Melbourne
(pronounced Melbern by the Australians) is the capital of the state of Victoria
and the second largest city in Australia. It has twice been identified by The Economist as one of the World’s Most
Livable Cities, based on its cultural attributes, fine climate, cost of living,
and social conditions such as low crime rates and exceptional health care. It
should also be identified as one of the friendliest cities. The volunteer
greeters at both the ship and downtown were wonderful representatives of the
people of Melbourne.
Looking
out from our cabin we were disappointed to see dark clouds and rain. We later
boarded the shuttle into Melbourne loaded down with rain jackets and umbrellas,
but it wasn’t long before the sun started peeping out between the clouds, and
it became bright and sunny by early afternoon.
As
we traveled from the harbor into Melbourne, we passed Victorian-era homes and
buildings with intricate iron railings that the Australians call lace work. The
railings can be near the sidewalk as a fence or along the balconies of the
buildings. It is strange seeing buildings with this beautiful fretwork sitting
next to modern buildings that look like square boxes.
Melbourne
is booming with buildings being constructed throughout the city. In many places,
facades from older buildings are being preserved with large skyscrapers built
behind them. It preserves some of the original feel of the city while allowing
the city to expand upwards.
The
shuttle dropped us outside the National Gallery of Victoria, which had a huge
picture of Andy Warhol on the side of the building. If nothing else, it
provided a good landmark where to pick up the shuttle later for our return
journey to the ship. The gallery was featuring an exhibit of Andy Warhol’s
artwork.
Melbourne
has more trams than any other city in the world, so getting around the city was
quite easy, especially for such a large city. The City Circle Line (free and
well used) passed close enough of the city’s highlights to have kept us
occupied for days. On the tram we passed the Melbourne Aquarium; the Docklands
and Victoria Harbor, which are being redeveloped for commercial and
entertainment purposes; the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel, a huge Ferris
wheel; and numerous parks and gardens.
Melbourne
Tram with St. Paul’s Cathedral
At
Williams Street, we hopped off the tram to visit Victoria Market, the largest
open-air market in Australia. We wandered around, stopping for a coffee and a Sicilian
donut, which is like fried pizza frete we used to get at our church festival in
Pennsylvania. Ordering coffee can be a bit of a challenge in Australia. A short coffee is strong, a tall coffee is lighter, and a flat white has milk but is supposed to
have less froth than a cappuccino. We
found it to have even more froth, but it was delicious. While the market was
interesting, with so many places to see in the city, I would visit it only if
you aren’t limited in the amount of time you have in Melbourne.
After
waiting a long time for the next tram, we gave up and walked to where we wanted
to go in the city. There is so much to see on every street. We wandered into the
State Library of Victoria, which was a magnificent building, and saw hundreds
of people congregating in an area using the Wi-Fi the library provided. It
isn’t just the young people who are connected to their systems. An elderly
couple on the shuttle bus ignored the sights while they checked their Facebook
pages.
Some
of our favorite places to visit in Australia are the Victorian arcades, forerunners
of modern shopping malls. Melbourne has several arcades, including the Royal
Arcade and the Block Arcade. A dome within the Block Arcade houses a large
clock that can be seen from two sides. Each time the clock strikes the hour,
two figures holding long brass horns turn toward each other and the sound of
horns blowing can be heard throughout the arcade.
Arcade
Clock
Fitzroy
Gardens is one of the best gardens/parks in Melbourne. Among other things, it
contains Captain Cook’s cottage, which was dismantled in his birthplace in
Britain and erected in the park. (Captain Cook discovered and mapped large
parts of Australia but was killed by natives when his ship stopped at the
Hawaiian Islands on his way back to England.)
The
gardens also contain the Model Tudor Village. The small buildings of the
village were built in England and sent to the city of Melbourne in appreciation
for the food and other supplies the people of Melbourne sent to Britain during
WWII. It is worth visiting Fitzroy Gardens just to see the tree carved with
fairies and other creatures.
The
Yarra River winds through the city in an area called the Southbank. A beautiful
walk along its embankment is filled with shops and restaurants. A relaxing
stroll along the river was a nice way to end our day in Melbourne. From a
bridge over the river, we watched an eight-women’s crew team row by and thought
of our daughter and her days on rivers with her crew team.
Yarra
River Embankment
Near
the bridge over the Yarra River, you can catch tour and restaurant boats for a
cruise up and down the river. The view of Melbourne from the river is supposed
to be spectacular, but with only one day in Melbourne, we just didn’t have
enough time to take one. It would be a good way to see the city and many of its
highlights. Perhaps on a future visit if we are lucky enough to return to
Australia. We saw a dirigible or Zeppelin flying over the city, so that may be
another way of seeing Melbourne.
Along
the river sits the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, the Eureka.
According to our bus driver, the gold stripes on the outside of the building
represent the gold rush in Australia, and a long vertical slash of red
represents the blood shed by Australians. At the top of the 92-floor building, the
Eureka Skydeck 88 provides a viewing platform they call the Edge Experience.
The Edge is an all-glass (including floor) structure that juts out from the
building 88 floors above the ground. Not for the faint of heart.
Eureka
Building and Eureka Skydeck 88
After
having covered a good deal of the city, by tram and foot, we made our way back
to the meeting place for the shuttle bus, close to Federation Square. The
square is referred to as Melbourne’s meeting place, and it was teaming with
people. The square is also the location of the Australian Centre for the Moving
Image (ACMI), which is housed in a building that looks like several smashed
cardboard boxes that have been draped in camouflage cloth. The building looks a
bit strange sitting near historic structures such as St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Federation
Square
It
is said that the people of Sydney were slow to warm up to the Sydney Opera
House when it was first built. If I lived in Melbourne, it would take me a long
time to warm up to the buildings in Federation Square. They were probably
designed to represent the natural countryside or sandy outback. That makes
sense since Federation Square is also the home of the Ian Potter Center, which
contains one of the largest collections of Aboriginal artifacts in the country.
Back
at the harbor, we watched the cruise ship Diamond Princess sail away. From the
top deck, we waved to the passengers on the Diamond, and they waved back—each
of us wondering what the other ship was like.
The
Spirit of Tasmania, a large car/passenger ferry bound for Tasmania, also set
sail. Set sail is such a strange term
to use these days when ships don’t have a single sail. When it came time for us to leave, we were sorry to motor away from Melbourne. It was a
delightful place to visit, and we hope we can return there some day.
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