Melbourne, Australia

We've had a fun week here in Melbourne.  It took a few days to get the pronunciation down but it turns out here they say Melbin. Or sometimes Melbun.  Or maybe a combination of the two. But definitely not Melborn.  

We're staying in a 1920's apartment building with a great view of the Flinders St train station and Federation Square.  Our view:

The tall building in the background is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere

Living room

Front door to our Flinders Street apartment

Highlights of the first day were the Queen Victoria Market and the Royal Botanic Gardens:

The market was bustling

Allison and Carol learning about finger limes - they bought some

Although tempted, we didn't buy any of the pullets

The Yarra River runs through the center of the city.   Queen Victoria Gardens and the Royal Botanic Gardens are just over the river.

Beautiful park path

Check out this pine cone Cameron found!

On our second day we toured the Arts Center Melbourne.  We were able to get a backstage look at all three theaters in the complex.

We had lunch at one of hundreds of small cafes lining the alleys and lanes of central Melbourne.  I've never seen a city with such exciting alleyways!

Down one of these alleys we happened upon a donut shop after lunch.  As the sign says "Its always a good time for a donut"!  Cameron and Allison picked up a ten hole punch card and are hoping to get that filled up for a free one before we leave.

In the afternoon we met up with a former Friends' School family from Boulder who moved to Melbourne about three years ago.  We spent the afternoon touring Lucas' school who is in now in the 8th grade.  Melbourne Grammar School reminded us of Hogwarts! Quite a contrast with Friends'.

Cameron, Allison and Lucas, a former schoolmate from Friends

I've taken quite a few photos of the "street art" in Melbourne.  I've never seen anything like it.  The center of the city is filled with this creative graffiti:

Our action packed days and nights the rest of this week have been very full.  Other highlights:

Chinatown

Cooking obscene amounts of beef on hot stones

We visited the Australian Centre for the Moving Image

Silent films, TV shows old and new, and video games

We all got a bit caught up in the Phillipe Parreno floating fish experience!

Sidewalk cafe

Outside of the public library

View of library patrons from above

The Melbourne Library has over two million books

The Old Melbourne Gaol (jail)

As you enter the officer arrests you and books you into jail

We were definitely scared straight. Especially when they locked us in and turned out the lights. 

Cameron wearing notorious criminal Ned Kelly's actual armor 

Waiting for the bus

One night we went to the theater

The kids loved this play!

We visited the Fox Classic Car Museum and saw Ringo Starr's limousine.

The David Hockney exhibit "Current" was at the National Gallery of Victoria.

At the age of 79 Hockney is creating art with an iPhone and iPad.  Much of it was in this exhibit.  Outstanding!!

The Eureka building is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.  

We went to the viewing deck at the top and Allison and Carol walked into the glass cube hanging off the building 88 stories up. 

So far on this trip, we've been to the tallest building in South America, the tallest building in New Zealand, and now the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.  

The Yarra River

The riverfront is lined with cafes and restaurants, including this one in the middle of the river below a pedestrian bridge

Federation Square

Luna Park was modeled after Coney Island and built in the early 1900s  

Riding the tram to Luna Park

The area around Luna Park reminds us of West LA.  We've spent quite a bit of time on Melbourne's excellent tram system.  And some of that time we were actually on the right tram heading in the right direction!

Tomorrow we'll leave Melbourne and fly to Brisbane - then head up the coast to Noosa.  A seaside town in Queensland on the east coast of Australia.