The ship arrived at Port Melbourne, on the
natural harbour of Phillip Bay, at 7 a.m. This morning’s sky was clear blue,
with a wind about 10 km per hour temperature about 22 C. The harbour water was almost calm. You could see the sand beaches of Port
Melbourne, easily about a 10 minute walk from the ship. There was a public tram within a five minute
walk from the ship, at the end of pier, to take you into the center of
Melbourne in about 20 minutes. The cost
for the day pass was $14 Australian.
You could see the working dock in the next
bay. On the other side of the pier where
the ship was berthed is the ferry dock for the “Spirit of Tasmania” which
travels to Tasmania daily.
Our excursion today was a four hour bicycle
tour which left from the pier. Bob and Maureen are doing the Melbourne
Highlights including the Botanic Gardens and War Memorial as well as the
viewing the city from the highest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere
in the 88 floor over 330 meter high Eureka Building’s Skydeck 88.
There
were seven people, ourselves, a young Chinese crew member who looked quite
comfortable on her bike, an English couple would had not ridden bikes in 3 or 4
years, and an couple from Dallas, Texas, who were active, but the husband was
recovering from pneumonia for which he was treated on the ship. The group was provided with 21 speed bicycles,
helmets and a bottle of water in its bicycle cage. Our guide Murray, a retired journalist, led us
along the treed bicycle path paralleling the tram line into the city center.
Here again the houses are roofed in tile or
metal. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria State and the largest city in the
state at over 4 million people. Before the late 18th century, the area was an
important meeting place for the Kulin clan.
Melbourne was founded in 1835.
Its growth spurt started in 1851 with the discovery of gold in the
Eureka district.
We proceeded through the city center to the revitalized
South Bank area, which was formerly rail yards by the river, then along the
Yarra River paths, also tree lined. We
stopped frequently as Murray pointed out the modern and 19th century building
in the CBD (city center). First building
was the Crown Casino, then the new over $1 billion convention center and the
nearby metal nest like pedestrian Webb Bridge, representing the aboriginal fishing
cage of centuries ago. We travelled along seeing the 19th century Flinders St. train
station with its clock tower and the buildings of Federation Square and across
the Yarra River. We saw the Hamer Hall
opera house and the tall steel tower behind it which sits atop the concert
hall. We crossed an old railway bridge that carried new arrivals to Melbourne
and in its new incarnation it has glass panels, one for each of the countries
from which the immigrants came. Further along we stopped and Murray picked some
Lemon gum tree long narrow leaves and everyone got a chance to hold one and
smell the fragrance of lemon and eucalyptus. Then it was along the Birrarung Marr pedestrian
bridge to the Federation Bells, a 100th anniversary of Australia’s
independence. There are 39 harmonic
bells that play a concert for an hour twice daily or via a cellphone app, one
of 100 melodies can be selected any time to be played. We passed Olympic Park,
still in use today, where the events of the 1956 Olympics were held. Nearby was the Rod Laver Arena, home of the
Australian Open tennis tournament. The courts can be rented for about $50 per
hour. There is a statue of Rod Laver at
the main entrance. Not far away we
visited the Melbourne Cricket Ground, opened in 1853. It is a 100,000 seat
stadium for cricket games and Australian Rules Football. There are statues of
famous players as they pitch, hurl or hit the ball, depending on their sport. Australian Rules Football was invented over a
century ago by an Australian cricket coach to keep the cricket players in shape
during the off season. Soon we were
crossing a bridge to the other side of the Yarra River to walk through the Royal
Botanic Gardens and pause for a water break at the Melbourne Shrine of
Remembrance War Memorial. Peaking through the trees was the house of
the Governor General of Victoria State, a white Victorian mansion. The plants
were collected from tropical regions all over the world during the mid and late
19th century to showcase unusual plants and trees. The sound of tropical birds filled the air. From one side the War Memorial a view along a
major street to the CBD revealed the face of a famous aboriginal activist,
William Barrack upon an apartment building.
The face was created by curves to the balconies to reflect light and
show a 40 storey face, best seen from several kilometers away. The group continued the walk through the 100
acre Royal Botanic Gardens, to another stop to contemplate a lovely lily pad
covered pond with flowering tree branches hanging over it, reminding one of a
Monet painting. Before we left the garden and its parks we saw the grassy area
where people sit to watch a large screen erected by a small pond to enjoy a
movie under the stars. Then we were back on our bikes going to Melbourne’s
Albert Park Lake and a look at the preparations for the Australian Grand Prix
in early April. Some of the streets are
already barricaded, but not completely closed.
We rode our bikes along the straight away of the Start/Finish line, in
the opposite direction than the Formula One race cars will take. We saw the garages and pit stop area. Some of the grandstands had already been
erected.
We had been cycling for about 20
kilometers and the group passed the sandy beaches and Luna Park, an amusement
park, similar to the one in Sydney. It
was time for a break at the end of the over 300 meter long St. Kilda Pier at
the Little Blue café. We selected
bottled smoothies with such flavours as Apple Banana Lychee Mango or Apple
Guava Blackcurrant Strawberry Blueberry.
The group shared pieces of chocolate fudge cake, lemon cake and warm
scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream.
The American couple decided that their endurance had reached the limit
and Murray arranged for them to take a cab for the final 6 kilometers to the
ship, which we could see at its berth.
The ride along the Phillip Bay beach pathway was lined with cafés and
shops. The temperature had risen to 26
C, a gentle breeze was blowing, with a few billowy white clouds rising further
away from Melbourne, but it was an ideal day for the cycle tour.
We enjoyed a light lunch in the Windjammer
buffet and spent the afternoon reading on the shaded side of Deck 5.
Over dinner with Bob and Maureen we shared
the highlights of our day’s excursions.
Dinner tonight included appetizers of Shrimp Salad, Chicken, Leek &
Rice broth, and Lentils & Root Vegetables soup and Chicken Salad as the
main courses. English Triffle and Pecan Butterscotch Pie were the dessert
selections.
Tonight’s show featured Australian Magician
Tim Ellis. He performed an entertaining
show, quite different from the magician on the last cruise.
Overnight the clocks will be changed one
hour forward and the same the next night. Then for five days no changes, before
putting clocks back two hours before arriving in Sydney in 10 days.
Steps
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