Day 16 Saturday 23rd March
A nice sunny day today, so i decided tp take a trip into the city. My first stop was the Queen Victoria Market to do a bit of shopping and to grab some lunch, I opted for a Tibetan chicken fried rice dish, boy was it good, but a little spicy.
My next stop was on the south bank to get a bit of the vibe from the F1 race, they certainly brought some of the buzz into the city, with racing simulators, display cars and team merchandising stands.
Federation Square was my next stop, where the Melbourne Food and Wine festival was being held, more live bands on stage and plenty of food on offer (I couldn’t find the wine though), whilst in the square, I popped into ACMI, which I had visited last year, but unfortunately it was getting ready to close so I went next door to the NGV, where there was a display by the Williams Racing team with more race car simulators and all sorts of interactive activities, it was great fun.
As I was in the area, I nipped into the Duke of Wellington pub for a nice pint of White Rabbit dark ale (an Australian favourite of mine) before catching the train home.
Day 17 Sunday 24th March
An early start this morning to enable me to get into town to catch a train to Geelong, the journey from Southern Cross station took just over an hour and was very pleasant and comfortable. On arrival at South Geelong station, I made my way to the Admiralty Inn, my accommodation for the night, at first glance it looked like the type of place Jack Reacher would use, despite being early, I checked into my room and scoped it out, declaring it perfect for purpose, I left for a stroll around town.
Heading initially for the waterfront, once there, I discovered that I had arrived at the finish of an Iron Man competition, it was great fun watching them all coming in, there certainly was a buzz in the area in the sunshine. A quick stop in the tourist information office to pick up a map, and a chat about the local facilities led me to further wanderings to discover a great deal of good street art, one I especially liked was one titled “To the Unknown Mariner” by Cam Scale, it really is a spectacular piece, although my photograph does not present it in the best light.
After a nice lunch in a place called Laksa & Beer, I continued my walk eventually ending up in the Naval Association of Geelong for a beer, a chat with the lads who were there and to watch the final stages of the Formula One race. It was a nice day, but feeling a bit tired and with my phone battery running low, I decided to return to the hotel for a late afternoon siesta.
In the evening, I made the mistake of not checking their website for opening hours, and headed out towards the Little Creatures brewery for dinner, to find it closed. I eventually found a bar nearby and got a late dinner and a beer before returning to the hotel tired after a great day in the city of Geelong.
Day 18 Monday 25th March
After checking out of the hotel and a quick breakfast in town, I set off wandering again. My first stop was the city library where I had been told there was a viewing platform on its dome shaped roof, unfortunately a private party had booked it for the morning and I was told to return in the afternoon.
I returned to the waterfront, here I decided to photograph some of the 100 or so painted and sculpted bollards along the shore. It was great to just stroll leisurely along the seaside it was such a good holiday feeling, i stopped off at one of the beach pavilions for lunch before heading back into town to visit the library.
The viewing platform was open and it gave me a nice view of the city. Whilst in the area, i went into the State Government Office to see a spectacular large 50 metre mosaic mural depicting the history of Geelong, before stopping for a coffee in the Arts Centre, the coffee was good in the stylish cafe which matched the funky outside of the building. I then visited the Art Gallery, enjoying looking at the art on display in an air conditioned atmosphere.
All cultured out I headed back ito the town centre, again intending to visit the Little Creatures Brewery for dinner and a pint before heading for home, however I was disappointed to find that they only open Wednesday to Sunday, so I caught the teain back into Melbourne where I went back to Chinatown for a really good Laksa curry and a beer before getting the train home, unfortunately due to work on the line, the train stopped short, but Graeme stepped up and came to collect me.
I was glad to be home, but I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Geelong, i felt just like a seaside break in a nice place I wouldn’t hesitate to visit again.
Another feature of the city I was told about were the Bollards dotted along the shoreline created from salvaged timber piles. During my stay I managed to photograph quite a few you can read more about them and see my photographs of them on my Geelong Bollards page
Day 19 Tuesday 26th March
I returned to Frankston today to take photographs of the completed murals that were done for this year’s Big Picture festival, it was good to see them all finished. When I first visited, last Monday, I met Tinky, a miniaturist working on one of her pieces, I then went in search for some others and managed to find a few more. After a lunch of one of Australia’s favourites, a Chicken Parma, I headed for home to spend some time relaxing in the garden with my book.
Day 20 Wednesday 27th March
For my last full day in Melbourne, we drove to Beaumaris to collect Pat & Kay then went into the city to the Melbourne Museum to visit the Titanic: The Artefacts Exhibition which features more than 200 real artefacts, recovered directly from the wreck site, there even was a sample iceberg on display.
Once we received our boarding passes, we were taken on a journey from the beginning when the ship was planned and built through to its fateful maiden voyage we all know how it ended. There were sample cabins, showing the stark difference £117,500 for a 1st class ticket compared to £1,050 for a 3rd class ticket. Each of us received a boarding pass, detailing the particulars of a passenger, Graeme, Briony, Pat & Kay’s passengers were located in 1st & 2nd class and all survived the sinking, however my passenger Austin Boyer Van Billiard, who was in 3rd class with his 2 young sons didn’t survive. This and many of the stories were particularly harrowing.
On leaving the exhibition, we had a nice lunch in the museum cafe before visiting the Dinosaur Exhibition with its giant skeletons on display. We returned home after exiting through the gift shop after a great day out.
For a farewell dinner we met Pat &Kay, Sean, Moni with Jensen & Ollie for a lovely Japanese dinner in the Japan Inn in Beaumaris before going back to P&K’s house nearby. Unfortunately Andrew and Sheree are away on holiday so couldn’t be there. It was sad to say goodbye to them, they are such a lovely family and I will miss them, but I will no doubt see them all again next year.
Day 21 Thursday 28th March
Up with the lark, or it’s Australian equivalent, to leave to catch my 12:50 flight to Perth, we left early to try and miss the rush hour traffic on the highway, this paid off and we arrive at the correct time to check in, we then stopped in one of the airport cafes for breakfast before saying goodbye to Graeme and Briony and going through security.
Jim's travels 