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Published: October 18th 2018
First time here and I knew nothing about Melbourne ....luck would have it that my Home exchange host had given me her apartment on St Kilda Road with views of the Shrine of Remembrance and the Botanic Gardens. That was a winner ! Great public transport with trams and buses and light trains going everywhere and it was Seniors Week so when I took a train I didn’t have to pay ! But it was walking distance to Flinders Street Station where the rich and famous have apparently always said “ meet me under the clocks” which is where I met Teresa , an old friend from MerryWidows days in London and we set out to wander the lanes and fashionable streets of the CBD.
I was surprised to see so many green spaces- the parks in the city sit nicely by the Yarra Rover and alongside the modern architecture as well as 19 century heritage buildings. My second day of wandering took me on a free tram ride around the city to Treasury Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens where I saw the JFK Memorial, and Captain James Cook‘s family home( his parents ) which was taken to bits ..all the
bricks etc numbered and then painstakingly transported to Victoria and reconstructed here. In a conservatory I saw beautiful displays of orchids and hanging baskets and was intrigued as to why some other tourists seemed to be becoming entangled in the hanging baskets then I realised they were entangling themselves to take a selfie with flowers in their hair !!!!! Obviously they took no notice of signs saying DO NOT TOUCH ! As for signs ... i had to take a shot of one I came across in the toilet ! Explanations of how to use a toilet seem necessary for some tourists!!
Melbourne has some beautiful buildings like the State Library ,the Forum , the Majorca Building from the 1920s and the majestic Exhibition Hall from 1880s. And in addition to the lanes crammed with cafes and restaurants, with claims that Melbourne is the culinary capital of Australia , there are two beautiful Arcades with sumptuous shop displays , magnificent tiled floors and clocks with famous figures like Gog and Magog . There’s also a very nice chocolate shop!! The Block Arcade is so named because the 19 century Melburnians liked to parade around the Block between Elizabeth and
Swanson Street. As a contrast Federation Square is a modern jumble of geometric shapes and glass buildings make interesting reflections. Walking back “home” through the gardens by the Shrine I would sit at peace with the world in the Garden of Rembrance and reflect how life is good to me.
Last year in Cambodia and Vietnam we met such lovely friendly Australians and Kiwis and so it was great to meet up with Steve and Ros here in Melbourne and enjoyed a great days drive out on the Mornington Peninsula. First stop was Arthur’s Seat and a cable car ride up and down, and on such a clear sunny day what great views. At a winery ,Red Hill , I was treated to a rather special lunch and then we set off to drive to the tip of the Peninsula at Cape Schanck Lighthouse and walked to the beach at Portsea where there used to be a quarantine station for livestock. All that remains there on the beach is part of the jetty along with driftwood and cairns .
Hospitality and generosity have come to me in abundance on my travels so on my last day in Melbourne
a member of 5W , Irene, whisked me away into the countryside to the north Yarra Glen . We drove through steep wooded hillsides , valleys and visited a beautiful garden centre . In some of these areas there had been terrible forest fires with fatalities a few years ago and you could see blackened trees and in some villages almost all of the houses were newly rebuilt . Australia is a land of contrasts with some devastating weather events ...floods and fire. On the train “ home” all I had to say was I’m a senior and they let me go through without a ticket ...that’s a bargain !
So thanks to Margie for her apartment, Teresa , Steve ,Ros and Irene for their friendly hospitality I have had a wonderful week in Melbourne .
Next Tasmania.
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Jocelyn Kirkwood
non-member comment
Nearly New Zealand!!
Hi Lynne. It is amazing how your travels have followed mine in the last two weeks. I loved the Mornington Peninsular and of course the Arcades of Melbourne. My friend has lived there since 1976 and had never walked in the arcades. I learnt more from your descriptions than I did on the day! People who live there are too busy working and struggling with the traffic which is horrendous now. Almost as bad as Auckland!! You were lucky with the Seniors experience! We bought concession tickets on the trams in Adelaide and on the very last trip the inspector asked to see our Seniors Cards and when we showed a NZ one, we got a telling off as they don't recognise us. We knew that of course. They are very harsh on New Zealanders but come here and get all the benefits the same as us. Looking forward to seeing you soon!! Love, Jocelyn.