I do like to be beside the seaside...

Part two of my Aussie Adventure: 2/9/2010.

The staying awake for the whole journey ploy seems to have works.  I don’t have jetlag...well, unless you count the fact that we over slept until 10am this morning – whoops!

Not to be deterred by a 12.30 lunch appointment, I dashed into town to book tickets for a tour to see the parade of Little Penguins over the beach on Philip Island on Saturday evening. I asked for the ‘best penguin experience money can buy’, which the tour guides found very amusing. So, we have the ‘penguin plus’ viewing platform and a luxury mini-bus awaiting...

Anyway, I also discovered you can get from the hotel to the centre of Melbourne (Federation Square) in 22 minutes, if you walk at top-Kathryn-pace. So I got there and back and had time for coffee in the Victorian National Gallery, and was all present and correct for lunch at 12.30.  In passing (quickly), I admired the Oscar Wilde quote on the front of the Gallery: ‘Life is too important to be taken seriously.’  I think that’s a quote to be taken *very* seriously...

However, walking really fast is alright until you discover quite how knackered you are afterwards. I decided it was time to crack the Melbourne tram system....so I did.

I never did get a decent pic of a Melbourne tram...

I got a day pass outside the uni, having asked a friendly student how the machine worked and how far I could go in Zone One.  I then got a tram through town, down south of the Yarra and down past the Shrine of Remembrance.  I got off there, thinking I might have a look, but then a tram for St. Kilda Beach came along, which I remembered was the furthest I could go on my ticket.  So, always on the search for value for money, on I got, and off I went – and it was stunning.

Below: I meet the Pacific Ocean for the first time.  It was cold...but nothing compared to the ravishes of Bognor Regis, me thinks!

St Kilda is actually not so far from our English Edwardian seaside resorts, but with amazing views back to the Melbourne skyline beyond.  

 

They were very proud of their little pavilion on the end of the pier, which was built in 1903, but sadly burnt down in 2003.  However, they rebuilt it, and are now very happy again (I took a picture of this, but it didn't come out to well...it's better observed here.)  Apparently I might have spotted Little Penguins and native water rats by the breakwater, but none showed up.  However, I did see lots of kookaburras (NB – I’m not so sure they were kookaburras in retrospect, but they certainly seemed to laugh at me. Another silly pommie tourist fooled!) and some lovely shouty, green parrotty things, as well as plenty of gulls and sparrows. Then I thought I’d better go back to see what was happening back with Chris.

Many enormous thoughts at the University had made him all a bit dazed, so we went to Brunetti’s (world famous cake and chocolate shop) and ate chocolate croissants, which were nearly as chocolately as the chocolatiest ones ever that we had in Budapest last year, but not quite.  We approved, nevertheless.  We then popped to our local Woolworths (the supermarket) for wine, which we’re drinking a bit of now, and supplies for tomorrow for the trek out into the wilds with Jodie.

I better set the alarm if I’m going to catch the 8.39 train from Parliament station. I think I know the way, but we will see...!!