Melbourne

After leaving Thailand it was time to start my three week journey home.  First stop, Melbourne.  I actually decided to go to Melbourne kind of last minute.  Originally, I was only going to spend some time in Sydney but after hearing awesome things about Melbourne I decided to add it to my itinerary.  I'm really glad I did.

I arrived early last Tuesday morning and checked into a hostel located in the beach area of Melbourne, St Kilda.  It was my first experience in a hostel and I didn't really know what to expect. The truth is, the place was like College Part II.  There were people hanging out all over the place playing pool and watching sports.  Interestingly enough, the smell was even exactly like I remember the dorms at school smelling like.  I guess that's nostalgia?  For the most part, I enjoyed the place and the bar downstairs.

The first day, I took a trip into downtown Melbourne and checked out the Melbourne Aquarium.  I had heard it was pretty good and it didn't disappoint.  After that, I walked around the city for a bit to get my bearings straight.  It's a really cool city.  It's pretty small so it was very easy to learn.  It actually reminded me quite a bit of Boston in a lot of ways.  That night, I met some Irish guys at the hostel and we went to some bars around St. Kilda.  It was a really good time.

Melbourne

The next day I headed to the famous Phillip Island, home of the Penguin Parade.  Every night, the penguins that live there march up from the water to their nests on the beach, right past all the spectators.  One of my co-workers in Thailand had told me all about it and it got pretty good reviews so I made a day trip out of it.  The tour was pretty fantastic.  The guide was giving us information before we even pulled away from the curb.  Along the way, we stopped at various places including a kangaroo farm and a koala reserve.  It was cool to see Australia's most famous inhabitants up close.  Following that we grabbed dinner in the town of Cowes on the island.  I had my first real cheeseburger in 6 months and it was awesome.  After that, it was time for the main event.  It was pretty funny.  The little penguins just march right past all the people on the beach, completely oblivious to everyone.  I have some pictures of the other animals and of the views but we weren't allowed to take pictures of the penguins marching.  The pictures I did get can be seen below.

They're not very friendly animals.

Koala

The view from Cowes

The penguins climb the cliffs in the background.

The next day, Thursday, I went into the center of Melbourne to the Old Melbourne Gaol, the city's old prison.  Australia, being that it was founded as a colony for British criminals, has a long and interesting history with its jails.  Sydney had more of the criminal population than Melbourne but the Melbourne Gaol was really interesting nonetheless.  It told stories and showed exhibits about the prisoners' daily lives and also told the stories of many of the famous prisoners at the prison.  One in particular, an Irishman named Ned Kelly, is especially prominent.  It's very clear in visiting the museum that Australians are pretty fond of their criminal ancestors.  In addition to learning about the history of the jail and its inhabitants, part of the tour involved being locked up in the holding cells next door that were used right up until 1994.  They treat you like a prisoner for about 20 minutes and put you in the cells that were most commonly used as drunk tanks.  It was pretty funny.  After leaving the prison, I headed to the free tram that Melbourne has around the city.  It was nice to get a complete view of everything.  That night, I hung out with the Irish guys again at the hostel bar and met a few other people from Australia and England.

Melbourne Gaol

Inside the Gaol

Locked up in the drunk tank

The following day was my last in Melbourne.  I decided to head to the Shrine of Remembrance.  It was originally set up as a memorial to Australian soldiers in WWI but has since been expanded to honor all Australian soldiers who have served overseas.  It was really an awesome place.  I find it fascinating, after seeing so many monuments in Washington D.C. and various other places around the U.S., to see the monuments that other countries have to their soldiers.  The Shrine of Remembrance in particular was especially well done.  After visiting the Shrine, I headed over to the main area in the city, Federation Square, and went to the Australian Center for the Moving Image.  It's a museum set up to show the evolution of film from the earliest silent movies right up to the smart phones of today.  I really enjoyed it.

Shrine of Remembrance

Part of the WWI and WWII memorials

View of the city from the Shrine

Federation Square

Rod Laver Arena

Saturday my time in Melbourne came to an end.  I had to catch a 7 am flight (I wasn't a big fan of the band performing at the hostel bar downstairs Friday night as I tried to get some sleep) to Sydney.  I'm definitely thrilled with my last minute decision to head to Melbourne.  It's a really cool, smaller city with a very laid back vibe.  I hope one day I have the chance to head back for longer than four days.