First things first. Jenn and I would like give a monumental thank you to our fantastic hosts Nancy, James, Dylan, and Greg during our time here in Melbourne. Their knowledge of the area made our stay here everything we could have hoped for. (Jenn's comment: more than we could ever have hoped for! They have been so welcoming and hospitable, and we are extremely grateful!)
Secondly, we have an important note on pronunciation for all the non Aussies out there. Melbourne is pronounced "mel-buhn", not "mel-born". You see, the "r" is silent. It is also spoken quickly as a monosyllabic word, as in, "Melbuhn". Failing to properly enunciate this word will win you nothing but looks of contempt from the locals. They will laugh at you. Laugh and point.
Thirdly, a warning. This post may be spun into yet another epic linguistic yarn. So prepare yourself.
There seems to be a running tally here in Melbourne as to which city is better, Melbourne or Sydney. It was the first question from every person we talked to who knew we had visited both places. The question may stem from what I have come to think of as the "Melbourne complex". I think the locals here feel overshadowed by the international knowledge of Sydney. After all, when you think Australia, the first city you think of is Sydney, not Melbourne. Melbourne is the eternal runner up. So the question remains, which city is better? This is not an easy question to answer. Both cities have so much to offer. But I have a certain inexplicable magnetism toward Melbourne. There was just something about the vibe of this city from the moment we stepped off the bus. I'm not sure what it is, the colourful architecture of the buildings, the back alleys filled with unique shops, the surrounding parks with their interesting wildlife. There's just something about Melbourne that I preferred. Jenn would disagree with me on this. She preferred Sydney.
[Jenn's note: I found Sydney to be much prettier, and bountiful green spaces near where we were staying. It was clearly well maintained and clean. I know I'm opening a can of worms here, but it's like comparing Ottawa and Toronto, Sydney being like Ottawa (more scenic and well kept), vs Melbourne, like Toronto, very large and busy, with lots going on. Both are awesome, but I still sway towards Sydney. Sydney has more of a feel for everyone (families, seniors, and younger folk), while Melbourne is the 'hip' place to be. Musicians and artists, take note: Melbourne is more likely the place for you!]
Our first day of touring in Melbourne consisted of a visit to the local rowing clubs. The rowing clubs here are lined along the banks of the Yarra river which runs through the heart of the city's downtown core. We walked along the row of boat houses and I decided to drop into one of the clubs to talk to a coach and see if I could come out to observe a practice from a coach boat. The club I walked into was the Melbourne University Rowing Club. It turns out this club was Australia's oldest and it was also the center of training for elite athletes focused on making the national team (boy I sure can pick 'em!). I walked upstairs into the erg room where there were two men talking. Deciding not to interrupt, I wandered around looking at the various trophy cases. When the two men finished talking, one spoke up and asked what I was doing wandering around. This guy stood about my height, with legs that could easily be mistaken for a couple of tree trunks, with an unmistakable "take-no-shit" demeanour. He was the head coach. I instantly understood why this was the elite training center. Simply standing in the presence of this man made me want to jump on an erg and pull until my eyes rolled back in my head in some vain attempt to appease the goliath. (Jenn felt the same way!) I explained to him that I was a rower from Canada and that I would like to come out for a morning practice if I could. He wasn't interested due to the fact that they had state championships coming up in two days. But he said I could probably come out the following week. Unfortunately, I didn't find the time to go back to the club and take him up on his offer. That little visit certainly made me miss rowing. C'est la vie...
On Valentine's day, Jenn and I visited the botanical gardens. Jenn would have to write about this stop to do it justice. These gardens were better than the Sydney gardens. There were many couples picnicking in the shade and a few weddings happening. We went on a free tour where we learned about a rather intriguing gum tree that always feels cool to the touch (children hug them on hot days). After the gardens we visited the Eureka tower. This skyscraper holds a couple records. It has the highest viewing platform in the Southern hemisphere and it is the tallest residential building in the world (I can't imagine what the price tag on the penthouse would be). The elevator ride to the viewing platform was a bit of a trip. Speeding along at 9 metres per second makes you feel rather heavy at the beginning of the ride, and makes you feel light at the end of the ride. The views from the tower were stunning. Melbourne (again, "Melbuhn") is a beautiful city from the air. You can also see out past the city where the bushfires were burning. Some of the fires seemed pretty close. We stayed on the viewing deck for a couple hours and enjoyed the brilliant red sunset (thanks to all the smokeand ash from the bushfires) and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine. We took lots of pictures. Check out the web album.
Two days later we rented a car and drove out to Phillip Island for the world famous penguin parade. It was our first time driving here in Australia and it was a bit of a learning experience. Navigating round-abouts and driving on the left side of the road with all the controls inside the vehicle on the opposite side of the steering wheel takes some time getting used to. I kept on turning the windshield wipers on every time I wanted to signal a turn, and reached for the door every time I wanted to put the car in gear. The 2 hour drive to Phillip Island gave me plenty of time to learn the ins and outs, though. We arrived on the island at about 11am, where we picked up our three parks pass which permitted entry into all the major tourism sights on the island. We started the day with a quick visit to the mainland jetty (docks) to see the local fishermen feed the pelicans. After the pelicans, we headed to Churchill Island for a tour of the historic farm that still operates there. We fed a goat, saw a blacksmith make horse shoes, and milked a cow! It was lots of fun. After that we headed to the Koala Conservation Centre. It was really cool. A section of forest on the island is maintained by local rangers to keep the koala population healthy. We saw our first wild koalas! About ten in all. There are videos and pictures on the web album, check them out.
After the koalas we headed down to a corner of the island known as the Nobbies, where we observed Australia's second largest fur seal colony. There was an island off shore that was completely filled with fur seals. Our binoculars were an asset for this part of the tour (thanks Brad and Laurel). After the fur seals, dusk was approaching and it was time to head to the famous Penguin Parade. We travelled to a small area of beach on the island where the penguins come in after fishing during the day. As the sun fell below the horizon, the little penguins began popping (Jenn's note: emerging) up out of the surf along the beach. The penguins were very nervous about being exposed on the beach at first, so they waddle in and out of the water checking for predators. Once the first penguin gives the all clear, a group of 5-10 penguins will pop out of the surf behind the first one and waddle across the beach into their burrows on the shore. It was all very cute. You were not supposed to take pictures at this site, but I had my camera hidden in the sleeve of my jacket and snuck in a few photos and videos. They are not very good. But they are on web album as well.
Last but not least, for our final full day in Melbourne we went to an Aussie rules football ("footy") match. This sport is a hybrid of rugby and soccer, played on a large oval field. It was an absolute blast to watch.
Tonight, we fly to Tasmania. We are hoping to find an organic farm to work on for a bit (our first WWOOFing experience, look it up if you are wondering what that means). We'll keep you updated.
G'day!
No comments:
Post a Comment