On arrival in Melbourne, we loaded our luggage into our fuel-sipping Toyota Camry Hybrid and headed to the Burwood Serviced Apartments (BSA) out in the suburbs where we are staying until the end of February. We stayed at this location twice previously (in 2004 and in 2009). Although the building is under new management, much has stayed the same, however, the apartments have been renovated with new flooring, painting and lighting etc. We are even staying in the same room we stayed in previously. The BSA are conveniently located close to Trevor’s cousin Glenda’s and her husband Geoff’s place where we were invited for a welcome dinner on Saturday night along with a few of their South African friends. As it turns out, two of the ladies in the company (Rhonda and Heather) played field hockey with Trevor’s mother in South Africa many years ago. How incredible is it that we should bump into these two ladies from so far in the past in Melbourne, Australia?
We find that the weather in Melbourne can vary quite a bit from day to day. Early mornings can be cool (9 degrees to 15 degrees) and the daily highs at this time of year can range from around 19 degrees to temperatures in the 40’s. In fact, over a span of less than one week, we have experienced both cooler days very hot days. On the hot weekend, temperatures soared to 38 degrees in the city of Melbourne and we took advantage of the good weather to travel to the Mornington Peninsula southeast of Melbourne where we enjoyed temperatures that were a few degrees cooler than in the city, and a lovely breeze coming in over the water.
Australians (or their governments) love their toll highways and for a large portion of our excursion to the Mornington Peninsula, we drove on toll roads. In fact, the same Australian company that controls the toll roads in the Melbourne area also purchased the 407 toll highway in Toronto. We have resigned to the fact that driving on toll roads is just part of the cost of travel and we just need to budget for tolls as we travel in this country.
As we arrived at the Mornington Peninsula, we realized that the lovely hot weather also brings throngs of people out to the beaches. We encountered slow traffic at several places along our route as the “flocks” arrived to enjoy the sunshine. On the other hand, we enjoyed a much quieter environment without the beach crowds at Nepean Point National Park at the tip of the peninsula. In the park, we toured the buildings of the historic Quarantine Station which was established during the Australian Gold Rush of the 1800s. Gold miners that travelled on unsanitary, overcrowded ships often contracted nasty diseases such as typhus and scarlet fever and the Australian government established the quarantine station in order to contain various diseases.
Back in the city of Melbourne, we notice that many changes have occurred, that are very similar to the changes that are occurring in the Greater Toronto area. We see several new skyscrapers in the downtown area, higher volumes of traffic, more multinational residents living in the city, higher gas prices, new supermarkets and shopping centres, higher food prices, faster internet, more cellphones, and the list goes on. Indeed though, it is a pleasure to be back to witness all the changes in the city first hand.
Photos:
No. 1-2: Our Welcome Gathering at Cousin Glenda & Geoff's place in Ringwood
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No. 3-4: Hanging Out With Musical Statues at Deakin University during morning run
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