Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne, pronounced Melburn, is Australia’s second largest city with four million people and is quite a fascinating place.  This is my second time here and I liked it just as much as the first time.  The most noticeable feature of this cosmopolitan city, to me, is the architecture.  Modern glass high rise condos are mixed in with quaint Victorian homes with lots of gingerbread; new office buildings, stadiums, modern art bridges are housed right next to the old Victorian train station.  Somehow, the contrasts seem to work in this city.

This is the culture, fashion, entertainment and sports capital of Australia.  The biggest casino in the southern hemisphere is located here and you can play the “pokies” (slot machines).  This casino is so big, there is a four lane highway running right through it!  There are beautiful gardens everywhere, and the Yarra River runs through the center of the city with parks, paths and monuments along side.  Gas is very expensive ($5.60/gallon) and the median price of homes is $500,000 making this a very expensive city to live in.  Bananas are going for $4/pound.  There is a GST tax of 10% on everything but it is included in the price.

Australia has the world’s highest rate of skin cancer; by law, children must wear hats and sunscreen in the summer months.  It is also host to fires, floods and droughts.  If you live in the bush, it is mandatory to clear the underbrush and have a fire escape plan.  One of the areas the guide did not give us much history about was the Aboriginals.  I would have liked to hear about it, but I am sure it is a blight in the history of Australia and something they probably don’t like to dwell on.

Oh, and before I forget, I found out why the “Blue Mountains” of southeastern Australia are blue.  They aren’t really blue.  When the sun hits the Eucalyptus trees, a vapor is given off into the atmosphere causing a haze so that the mountains appear to be blue.  Mystery solved!

My tour was a ride on “Puffing Billy,” a narrow gauge, Victorian steam engine train in the Dandenong Mountains and a brief bus tour of the city.  Michael’s excursion also included a ride on the train, so we actually got to spend some time together today before his tour went one way and mine the other.  I will let him describe the train ride.  Michael noted that I am so much better and can do more and more things as my back surgery heals.  I actually climbed up onto the engine for photo opps and didn’t have any problems doing so.  When the doctor said a cruise would be great for recuperation, I don’t think he envisioned some of the things I have been doing.

I returned to the ship, dropped off my stuff and headed back out to catch the 2 pm shuttle from the ship to city center.  There was a huge outdoor market that I wanted to revisit but time was running short as they closed at 4 pm.  Jim and Pepper were on the shuttle and wanted to go to the market, too.  After getting directions, we determined that it would be faster if we walked rather than taking the trolley to get there.  Well, after all the bus riding I’ve been doing, I needed a good walk.  And walk…. Did we walk and walk and walk …. at a fast clip.  I didn’t know I could move that fast.  We got there with time to shop and alas, there was very little I wanted to buy (I got a cheapie tote bag).  At this point my foot was really hurting; we took a snack break, and then decided to walk back to the shuttle, but at a comfortable pace.  The sidewalks were crowded as I think all of Melbourne was downtown shopping today.  Finally made it back to my stateroom, but I paid for my energetic walk.  My foot is killing me.  The back – is great.  Freaking foot….. I am icing it as I type this and hope tomorrow is better because I am going on the same excursion Michael did today.

Michael’s turn:

What a great Sunday I had in Melbourne today.  I escorted an all-day excursion that began with a ride on “Puffing Billy.”  Yes, the Puffing Billy Railway, a 2’6” gauge line, opened in 1900 and ran until 1953.  Its original purpose was to provide efficient shipping of lumber and produce from the farm areas into Melbourne.  After 1953, it was restored and became a recreational railroad that is successfully run by an all volunteer army of 500 people.  Today, only four out of 17 engines are left.  It is probably the only conveyance in the world where riders are allowed, even encouraged to hang their feet, legs, and sometimes half their bodies out of the car as it rambles through the forest.  The kids love it as you can imagine!  We boarded Puffing Billy in Belgrade and rode for about 30 minutes to Menzies Creek.

In Menzies Creek we re-boarded the bus for a short trip to the Rochford Winery, located in the Dandenong Range.  We began our visit by tasting five reasonably mediocre wines, although the non-oaked Chardonnay was enjoyable.  The “fortified” Cabernet Sauvignon (which tasted like a tawny port) was awful.  However, this was followed by a two-course lunch which was very good; in fact the best lunch I have had in a few weeks.  The winery was really jumping as they were preparing for a Joe Cocker concert this evening expecting some 7,000 people.

After lunch we traveled just a few miles along the Great Dividing Range to the Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary, one of Australia’s leading parks.  We actually passed a “wombat crossing” sign on the way there.   Healesville features over 200 species of native wildlife in a very natural setting.  Highlights were the kangaroos, koalas, emus, wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian Devils and Dingos.  Best of all were the Platypus.  Do you know where they keep the platypus?  Yes, in the platypusary.  I love it!  What I didn’t love were the mosquitoes.  It rained just before we arrived and this created a perfect environment for them.  Luckily, I happened to be carrying a spray can of “Cutter” and this saved the day.