A couple of days in Melbourne

We like Melbourne.  It has a real buzz about it.  People go about their business with a purpose, as do the huge network of trams.  Last time we were here we played tourists so this time we took our time and took in just a few places that we particularly wanted to see.

Arriving by boat is a bit of a surprise.  First the mainland of Australia appears over the horizon, then a very narrow entrance into the harbour is negotiated.  Expectations turn to arrival, but there’s nearly another three hours to go before reaching the Melbourne ferry terminal.  Like quite a few Australian harbours, once past the torturous entrance the natural harbour is wide, deep and free from any ocean swell.

With Vin Rouge deep in the bowels of the ship, we had visions of waiting ages before disembarking, but it turned out that we were the ‘keystone’.  No one could move until we moved first.  The decks above had already been cleared and it was an odd experience driving up through the completely empty spaces.  Then suddenly we were in the open, through the gates and away, delays being due only to seemingly never ending sets of traffic lights.

We stayed with good friends Peter and Carol, who had dinner and drinks (or was that drinks and dinner?) ready when we arrived.  They’re great company and it was good to catch up with their news since we’d last seen them at Port Fairy a few weeks ago.  We were also able to make use of their fast internet connection to catch up with the links that we had not been able to use in Tasmania.  Internet through the mobile phone down there at best reached dial-up speed but was often slower and sometimes just nonexistent.  It was wonderful being able to see a movie of our grand-daughter Leilani and to use Skype to talk with her and her mum and dad in Wisconsin.

Whilst Vin Rouge was in the care of Ritters for a new brake servo and vacuum pump (we can now stop whenever we want!) we took to public transport, arriving at Flinders Street Station sufficiently late to avoid the morning rush hour.

A late breakfast of pancakes and ice cream is probably not a recommended diet, but we enjoyed it anyway before taking the (free) tourist bus around the sights.  To start with it was crowded so we had to stand and saw little but the adjacent road surface, but in due course we found seats and did the entire loop.  The Comedy Festival is taking place and we watched some street theatre for a while before deciding that the children were enjoying the slapstick more than us, so we moved on.

Melbourne has some lovely architecture and we were quite content wandering the streets taking in the views.

Next day it was an ‘alternative’ coffee shop with Carol where the seating was entirely outside on milk crates.  Not the most comfortable but the coffee was good.  We parted company, us to continue gazing at buildings, Carol to an appointment with the ophthalmologist, after which we met up and returned to find out how Peter was fairing as he’d been a bit crook for a couple of days.. 

Cities are great, but Vin Rouge is best suited to less urban environs and so we moved on, northward to the Yarra Ranges, the subject of our next blog when we get there.