Melbourne

We were two sleepy eyed seniors that boarded the six o'clock morning flight to Melbourne. The film selection was skimmed through and interrupted intermittently by announcements from the cockpit and cabin crew. 

Once the seat belt sign was off, I forgot all about watching movies and moved over to seats 10 A, B and C - empty and just waiting for me to stretch out and have a sleep. A couple of short naps, breakfast, half a movie and a smooth trip passed the time quickly. 

It was nice to be picked up from the airport and after a quick visit to the supermarket we headed to Brunswick for hot cross buns and tea.

Then Harry and I were on our own, enjoying exploring trains and buses with the "Mikey" card. A police incident delayed the train, and so we sat for a while watching other travellers waiting (a bit more exciting than watching paint dry). 

The train trip to Flinders is efficient but a tad boring as the line takes us mainly through run down commercial and industrial areas. We wandered along the Yarra river, reminiscing about our last walk along the same promenade about 15 years ago. It took a while to find a spot for lunch that wasn't a pub or expensive restaurant and a public loo, and in the end we settled for Subway and a very large ice-cream before sneaking into a pub to use their facilities. 

Just as we were about to turn back towards the station we found the Melbourne Convention Center.  Massively long corridors led us to the Lumo Vincent van Gogh exhibition. What a find!! Kiwi seniors got a discount (worth a couple of coffees).  

Two hours later we walked out. Captivated by the visuals, soothing music and subtle lighting.  We saw the show from the mezzanine floor and also from the little 1888 cafe complete with and the cane chairs. A third round would have seen us lying on the double bean bags and would probably have included a snooze.   

For a change we caught the tram home. There were a lot of stops with passengers coming and going. Facing backwards we couldn't see the names of the stops until after we had left the platform and with all the people standing and talking we couldn't hear or see the announcements either.  "Oh well", we thought "We are on holiday so a trip to the end of the line isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Friday was airshow day, and off the four of us went with our seats, picnic and of course our cameras. 

We were told to arrive about midday when the gates opened and were expecting a rather long queue of enthusiastic airplane enthusiasts, but got into the car park quite quickly and wandered with all our gear to a reasonably good viewing sight.  Harry got as near as he could to the fence line and came back to the chairs occasionally for food, a chat and a rest.  

The Avalon airshow was quite different to others we have been too. On the day, the airport was still operating commercial flights and so occasionally the show stopped to let a Jetstar plane land or take off.  I imagine the passengers had never had such a welcoming crowd before.  

Sadly, the air show finished early, as one of the four acrobatic planes crashed, critically injuring the pilot.  We haven't heard how he is, but we wish him a speedy recovery.  I don't think I will ever forget the plume of smoke and watching the other three pilots circling their planes around the crash site waiting to land. I can only admire the pilots fortitude in staying calm while their team mate was injured below and the sombre crowd stood by.  On advice from the commentators the crowd was slow to disperse, buying an early dinner from the well stocked food vans to reduce the risk of traffic jams.  

Williamstown

The next day was a slow start.  We had brunch at the Foundry and then Harry and I went shopping for picnic supplies before catching the train to Williamstown. 

We had been to Williamstown before but we couldn't remember it until we were walking along the road towards the timeball machine.  Our memory was triggered by a maroon building advertising a "Titanic experience", we turned to each other at the same time commenting once again on the unlikely place for the experience. This time we walked around the coast and through the small botanical garden. 

On our last day in Melbourne we took Cherry the dog for a walk along the Yarra - away from the crowds and through the long grass.  The graffiti seems to be everywhere in the Melbourne suburbs.  

We stopped for a devonshire tea, in a rather massive old building that was once a boat shed.  The building was a bit hickeldy pickeldy, with lots of seating areas. History was all around - the furniture, photos of the bygone past and owners, the row boats and old fixtures. 

Our last stop on this whirlwind Melbourne trip took us to a street party in Brunswick, where we met some friends and attempted a quiz.  Questions like "What shop used to be under another shop in the local mall?".  Not a chance of Harry or I winning the prize. 

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