Melbin, Live

Melbin is just how Australians say "Melbourne" - you'll never hear the "our" at all, just like Worcester is somehow "Woosta." By that comparison, Australians look like logical geniuses.

I had a fantastic time in Melbourne! A really awesome time, I'm really thankful for the chance to have gone. Melbourne is the second-largest city in Australia, second to Sydney that is. The prediction is that it won't be second for too long though - it's growing rapidly, and in ten years time or so, it should be the largest city in Australia. There's so much diversity to the city that I haven't seen in Sydney yet. There were parts that looked like they belonged in a Fashion & Art magazine, parts that could have been on a river somewhere in England, parts that looked like something you'd see on a train through New England in the fall, and parts that reminded me of Florida. And this is all just on a walk through the city, not traveling to the outer edges or anything.

I arrived on Thursday, April 24th and had the day to explore. Explore, I did! I walked along the Yarra River, passing through Centennial park and past Olympic Stadium and Melbourne Cricket Ground. I was on my way to the Australian Open courts. When I got there, I learned they were still giving tours - great! So I had my lunch, and signed up for the 1pm tour.

As I was waiting for my tour about 10 till, I had to use the bathroom. There was a lockerroom nearby, so I gave a gentle push on the door - was unlocked. Convenient. So I went in and used the bathroom. Just as I was using it, a group of about fifty schoolchildren, aged somewhere about 10-12, all come walking in. The tour guide looks at me dumbfounded and says, "Um, we're starting a tour in here." So I told her, "yeah, I'm on that tour" (because I thought it was my tour). As it turns out, there was a separate private tour for school that was happening just minutes before mine. So not only did I somehow sneak into the lockerroom (that was off limits) where the tour began, I then purported that I was part of the tour group that consisted of 10-year-olds. It was hilarious, she didn't know what to make of me.

The tour was really cool, especially if your any kind of tennis fan. We saw where Federer, Nadal, Murray, etc. have their lockers when the Australian Open takes place, sat in the chair where they do the press conferences, sat in a skybox ($200,000 a year), saw the trophies up close, walk the Walk of Champions, etc. We didn't get to go on the court, because it was covered up - they were preparing for a Jason Derulo concert that evening.

Then I visited the Fitzroy Gardens, which were great. Just a beautiful park in the middle of the city, where you have a big array of plants, grassy areas, bridges and ponds, etc. A nice nature getaway in urban Melbourne. Finally, at night, I had a visit to the popular Bourke Street Mall. To my surprise, it was a completely outdoor mall! I saw many street performers packing up as it was getting dark - if only I'd arrived a bit earlier. H&M was absolutely packed - more than that, there was a line out the front door of more than 100 people I'd say. People were waiting in line just to shop at H&M - unbelievable! I grabbed some Subway (unfortunately the only thing less than $15 for dinner) and relaxed.

The next day was The Great Ocean Road tour, what I had been waiting for! It was a van with a 24 person capacity, a good size to see the 243 km war memorial. After talking with a few fellow sightseers, I learned that it was me, a guy from Paris, and 22 Asians. Each of the Asian Great Ocean Road-goers had a DSLR camera, which instantly made them awesome photographers. But it put in sharp contrast my little phone, which is what I used to take pictures throughout the day. So it was really funny to hear and see, CLICK-CLICK-FLASH-SNAP-CLICK-ZOOM-CLICK-CLICK, and then turn to me to see me silently press the camera button on my touch screen.

It was fantastic! The itinerary went something like this:

- nearby beach for morning tea, and to watch the surfers

- Great Ocean Road sign. A popular stopping point to see where it all begins

- Wildlife reserve. Wild koalas! Plus colorful birds, ducks, neat trees and scenery

- Rainforest. Super lush, super full, awesome sounds and atmosphere

- Twelve apostles. Some famous rock formations. There were never 12 in fact - there were 9 to start with, then one fell down. They're called the 12 apostles because we like to associate as humans, and so they're to this day called the 12 apostles (even though there are 8)

- Loch Ard Gorge. A gorge with a private beach, a cave, and stalagmites.

- London Bridge. A rock structure known as London Bridge. Funny enough, it fell down in the past, and when it did, the police didn't believe any of the citizens because they thought it was a town-wide joke ("London Bridge has fallen down!")

Here's a link that gives some more detail about my Great Ocean Road tour: http://greatoceanroadmelbournetours.com.au/tours/great-ocean-road-tours/1-day-great-ocean-road-12-apostles-tour-99

So a whole lot packed into one day. This doesn't even mention the beautiful scenery along the ride, either. If you didn't know it, you would have thought (as you were driving) you were somewhere Survivor was casting it's next season - the Great Ocean Road stays on the coast for the majority of its length, which makes for spectacular views.

A really great way to spend a birthday, I'd reckon. With a french guy and 22 Asians who don't have any clue it's your birthday, and perhaps the best natural beauty Australia has to offer. Not too bad.

#photo