Down Under Down Under ⬅ previous ⬆intro next ➡Day 18 ~ 8 Jan - Melbourne Despite the aforementioned comfortable bed, Amanda doesn't sleep all that well. Her head is buzzing a bit but she's not really sure why. Quite a mixture of emotions really. She's up early even by her standards (I am sleeping the sleep of the just, of course, although whether I am justified in this, I leave to others to judge) and after reading in bed a bit, she heads out to nearby Albert Park for a run.![]() Melbourne's CBD - Central Business District in Aussiespeak - seen across the lake in the centre of the park. Albert Park is probably best known worldwide as the venue for the Australian Grand Prix (since 1996, before which it was in Adelaide), but when the F1 circus isn't in town, it's completely open to all. If you didn't already know about the racing connection, you'd not have a clue just walking around. We're not here because of F1 but we are staying at the Coppersmith because of Albert Park... You guessed it (well maybe you did), it's the Melbourne parkrun venue! Soon it will be Saturday and soon we will be parkrunning. So, Amanda is back and I'm now up: where's breakfast? The bar downstairs is not laid up... Oh. There isn't a hotel breakfast. ![]() We hadn't really paid attention yesterday, but there are a few small bags of cereal along with the crisps above the minibar. Not impressed. We have a few supplies of our own which will have to do. [We will be later be told that street café culture is so strong in Melbourne that many hotels don't even try to compete. Certainly we can't deny the number of places we've seen nearby, all of which seem to be doing good business.] So anyway, the plan is to meet the others at the South Melbourne Market, a short walk from our hotel, in time for lunch. We'll have a wander around on our own first. ![]() This fine building proudly proclaims itself to be "PATROSS KNITTING MILLS PTY LTD", although of course it's nothing of the kind today. I'm not sure when the milling stopped, but the Melbourne newspaper "The Age" carried a job advert for a Presser in 1949. ![]() And another fabulous late 19th century building, the South Melbourne Town Hall. At present though, it's closed because it's in need of substantial restoration. ![]() More or less opposite, the local police don't seem very happy. This isn't graffiti, this is a workers' protest! ![]() I've got to say, our experience of the locality has not had us feeling worried about becoming victims of crime. That's at least in part because we've been to some of the crime capitals of the world and never had any problems. It's not an infallible rule, but generally if you don't act stupid and don't look stupid, the criminals will target somebody else: they want an easy working life as much as any legitimate wage slave. ![]() Another counterpoint to the Victoriana. Learn much more about it here, none of which we know as I take this picture. ![]() Near the market, the plaque is more interesting than the building it's on. ![]() We like the fruit and veg on offer. It's a pity we're not self-catering any more, because even Salamanca Fresh in Hobart wasn't quite so traditionally markety. ![]() Good to know the forklifts mustn't go the wrong way! This is a slightly weird sign, but it's on a totally ordinary road. We don't see any forklifts anyway, whether obeying or disobeying the sign. ![]() Anyway, we've found the sisters again. Jo is clearly rather taken by this shirt. Amanda and Dinah have also found some suitable items to purchase, but I've not seen anything that's quite me. ![]() A slightly bigger version of the tower our cats have. I can't swear that it comes from the exact same factory in China, but I'd happily bet a pint on it. ![]() What can I say?! Apropos of very little, I'm reminded of the time my former workmate Richard and I were out drinking in London after work one Friday, back in the days when standard pub hours finished at 11pm. Feeling that the night was still young, we went searching for somewhere with a late licence. Being in the Soho/West End area, that wasn't too difficult, and in we went. We ordered some beers, and got chatting to a couple of guys standing next to us at the bar. After a while, Richard excused himself to go to the toilet. One of our new friends turned to me and said, "He doesn't know, does he?!" "No! You're right!", I realised. We were in a gay bar, and chatting to a gay couple, and somehow Richard hadn't clicked. It's not that it was a problem or anything, just kind of bizarre. In the end, we kissed the boys goodnight (well, I did, I can't remember if Richard did) and went off on our merry heterosexual way. No soap was involved. ![]() Having made our various purchases (or not), we find a nice table on the astroturf. Despite appearances, this is not lunch, this is just cafe und kuchen. ![]() Got to be honest, this isn't what I expect to see in a public toilet. Harriet says that Melbourne does have a drug problem, even if we haven't seen any signs of it. ![]() What's this...? ![]() Ah, let's find something for lunch. Pies are a big Australian thing, it would seem, Whereas in Glasgow we're told that if it's edible it's deep-fryable, round these parts it seems that it will be pieable. Amanda has a scallop pie and I have a wagyu beef pie. I'm far from 100% certain the latter is the stupidly expensive Japanese real thing (which we ate in Japan and I at least genuinely thought was worth the cost) but hopefully it's still a tasty pie. And so next to the Royal Botanic Gardens... ![]() Via the nearby Australian Turkish Friendship Memorial. Gosh, it even has it's own Wikipedia page! ![]() "Its woven steel strands honours the soldiers who died in the conflict and remembrance poppies can be placed onto the filigreed structure." So there. ![]() Ok, in the gardens proper. The topiary looks like animals for a moment, then it's just abstract... Not quite sure if there is a back story here and Google doesn't have any useful suggestions. ![]() This is just a plant I'm taken by. ![]() We have our lunch in a gazebo/bandstand/thingy kind of structure, and the birds come to see if we're willing to share. ![]() We're not, but their optimism doesn't flag. [Oh yeah, the wagyu beef pie was fine, but I honestly can't say the memory remains as I write this. Good, but not that good.] ![]() Back to the interesting plants. ![]() There's a substantial population of flying foxes here too. It's a bit warm for most of them to fly much but a few appreciate the obligation to perform for the tourists. ![]() Pretty flowers... ![]() ...or pretty foliage.. ![]() ...or another objet d'art... Which is your preference? Now back to our hotel for a bit, then we're going to the Bests' for dinner this evening. It's another Uber, and we certainly can't complain about the cost here. ![]() Well here we are! At least, some of us. Hebe, Annabel, Harriet and Dinah are ready, but Jo, Meta, Tilly and Stephen are all still on their way from wherever. ![]() Got a few more now as we start on some drinks and nibbles. Stephen says, "So you've had your holiday, now you're doing your duty". He might very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment. ![]() And last but not least, Tilly's here. ![]() Oh look, some cooking's happening. ![]() And I've found a cat! This is Tinker, I think. (The other cat is called Queenie.) ![]() Lordy, it's the whole clan! For reference, in clockwise order we have Amanda at 6 o'clock, then Annabel, Harriet, Jo, Dinah, Stephen, Hebe, Tilly, Meta, and me invisible behind the camera, so you'll just have to refer to the previous picture and use your imagination. But I'm not holding a cat any more, so don't imagine that. ⬅ previous ⬆intro next ➡ |