The Melbourne Diaries

Melbourne is a fascinating city to explore.  It is probably the most cosmopolitan city that either of us have ever been to.  We wandered the streets of really old buildings and very modern ones, all thrown in together in amongst tiny lanes and wide streets, trams and crazy right hand hooks.  [For those of you who haven't been to Melbourne: the trams run in the middle of the road, so if you're wanting to turn right at a traffic light, you cross to the far left lane and sit in the intersection until the light turns orange and then you turn right - effectively across all the lanes on both sides of the road!  Apparently this makes the most sense, but we've stopped trying to make sense of the Aussies!]

Geoff and the Yarra River with the Arts building (the spire) and the Eureaka Building (the tallest building in the southern hemisphere) in the background.

One of the big draw cards for Melbourne for us was the large number of family and friends that we have who live here.  We've based ourselves with Walter and Brenda Grootendorst (Geoff's Aunt and Uncle) who live between the centre of Melbourne and the sea.  Its been really great spending time with them and with Geoff's cousins.  

Family times: (back) Walter and Brenda, (front) Matt, Linda, Geoff, Ali and Lucy

We've enjoyed spending some with Craig Peters and Claire Corbett who are friends from Cape Town (UCT Mountain and Ski Club) and to explore some of the outdoor places that they play in.

Claire and Geoff

Craig and Lucy

We were also lucky to spend some time with Lucy's cousin Bennie van der Merwe and his family as well as many of Geoff's friends and colleagues from Civil Engineering and Aurecon.

Melbourne as a city offers a wide range of activities from art galleries and shopping to big street markets and street art.  There are big stadiums and regular matches for cricket, Aussie Rules (don't ask - we don't understand) and rugby. In the evenings the river Yarra is full of people rowing up and down and the footpaths along the river are busy with cyclists and runners - both commuters and recreational(ers?). We got to experience the city from a bicycle saddle, and Geoff learnt how to skull with his uncle Walter at Albert Lake - After Team South Africa's epic gold in the mens lightweight cox-less fours rowing is definitely back in fashion!!!

Looking up to Melbourne city centre with many landmark buildings.

Geoff and Ali at the War Memorial.

Lucy in her element in the lovely botanic gardens.

Some creative street art in a little lane.

The beautiful sandstone Flinders Street Station.

Off for a cycle through Melbourne, outside the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) - Geoff, Kirsten, Craig and Lucy

The famous Federation (Fed) Square.  The square sums up the vibrant city pretty well - modern and funky with aspects of the old city in the sandstone finish on the buildings.  Its a public space that you are drawn into.

There was a (slightly out of tune) piano set up in Fed Square and Geoff immediately started tinkling away.  Pretty soon a small crowd gathered and one elderly Indian man proudly showed us the recording he's made on his iPad of the 'performance'!!

Fed Square - bringing old and new together

Geoff (middle in red) fooling around on the live time screen in the square. 

Geoff and Claire at her Res (an elegant old mini-palace that became a mafia den (complete with bullet hole in the stain glass window in the foyer), then a brothel and now a university college...

Melbourne viewed across Port Phillip Bay from William's Town.  Despite the inclement weather, the ice-creams were amazing!

Outside the Crown Casino (biggest casino in the southern hemisphere) in winter they have a fireball display every hour on the hour at night - very impressive!