Melbourne

Loved Melbourne! 

It felt a lot like Toronto, with its diverse population and great eateries. 

Fabulous architecture, with a mix of Neoclassical, Gothic, and Modern. No building goes up without taking into consideration the aesthetic and effect on neighbouring buildings. Free museums and galleries! And a free tram within the Central Business District. It also doesn't take too long to get out of the city to see some spectacular scenery.

Very enjoyable stay.

Feb 15 - Train day! Up early to Melbourne for an 11 hour trip from Sydney to Melbourne. Pretty much scrub all the way, but near the end we were rewarded with kangaroos, wallabees and rainbows. Very cold! 14.9 degrees, and I packed for a beach vacation. Looks like I will be wearing the clothes I work on my flight from Canada for a few days. Checked into The Quincy Hotel.

Feb 16 - Music blared all night from across the street, so our 'Q-rator' upgraded us to a different room and gifted us with a bottle of wine. My opinion of the hotel soared. 18,000 steps today as we visited Fitzroy Market, Royal Arcade, Australia National Art Gallery, Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens, Shrine of Remembrance, Riverside, Flinders Lane. A lot of walking! But also took the public trams. Treated ourselves to a fancy dinner at Nomad Restaurant, and then played travel Rumicub back in our room.

Feb 17 - Off to the Melbourne Museum and a show about Ants (ho hum). Then an excursion to Puffing Billy Railway and watching the Little Penguin Parade at Phillip Island. It was fun taking the heritage train through the rainforest and dangling my legs out of the side of the car, but the most fun of the day was watching the Little Penguins waddling up from shore. Home at midnight. Meanwhile, back in Toronto they were in the midst of a snow storm - Alex went by to shovel our roof .

Feb 18 - Rode the (free) Melbourne City Tram Loop to explore the Central Business District. Hopped off at Docklands for lunch, visited St. Paul's Cathedral. The Museum of Moving Images was outstanding (also free entry). Would've gone back if there was time, so much to see and so well curated, with sections on movie directors and the history of cinema. Dinner at Cibo.

Feb 19 - Great Ocean Road! Not wanting to rent a car and drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, we opted for a day trip. This was a full 12 hours checking out beautiful beaches, rainforests, dramatic cliffs, and gorgeous scenery. Torquay, Apollo Bay, Ottway Park (Maits Rest), 12 Apostles. One was Loch Ard Gorge, the site of a shipwreck of which there only two survivors. 18 year oldTom Pearce rescued Eva Carmichael there, only to be later spurned romantically. Took a detour on the way home to watch some kangaroos holding court in a schoolyard. 

Feb 20 - The visit to the State Library was the highlight of the day, but we also had one of our best lunches in the Greek Precinct, stopped by Victoria Market, visited Fitzroy Gardens and Captain Cooks cottage. Laundry was due, so we found a wash and fold place aptly called 'The Lonely Sock.' Dinner at Nobu and a Riverside light show.

Feb 21 - Check out.

Uber to the airport and flight to Hobart, Tassie.