Bird Strike ll

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4/2/18

The C.O. enthusiastically supported the suggestion of a visit to the Sunday market at South Melbourne. So we boarded the tram and tapped on with our Wykie cards to pay for the ride. A Wykie card is a prepayment contact card used to pay for your journey. The card only has to be tapped on a small screen at the start of your journey as all the journeys are the same price. The screen tells you that it has been successful and also your cash balance left on the card. It sounds a bit complicated but works very well. We alighted the tram at South Melbourne and went into the market the which is very big and sells a wide variety of products which are bought by the locals. It is very well supported and was very busy. Many locals favour shopping trolleys to carry their purchases which are a sensible idea but do produce some traffic problems. The C. O. spent quite a lot of time perusing the clothes, food and household items and appeared very pleased to have bought a scourer. After lunch at the market, the C.O. was full of beans as she devoured a huge bean and feta cheese salad for lunch.

In the afternoon, Ollie drove us to Brighton which is the next seaside town to St. Kilda. but the comparison to the Sussex Brighton is limited for although the Ausie Brighton is also quite posh and has beach huts, it also has sun and golden sands and appears to have less Gays although a recent Gay Parade in St. Kilda was well supported. We spent a pleasant hour on the beach and then made our way home. On the journey back, we drove the Melbourne F1 circuit in Albert Park. My suggestion that Ollie selected "sport mode" on his car was not agreed as there is a 40 kph speed limit still in operation. There were many preparations going on and apparently the road will be closed soon to get everything prepared. The fact that they hold the Grand Prix on standard roads is similar to what happens in Monte Carlo.

After our evening meal we set out to see the Penguins at the end of St. Hilda pier at sunset. The penguins appeared to be on strike as only one was seen to be sneaking home after a day out. We did however get a photo of a penguin who was home alone, having obviously decided to have a day at home. However, we did see a penguin which is more than Charlotte had seen before. Of course you had to jostle with a lot of people with selfie sticks but we are British.

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Photos

Melbourne
South Melbourne Market

Albert Park
Construction of the pit lane in Albert Park

Brighton, Victoria
Couple of beauties setting off the beach huts very well.

Brighton, Victoria
C.O. with N.C.O. With Charlotte

St. Kilda Pier
Home alone.

St. Kilda Pier
Wending his weary way home avoiding the tourists.