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Published: April 1st 2015
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The Great Ocean Road to Melbourne
We left Adelaide on Mon 2 Mar and drove to Robe to join the Great Ocean Road. We spent the night on a campsite near the sea. Although we. Weren't there long, Robe seemed to be a nice resort for a family holiday. On the 3rd we continued our journey along the GOR heading for Port Fairy. We stopped at Mt Gambier to look at some volcanic lakes one of which was Blue Lake, which now provides the water for Mt Gambier. Port Fairy is a picturesque seaside town with lots of cafes and individual shops but also boasts a drive through Bottle Store (off-licence). We spent the night here before heading off towards Lorne on the 4th. On the way we had to stop and photograph a road sign for Naylors Corner! There were lots of photo opportunities along the way, including London Bridge and The Twelve Apostles - more stunning reminders of the power of the sea. After a night in Lorne we set off for Melbourne. We stayed near to the centre just a short walk to Fitzroy Gardens and Treasury Gardens and the free tram which circles the city. As
we still had the car, we unpacked and after a quick lunch we set off for Phillip Island to see Penguin Parade where the little Penguins come ashore at sunset. With hindsight it was a lot of driving on one day and we hit a lot of traffic leaving Melbourne so it took a long time to get to Phillip Island (approx 3hrs)! We had VIP tickets and so after a quick snack we met our guide who gave us headsets and sitters as we were sitting in the reserved front row area on the beach. We were given a brief introduction about the Penguins and there are nesting boxes which you can look into in the Visitors Centre and see the Penguins up close. As the sun set we walked down to the beach and waited. After approx 10 minutes the first few started to appear at the water's edge. Tentatively they began to make their way across the beach in small groups. When the majority had crossed we were allowed to walk along the boardwalk next to them. It was really special to witness these tiny birds heading back to their burrows, preening and chatting with their neighbours
and in some cases travelling distances of 1.5 kms. Unfortunately you aren't allowed to photograph them as its too intrusive but they are so cute! Fortunately it only took 1hr 40 to get back to Melbourne. After a long but rewarding Thursday, Friday was a more relaxing day. Tom had to get up early to return the hire car to the airport and and we set about choosing activities for the week.
On Saturday afternoon we went to the Queen Victoria Markets on Peel St. You could buy anything from a boomerang to kangaroo meat. The food market had an eclectic mix of food stalls; Italian, German, French, Greek... We had a huge Bratwurst and people-watched! Seems odd to see kangaroo, crocodile and emu on the butchers display and there were parts of animals on sale which you wouldn't see in the UK. The fish market was another world of fish we had never heard of all beautifully displayed. We took the tram back to the CBD and went up the Eureka Skydeck to the 88th floor for some aerial views of Melbourne. It's apparently the highest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere. There is a glass bottomed section of the building
which slides out leaving you suspended above the city - not for the faint-hearted!! Sunday we visited Captain James Cook's family cottage in Fitzroy Gardens which was transported to Melbourne and rebuilt as a memorial to the explorer. We then spent the afternoon walking along the Yarra which was the focus of Moomba, the longest running community festival in Australia held every year on Labor Day long weekend at beginning of March. There were masses of people along the banks of the river, buying food from the stalls or watching the waterskiing championship events. There are also bands, musicians and street performers entertaining the crowds and fireworks on Friday and Monday. It was a scorchingly hot day so we had a beer in one of the many bars lining the river and then took the tram and headed out to Docklands in search of a fish restaurant for dinner. We settled on Berth which proved to be an excellent choice. Sitting at a window with a view over the bay, and a procession of brides posing for photographs by the water, we shared a seafood platter as a starter. It was enormous! We had two oysters, fish goujons, breaded prawns
and scallops langoustine, and calamari? I then had fettuccine with smoked salmon and broccolini and Tom had chorizo with mussels and peas risotto. There was so much on the seafood platter I couldn't eat all my main course but it was all excellent. On Monday we had an early start as we went on an organised tour to the Dandenong ranges and a ride on Puffing Billy, a 100 year old steam train. On the way we stopped for a cream tea at Grant's reserve and fed the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos or rather we were mugged for the bird food. At one point I had 3 cockatoos on my arms and a third decided to peck my leg. I think it was a strategy to make me drop the feeding bowl! One bit Tom on the ankle and drew blood! There were also Galahs and Rosellas who were a bit intimidated by the cockatoos but it was good fun! The train ride was quirky; it was de rigeur to sit with your feet dangling out of the windows, but the views weren't spectacular! The trip ended
at 1pm and on the way back we watched hundreds of young people on huge
The Twelve Apostles
Some have disappeared- if you want to see them, don't put off coming for too long! rubber rings sliding down Lansdowne Road, which had been closed and transformed into the longest urban waterslide in the world, approx 400 metres long and 3 lanes wide. That evening we had dinner on the tramcar which serves a 4 course meal as it circumnavigates the streets of Melbourne. The delicious food was prepared in an area about 5ft by 3ft and was excellently served by waiters in tuxedos and accompanied by as much as you could drink. Amazing! Tuesday we visited the Victoria Parliament which was a very opulent building paid for by the discovery of gold in 1851. Their Government is based on the Westminster system with two houses but they are called The Legislative Assembly and The Legislative Council. All politicians in both houses have to be elected every 4 years and the leader of the Government is called the Premier. Each state has its own Government and decides on issues affecting that State and there is a further tier which is the Federal Government which makes decisions regarding national issues such as Defence, Health, Education etc. The only other difference is that they operate Proportional Representation. Otherwise it's very much like walking into the Houses of
Parliament in London. Afterwards we did a Cruise on the Yarra to Herring Island which we had tried to do earlier in the week but parts of the river had been closed off for Moomba. The views of Melbourne were lovely, the skipper of the boat was very informative and humorous in a dry Jack Dee style. We've noticed all tour guides / coach drivers seem to be frustrated comedians over here and most have opinions on politics and government spending! Wednesday was our final day so after packing we headed over the road to the MCG for a tour of the world famous ground. It has a capacity of 98-99,000 but its biggest ever audience of 130,000 came to see Billy Graham in 1959. Melbourne was founded in 1835 and The MCC was founded in 1838 but the MCG wasn't built until1853. It is not only a cricket ground but also home to AFL, has been a velodrome, an athletics venue, a rugby pitch and a concert venue. In 1956 it hosted the Olympic Games and was the venue of first ever Test Match in 1877. More recently it witnessed Shane Warne taking his 700th Test wicket in 2006.
The museum is also a paradise for sports lovers as it covers all sports not just cricket and AFL. I think I've earned my cricket anorak now!! Melbourne was lovely and easy to visit as the centre is quite compact, has nice parks and it has the river and sea which provide a vast choice of cafes bars and restaurants. Well worth a visit!
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