One of my favorite cities…

Situated within the state of Victoria in the southeastern part of Australia’s mainland.  It stretches across the glistening natural Port Phillip Bay, extending out along the Yarra River in the direction of the Yarra Valley and the eastern Dandenong Range.  

Given its growing population, it should come as no surprise that Melbourne is consistently ranked among the ‘world’s most livable cities’ in quality of life surveys.  In fact, Melbourne is the second most populous city in all of Australia (4.7 million in 2016).  The city is growing so quickly, it’s estimated it will surpass Sydney within the next 5 years.  

The Yarra River is the city’s primary water way.  The fertile Yarra Valley, known to be a world-class wine region like those in France and Italy.  The Dandenong Range has lush towering forests and fern covered gullies.  The Royal Botanical Gardens are considered to be amongst the finest in the world and located just 5 minutes from city center. 

It is recognized as a UNESCO City of Literature, as well as a major hub for all types of visual arts.  Melbourne has a Theatre District  with the architecturally beautiful Princess and Her Majesty’s theaters.  Queen Victoria Market opened in 1878 and is a huge open-air market.  You’ll find everything from fresh produce, meats, clothes, housewares and souvenirs.  Melbourne is also known for sports and hosts some of the major sporting events of the world, such as the Australian Open, Melbourne Cup and Australian Grand Prix.

Bob and I were here 21 years ago when he was working on the Australia Post program.  Melbourne has grown so much in that time, but somehow has that friendly city atmosphere that we remember.  We decided to take a tour today on a century-old steam train that is still running as it did in the early 1900’s (Puffing Billy).  We found our way out to the Dandenong Range and boarded the steam train.  I remember riding in the carriage on the edge of the window with our legs hanging out.  I was disappointed that this time we were not allowed to do that but it was still a nice ride.

After our train ride, we stopped at a National Park, had tea and biscuits and then went out for a walk to find various birds the they are known for (kookaburra, white cockatoo and magpies) in this region.  We could hear the screeching in the tree tops and sure enough, there they were.  

Mountain Ash trees we learned can live up to 400 years old.  They were massive!  The tree ferns were equally impressive and can live up to 500 years old.

We returned to the ship to meet our friends, Carmen and Pedro.  We wanted to take them into Melbourne since they’ve never been here.  We grabbed a taxi and asked to be dropped off at the Parliament Building.  I remember Bob’s apartment being close to Parliament and located on Collins Street.  Sure enough, it was still there.  I remember overlooking beautiful gardens. 

We walked over to St Patrick’s Cathedral.  The sky had changed from grey and cloudy to beautiful blue and clear.  Thankfully as we entered the cathedral, the sun was shining and the stained glass windows changed the atmosphere to a golden glow.  Stunning.  We walked directly across the street to St Peter’s Cathedral.  It was much smaller and very tranquil.  The inside had low ceilings with old beams.

We walked the streets of downtown, looking for a shopping mall that we remember from years ago.  It has an actual shot tower preserved inside from 1800’s (if you don’t know what a ‘shot tower’ is, check google).  I wandered down Lonsdale St and eventually found that mall.  We wandered in and there was the shot tower still beautifully preserved.  We did stop for pictures at Parliament Gardens, but wish we had time to go to Fitzroy Gardens or the Royal Botanical Garden.  I remember walking through and hearing screeching sound.  As we looked up in the trees, we saw the giant fruit bats they call flying foxes.  Incredible creatures.

We stopped at an outdoor cafe and enjoyed a coffee as we people watched.  We did some window shopping at some local opal stores and soon it was time to return to the ship.  We caught a taxi back to the port and enjoyed our ride as we passed so many different types of architecture.

What a wonderful day in port.  Wish we could stay in Melbourne a few more days.  What great memories from over 20 years ago and even more today.  Next time we come back, I’d like to rent a car and relive ‘Karen’s auto tour’ from 20 years ago (drive on the southern shore to see the Twelve Apostles, Royal Botanical Gardens, Healesville Sanctuary and Phillips Island to see the penguins). 

Did you know Australia is basically the same size as the United States (minus Alaska) in land mass. Total population is only 24 million, which is far less than the US. Crazy, right!

What a great day of memories! Farewell Melbourne.