Great Friends in Melbourne

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Geo: -37.8143, 144.963

On June 10th we arrived at Melbourne airport and were welcomed by the familiar faces of our friends Linda and Geoff. They graciously put us up at their lovely home. The weather here is much cooler than what we were enjoying at Clifton Beach. Linda and Geoff were wonderful hosts and were kind enough to show us many of the wonderful sights in Melbourne and the surrounding countryside. On our first day in Melbourne ,Geoff took us on a walking tour of the city's downtown where we enjoyed seeing such sights as Federation Square, The Royal Exhibition Building, The Shrine of Remembrance, Flinder Street Station, and wandering through charming laneways and arcades full of eateries and coffee shops. The next day we drove out to the Yarra Valley where we saw miles and miles of vineyards and we even managed to check out a few wineries. To celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary we attended an Aussie Rules Football game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a stadium that holds up to 100,000 spectators. It was a lot of fun, though I really didn't understand it all!! We also enjoyed a wonderful evening and dinner on a reconstructed old tramcar that travels through the city while you enjoy your meal. It was a wonderful way to spend our special day. Another day we drove the Great Ocean Road which was amazing. We viewed The Twelve Apostles, The Grotto, The Bay of Martyrs and The Bay of Islands. It was breath taking to see these stunning rocks rise out of the ocean beside the colourful limestone cliffs. Just before dusk on our last day in the Melbourne area we saw a mob of kangaroos. Finally! It was very enjoyable to watch them in the wild.

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