Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Melbourne, Or Milburn As They Say

Melbourne

We left New South Wales this morning on a flight to Melbourne in Victoria.  Larger than Sydney in the past, today Melbourne is a bit smaller but growing daily.  Physically it appears different with extensive parks and gardens set among the city streets and buildings that were built during the gold rush era. It is reputed to have the largest Greek population outside Athens.  

Shrine of Remembrance

Our first stop was the Royal Botanical Gardens for lunch, a stroll through the Gardens, and then a visit to the Shrine of Remembrance, a National War Memorial.  The Aussies are big on big memorials for WWI, WWII and Gallipoli.  

Our site coordinator here is Richard De Gille.  He is a practicing lawyer and about as far to the left as one can be.  Wayne loves him.  He regaled us with information about Melbourne and Victoria peppered with his opinions about what could be better.  I thought he was a bit critical, but then began to appreciate what he was critical of.  

Photo Bombed in Eureka Skydeck

Our final stop was at the Eureka Tower where we headed up to the Eureka Skydeck 88 on the 88th floor.  It offered a 360 degree viewpoint of the city including the river Yarra winding throughout.  It didn’t beat the Sears/Willis tower, our highest experience.  On the way to the hotel we spotted the Rod Laver stadium where the Australian Open is played. Pictures are at flickr.