Review of the Dawn Princess

Circumnavigating Oz, Part Seventeen, Melbourne

written by mickeyd69 posted on 14/02/11

Circumnavigating Oz, Part Seventeen, Melbourne. (For the complete story of our trip, please visit www.theozcruise.com)

Melbourne, the Capital of the State of Victoria, is a huge city. Only Sydney has more than Melbourne?s 3.9 million people. Considered to be the financial center of Australia, it is also called the ?Garden City?, primarily because of the extensive open spaces and parks. Interestingly, Melbourne shares an attribute with every other major city on Oz; it is positioned between the coast, with its beaches and holiday attractions; and the mountains, with their own charms like hiking and other highland activities.

Melbourne, though, not only is close to excellent beaches just south of Geelong and on the Mornington Peninsula, but relatively close to some of the highest mountains in Australia. While the highest points in the Australian Alps are a bit farther afield, several ski areas are within driving distance from the city. Mt. Buller, less than three hours away, has multiple runs for different skill levels, and the summit is 1,805 meters, or 5,921 feet.

Before European settlers arrived, the area was occupied for an estimated 30,000 years by hunters and gatherers from three Aboriginal tribes; the Wurundjeri, the Boonwurrung, and the Wathaurong. The area was an important meeting place for members of the Kulin nation alliance as well as a vital source of food and water. The settlement that became Melbourne was founded by free settlers from Van Diemen?s Land (Tasmania) in 1835, 47 years after the first colonies in Oz and was declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847.

The city was named after William Lamb, Second Viscount Melbourne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the reign of King William IV and Queen Victoria. When Victoria separated from New South Wales in 1851, the city was named the capital of the new district, and grew quickly after gold was discovered in the region during the 1850?s. The area of the gold rush was centered on the provincial town of Ballarat, which grew to the second largest city in Victoria virtually overnight.

In 1869, the world?s largest gold nugget, named the ?Welcome Stranger?, was found by two Cornish miners. More gold was extracted from the Victorian gold fields than during the 1849 California gold rush, drawing more and more people to the area, which grew to more than 75,000 people. It also brought Victoria to the brink of civil war in the Eureka Rebellion, a shooting war with government authorities in which 22 miners and 8 soldiers and police were killed over what they considered unfair taxes and voting rights. The rebellion resulted in acquittal of those miners tried for treason or sedition, and brought about long lasting changes in suffrage laws.

By the 1880?s, Melbourne was one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and, as such, was named Capital of the new Australian Federation when it was formed in 1901, holding the distinction until the Australian Capital Territory was declared and Canberra made capital in 1927. Melbourne continued to grow steadily, with impetus from several large mineral discoveries, and the 1960 Olympic Games.

The city of Melbourne extends along the Yarra River through the Yarra Valley toward the Dandenong Ranges off to the east. The city sprawls south-east through Dandenong towards West Gippsland, and southward through the Mornington Peninsula, to the city of Frankston, taking in the peaks of Oliver?s Hill, Mount Martha, and Arthurs Seat, along the shores of Port Phillip Bay. To the west, it extends along the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries north toward Sunbury and the foothills of the Macedon Ranges, as well as along the flat volcanic plain country towards Melton. To the south, the metropolitan area includes Geelong, and on toward the major bayside beaches in Port Melbourne, Albert Park, St. Kilda, Elwood, Brighton, Sandringham, and Frankston. Seaside beaches are about 80 kilometers south of the city in Rye, Sorrento, and Portsea.

The center of the city is laid out in a grid pattern, which makes it quite easy to get around. In a city dominated by the green of parks, the Royal Botanic Gardens is in a class of its own. Queen Victoria Gardens and the Melbourne Zoo are also well worth visiting, with the Zoo counted as one of the world?s best. Within an hour of the city are two other excellent animal parks, the Werribee Zoo and the Healesville Sanctuary. Melbourne Cricket Ground is the home of Australian Rules Football (But don?t tell a Sydneysider!) where the final championship game is played on the third Saturday in September. Melbourne hosts the first round of the world Formula One Grand Prix Circuit. In addition to auto racing events, there is also horse racing, motorcycle racing, and the Australian Open, the first round of the World Grand Slam Tennis Circuit.

Further out from the city can be found numerous local, state, and national parks, including Yarra Ranges National Park (NP), French Island NP, Wilson?s Promontory NP, Otway NP, and, further out, Alpine NP, Snowy River NP, and Grampians NP. Many of the closest parks are accessible as day trips, but the more distant parks require a full day to get to, and should be given sufficient time to enjoy.

Meanwhile, back at the train, Mike and Bonnie were leading their flock into the city. It is really an easy trip, and we exited the train in the center of town, at the corner of Collins and Exhibition Streets. We were looking for the Telstra Tower, at 225 Exhibition Street, all 47 stories and 193 meters (640 feet approx.) of it. I had been to the building so many times I had lost count, but I somebody had always taken me. Ever since I nearly killed us both during our first trip to the Virgin Islands about a hundred years ago, I make it a rule to NEVER drive in any country where they drive on the left side of the road. Even after virtually living in Sydney, Singapore, and London during my career, I have never broken that rule, which is one of the main reasons I have lived this long.

So, there we were, walking into the Telstra Building, my first time since 2000. It is a very impressive architectural structure; with a huge, tall lobby, totally surrounded by glass, and sculptures, and a broad set of elevators rising and falling in an open shaft that appears to go through the roof 600 feet above. We approached the receptionist and asked for John. We felt SO important when she told us that we were expected and asked us to relax while she ?retrieved? him. He stepped out of the elevator in a few minutes, and it was like we?d been together the day before, no time having passed at all. Our greetings complete, he suggested that we walk to a small coffee shop around the corner where we could take our time and chat. Every minute was fantastic, and the only damper on the occasion was our knowledge that it would be all too brief. We solved the problems of the Universe, made our regretful farewells, and watched him return to his tight schedule.

On our own, we wanted to walk around the center of the city so I could capture some pictures of the places I had taken for granted when I visited Melbourne as often as a few days a month. We were working with Telstra and John on a project to extend satellite based high speed telecommunications to the more geographically remote areas of Oz. The visit with John brought back all sorts of memories of my time there and the great people I was fortunate to know.

We had a good time seeing the city, but, after a while, we both had a small problem that needed public facilities to resolve. The first potential solution was right in front of us; a very elegant building housing the Windsor Hotel. Having been to lots of hotels, I have a sixth sense about finding potties; and it was no different there. I located our target within a minute, and we went off to our respective rooms. I do not usually spend much time describing bathrooms, but this was an exception. It had to be one of the top three potties I have ever been in. The room was elegant, with brass everywhere, and cut glass handles on the doors to the WC?s. The mirrors were ovals, with beveled edges, one over each sink. The floor was covered with a most intricate pattern of tiny tiles, and everything was so clean and well designed that I felt guilty soiling any part of it. I hated to leave!

Afterward, Bonnie was just as enthusiastic about the room she experienced. I can state with confidence that the Windsor Hotel Potties rank with some of the best attractions in any of the hundreds of major cities I have visited around the world!

We left the hotel, and decided to buy trans-passes which permitted us to take any form of public transportation in the center of the city for one flat price. We felt like locals who really knew their way around, and, we actually did know where we were going. Our goal was to ride to the Burke Street Mall, a pedestrian shopping center which was brightly decorated for Christmas, and then on to Flinders Street Station, St. Paul?s Cathedral, and then finish up at the famous, or infamous, Federation Square right off the river. Burke Street Mall was just what I remembered, Flinders Street Station was as classically unique as always, and next was Federation Square, across the street from the cathedral.

Federation Square, commonly known as ?The Fed?, is a new public gathering place along the banks of the Yarra River, bounded by Swanson, Flinders, and Russell Streets. The space had been used by several kinds of business over the years, including a mortuary, and had never been particularly attractive.

The city decided to clear the space and announced a competition for the final design of the planned square. When the results were announced in 1997, the public reaction was swift and negative. As they are prone to do, the government stuck to its plans, and started construction. The criticism continued, not just about the design, but also because the city had spent more than $440 million, and may have been a factor in the change of government in the middle of the project.

The new government made compromises, and the monstrosity, as it was called by many, was completed and opened on October 26, 2002. Reaction was expectedly negative, but the place seemed to grow on Melburnians and visitors alike, and it is now considered one of the main attractions of the city. At the very least, it certainly is interesting with its strange angles, slanting surfaces, and unique architecture. I spent much of the time we were there searching for a 90 degree angle, some parallel lines, or any level surface, without success. At the end of our time in the Square, I found the most interesting thing to be the location of the tram station. Before anybody could actually board a tram, a street with heavy traffic had to be crossed, regardless of the direction one was going. As a veteran quack-thumper with a neck that does not turn, I found this very interesting; and not a little disconcerting. We had to catch a tram there before we could get to the station where we switched for the tram back to the port. To do this as safely as possible, my bride grabbed my arm very tightly, looked both ways, remembered that the traffic was coming from the opposite direction, and dragged me across the street.

From that point, it was no big thing to catch the correct tram, change at the corner of Collins and Exhibition, hop on the next tram, and ride comfortably back to the port where our ship was waiting, just for us. The tram reached the end of the line, where we exited, and stopped by the shop at the entrance to the port. Before proceeding to the ship, we stopped to look over the Spirit of Tasmania, the huge ferry that connects Melbourne and Devonport on the north shore of Tasmania. It was a good day in Melbourne, with perfect weather, clear skies, and a great reunion with John.

We enjoyed a snack in the Horizon, although our snack would have probably fed a Croatian village for a week! With our bellies full, our legs tired, and our heads spinning, it was time to catch a few winks before getting together with our gang at dinner. The first thing we did was to get our shoes off and flop down on the bed. Next, we clicked on the TV. And, much to our surprise, we were greeted by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle. This time, the movie did its job perfectly, and we were asleep in 10 minutes.

After our nap, during dinner in the dining room, we had a wonderful time catching up with our friends, most of which, had taken the excursion to the Healesville Sanctuary, an excellent wildlife park about 40 kilometers east of Melbourne. At the park, the guests can pet kangaroos, hold koalas, and listen to trained Tasmanian devils sing the Alleluia Chorus 'a cappella'. Since it was a day in port, the dress was casual, and we even stayed awake long enough to catch the world?s worst comedian in the Princess Theater. After that, we were ready for bed.