Although beginning to tire, the Melbourne Museum captivated us for a further hour by spending even more time wandering the exceptional Darwinian and DNA areas. Although we cannot boast to have been to every museum in every city, never before have we seen such a thorough and informative display on Evolution and particularly the nature and make up of DNA. Beautifully presented displays explained the process of genetic coding of various animals and their minute differences as well as eloquently covering the issue of race by highlighting the complete lack of genetic variation between races and affirming that we are all just one species and one
The Melbourne Museum
...like a big Rubics cube. family.
Again taken aback by the quality of displays we moved into the Human Body Zone where graphic but fascinating body parts lay preserved alongside mountains of useful health information about the human body and its functions. Interactive displays kept the kids entertained (especially the flatulence section) whilst adults stood around gripped by the information and shamefully ruing that last cigarette or beer session! After what must surely be one of the best museums we have been to, we caught a tram all the way to Melbourne's docklands and the towering Telstra Stadium. Although supposedly a buzzing new centre for art and culture we found it to be a rather deserted and lifeless span of shiny new office blocks albeit interspersed with unusual outdoor sculptures.
After a packed final day in Melbourne we headed back to South Yarra and over a Thai dinner discussed how although we had seen Melbourne in a very different way to Sydney, it was easy to notice how far removed the two cities were. Melbourne certainly expressed a more evident history and cultural vibrancy and its architecture stood out as being an incredible and tasteful mix of old and new. Sydney on the
The Robinson's Kitchen
..remember this from Neighbours?! other hand seemed to more than make up for this with its stunning setting and huge diversity with its easy access to countless beaches and bays. At any rate both cities are well worth the trip for any visitor and have given us a great taste of Australian city life.
On the sky bus to the airport the next morning our thoughts had soon drifted from cities... it was time to enter the baking interior of this impossibly huge country and get into the outback.
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Colin
non-member comment
Very impressed with your pictures and especially liked the shot of the Milky Way. This is the first time I've looked at your stuff so hope this all reaches you safely (though did add an earlier message when I caught up with your engagement news ) Your South American pics reminded me of my visit albeit around 25 years ago ! Good wishes to you both Colin