2-3 March - at sea and Melbourne



Seas picked up overnight. With the stabilisers not being used, the ship was pretty much rocking and rolling all night. For passenger comfort and ease of walking about the ship, they were back out again by morning. No passengers lounging around on deck today. The pool deck is deserted.

We will just have a quiet day to recover before another day walking around Melbourne tomorrow.

3rd March – Melbourne
We were in no hurry to leave the ship, so took our time over breakfast. When we headed out the terminal was full of people waiting to embark a Costa ship which was starting a cruise from Melbourne. After negotiating people with vague intentions, we discovered, to our delight, that there was a 109 bus to take passengers into the city. This saved us the half km walk to the 109 tram stop. Very good of Melbourne to put on this service dedicated for passengers. It dropped us in a very convenient location for us to start our planned walk in the city.

Museums Victoria have an app with three different walks through the city. I had looked at each one and decided which one would best cover aspects of Melbourne we did not know about. This one started at the Immigration Museum and took us through the streets of Melbourne from the times of early settlers, through the gold rush and establishment of Melbourne as a thriving financial centre.

The commentary with the app highlighted many old buildings which most people would be unaware had such a rich history. Mostly places of government, banking or social significance, there were some beautiful examples of early architecture. An early stop even highlighted how the old urinals were put to a different use, as part of a building complex!

It was a very enlightening tour. Now I come to think of it, though, I still haven’t wandered the lanes which are now famous graffiti art locations. Another good reason to visit Melbourne again. Perhaps we can include a stop at the Hopetoun Tea Rooms in The Block Arcade. They always look inviting!

Most of the tour centred around Collins St. Once we reached Spring Street we cut short the tour and diverted to Fitzroy Gardens. We have never visited these gardens. There are so many gardens in Melbourne, we are gradually working our way through them. Fitzroy Gardens are only small, but the drawcard is Captain Cook’s cottage.

A very small building which has been brought across from the UK, we have at least seen it! We did not go in. There are people dressed in period costume who, I’m sure, would be all too willing to tell visitors about this well known building.

We had walked enough for the day, so decided against walking back along Southbank back to the bus. We have done this many times so it would be nothing new. Instead we walked the shorter distance back to Collins Street where we could jump on the 109 tram.

Altogether a very pleasant day out in Melbourne.

The old urinals, stacked up and attached to a building - different!




Inside the ANZ Bank building in Collins St near Elizabeth St

The hidden dome in a historic building now an office block





As in the Strand Arcade in Sydney, some lovely shops to browse

Gog and Magog


Fitzroy Gardens


Captain Cook's Cottage



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