MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
(Australia Flag)
(Map of Australia)
All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2007:
It was a quick flight to Melbourne on Virgin Blue Airlines on Wednesday morning.
After getting settled in my hotel I walked down Collins Street to the Rialto Tower.
The shots below were taken from the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere.
Next I took a walk around Melbourne mainly along the Yarra River.
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Hello again everyone, You all must be tired of hearing from me by now. Not much to write about today as I didn't do much except change locations. My plane landed here in Melbourne at about 11:30 this morning but I didn't get to my hotel until almost 2:00. Like Sydney, Melbourne is a very large busy city. After getting settled in my hotel I took a walk around the city. My hotel in conveniently located in the center of town. I walked down to the Rialto Tower, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. The attached photo was taken from the top of the building. From there I circled around and walked along the Yarra River which runs through the city. The weather is nice here, but very hot. No Worries (the folks in Australia must say that 1000 times a day), Tim |
THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2007:
It was a long drive out to The Great Ocean Road from Melbourne but the sights were worth the effort.
Our first scenic stops were Torquay, the world famous surfing spot and then the beautiful Bells Beach.
We saw lots of Koala bears along the Great Ocean Road. They are not a very lively critter.
We also made a short stop at Apollo Bay.
Of course the highlight of the day was when we finally got to the 12 Apostles.
I went up in a helicopter to capture the views below.
It was only a ten minute flight but the views were fantastic.
Back on the ground we visited Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge.
9 minute video of Australia's Great Ocean Road. Click on the �YouTube player below to watch the video. | ||
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Greetings everyone, It was a beautiful day here in the state of Victoria. Today I toured the Great Ocean Road. It was a long trip, over 500 kilometers roundtrip from Melbourne. I wanted to fly to and from there but there is a minimum of two for those flights and they couldn't work me in, even though I gave them over six months notice. It was a bit longer than I wanted to travel by bus, but the sights were worth the effort. The bus picked me up at my hotel this morning at 7:45. Our first stop was Torquay. Apparently people come from all of the world to surf the shark infested waters here. We continued along the ocean stopping at Bells Beach and Apollo Bay. Went inland for a short while and took a walk through a rain forest. Saw several koala bears in the wild. They are quite a lazy animal but very cute. After lunch it was on to the highlight of the day, The Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge. All very impressive rock formations along Victoria's coast on the Southern Ocean. I took a short helicopter flight over the Twelve Apostles, that is the attached photo. The only bad part of the day was the flies. I thought the flies were awful in Melbourne but they were even worse out here. They are as thick as peanut butter at all times. There were people walking around with what looked like bee keepers masks on. The act of swatting flies away from your face is called the Melbourne salute. A man I was talking to in Tasmania told me about it before I got here. I couldn't imagine it being as bad as he described but it was, if not worse. When I got back to the hotel tonight I couldn't wait to take a shower after having flies crawling on me all day. It was a long drive back to Melbourne, I got to my hotel at about 8:00. Tomorrow is my last day in Australia before moving on to New Zealand on Saturday. More later, Tim |
FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007:
I spent my last day in Australia in downtown Melbourne. I took a Melbourne River Cruise up and down the Yarra River.
After my cruise I took a walk through Queen Victoria Gardens.
Also on the grounds of Queen Victoria Gardens is the Shrine of Remembrance.
After an entertainment break at the Crown Entertainment Complex I went back up the Rialto Tower at dusk.
Melbourne is a beautiful city after the sun goes down as well.
8 minute video of Melbourne, Australia. Click on the �YouTube player below to watch the video. | ||
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Howdy Howdy! I didn't have anything planned for today so I slept in. It felt good. I have been getting up early most everyday to do something. Will have to rise early again tomorrow as I have an early flight to New Zealand. Once I finally got up and about I spent a couple hours on a boat cruise of the Yarra River. The attached picture is of downtown Melbourne from that cruise. After the cruise I walked through Victoria Gardens and visited the Shrine of Remembrance. Later this afternoon after I got tired of walking I went to see a movie at the Crown Entertainment Complex. Quite a large impressive place just across the river from my hotel. Movie Theaters, casino, hotel, restaurants, shopping mall, night clubs. Really a city unto itself. Also stopped by the casino after the movie but didn't stay long. Was running out of Australian money and didn't want to exchange more since this is my last day here and need enough for the cab to the airport in the morning. Will write more from New Zealand, Tim |
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12 minute slide show movie of the places I visited during my 15 days in Australia. Click on the links to play video. |
Click above to continue to my next adventure, CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND.
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