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We were picked up from the airport by the owners of connections cars a company just an hours North of Melbourne in the city of Castlemaine, which rents and sells motorbiles and small campers..This is what our new Australian home for the next 10 to 12 months looks like.
Our first stop was Melbourne city for 6 days, one of Australia's biggest cities. It has one of the finest collections of parks and gardens and many are within easy walking distance to the city.From the cultural and artistice hub of Federation square to the theaters and galleries located throughout the city melbourne lives up to it's name cultural capital of Australia
Flinders station, one of the four major stations in the city. The Melbourne city tram and busses are a free hop on hop of service for locals and visitors travelling to the city attractions- it comes with free commentary on the city's great attractions.
We were staying with our van in a campground 35 kilometers outside of Melbourne in Weribee, and took the train and bus into town. However when we decided to experience the nightlife of Melbourne we moved into a central city backpackers. We could have made a fortune selling meals there as the menu was one minute noodles for most travellers!
Especially on the weekend there is lots to do in Melbourne. This photo is taken at the Queen Victoria markets, heaps and heaps of stalls were you can buy anything and everything for a very good price. We bought a Melbourne t-shirt each for $5, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and Darren bought a "crocodile dundee hat' which looks realy cool and keeps him cool, as the temperatures have been 30 plus every day for the month of February.
With 4 million people you have to be creative to safe energy and at the same time be fit..
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After shopping, walking along the Yarra river, visiting musea, parks, drinking lattes, hopping on and off trams and busses, it was time to take a 20 minutes ride on the tram to St Kilda for a realxing afternoon at the beach.However we were not the only ones who had that idea.
Darren decided to have a birds view of Melbourne and went to the 88th floor of the Eureka (all residential) building, it took 1 minute from the ground floor to the 88th floor up. Darren took a movie standing in the elevator filming the floors rush by, for anybody who might be interested! I stayed firm with both feed on the earth and waited for him..
We left Melbourne and drove 75 kilometeres South West to Geelong, a major bayside city with safe surfing beaches and a village atmosphere. Along the wharf and beach area Geelong had a lot of obselete bollards and an artist was commissioned who shaped figurines out of a 100 of them.There are fisherman, musicians, llife guards and lots more they look great.
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Just outside of Geelong is Queenscliff the entrance way from the Tasman Sea into Melbourne harbour were all cruise liners and containerships as well as the ferry to Tasmania, enter port ,today as well as in the olden days.
From Geelong we headed up North to Ballarat, along the golden mile, were we stopped in several villages and towns that are famous for the goldrush which happened from 1850's till early 1900's. Here is Darren on Souvereign hill a recreated minning town.complete with stage coaches, stampers, people in original clothing, tents, hotels, shops, and a river ready to pan for gold.
Gold all mighty gold, half of Australia and for that matter most of New Zealand would not exsist without the gold rush of the 1850's. This is what $ 100.000,00 worth of liquid gold looks like, as shown at Souvereign hill.
From Ballarat further up the golden mile we stopped in Bendigo, were we took a restored tram, one of a collection of 40 recovered from all over Australia and lovingly restored in Bendigo for a ride through town .
Last day of the month of February, plus one, Leap year, and that allows for women to ask their loved one for his hand in marriage so I DID AND HE SAID YES,.
We will celebrate together when the time comes, so look out!
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Jan Feb March 07
