The talk of the day was how hot it would be - north of 36 celsius (97 fahrenheit). Our challenge with the heat was that we had planned to do a free walking tour (Peek Tours) that started at 10:30.
As we learned from our time in Sydney, there is a rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney has a beautiful harbor and city, but Melbourne has culture. One of the tidbits we heard was that when Melbourne hosted the Olympics in the 50's, Sydney was so jealous that they commissioned the Opera House. However, the people we met in Melbourne seemed to talk less of how great their city was compared to those in Sydney.
We met up with the tour in Federation Square, which was just completed in the early 2000's. In planning out the city in the 1800's, land was divided and sold and then further subdivided. Because of the additional subdivision, Melbourne ended up with alleys between many sections. Today, these alleys have cafes, are often pedestrian friendly, and provide a European feel to the city.
The early city planners also never incorporated a city square, so now Melbourne finally had one with Federation Square. However, it was very modern (we liked it) against 100+ year old historic buildings, so there were varying opinions based on who you asked.
Our guide Ellen did a great job of keeping the group in the shade throughout the tour whether walking from one location to another or explaining the significance of a building or statue. She was passionate about her city, and took us through the block arcade, alleys with street art, Flinders Station, the CBD, and to the Royal Exhibition Hall.
One of the things Melbourne is known for is their trams. These are the primary mode of public transportation, and they even had a free tram that around the edges of downtown. Though they may look touristy, the trams are used heavily by locals and run throughout the city.
Another characteristic that Melbourne is known for is street art. We would typically categorize it just as grafiti, but they have a variety of types and styles.
It has been legalized within city limits in 11 specific sections (alleys), however, anyone caught with a can of spray paint (full or empty) is fined $550. Each alley/section has a curator, and you must get approval and an assigned "block" or area of wall before creating. Many political and social issues are expressed as street art in Melbourne.
At the end of the tour we walked through a park and stopped in front of a large white building that seemed to take up a whole city block. This was the Royal Exhibition Hall, site of the 1880 and 1888 World's Fair and also a world heritage site.
After the tour we had lunch at a US prohibition themed speak easy called Father's Office. Melbournians seem to like small (and themed) watering holes that only locals know about.
In the afternoon we did the old Gaol (jail - never did get why spelling was different). The gaol was established in the 1840's when Melbourne split from Sydney and could therefore no longer ship criminals to Sydney for trials or punishment.
The gaol has a good self guided tour of the history, experience of an inmate, and profiles on some inmates. The most infamous inmate was Ned Kelly, the Australian bushranger version of Robin Hood. There was even a reenactment of the Ned Kelly trial and a "locked up" experience at the decommissioned police station next door. During our lock up experience, the officer separated us by gender, had us stand single file with arms at our side, and locked us in holding cells.
We even took mugshots. You could spend hours here learning about old Melbourne, and it was a great way to spend time on a hot day.
After exploring the city, we took the tram to St. Kilda beach to celebrate our anniversary. We enjoyed dinner at Donovan's, which is a restored bathhouse located directly on the beach offering perfect views of the sunset. Earlier in the day, our tour guide tipped us off to a penguin viewing location at St. Kilda. So after dinner, we walked down the beach side promenade towards the pier.
The pier was sheltered by rocks on both sides, and tourists had already lined up on a small designated wooden platform to watch for penguins swimming up to the jetty. A member of the "penguin team" informed us that it was molting season and that fewer were coming back at night. Ashley and others scanned along the water's edge until someone pointed out a small dark shape. The little penguin swam near the rocks for about 10 minutes before deciding to climb onto a flat rock only 15 feet from us. Here, he groomed himself and put on a show for the next 30 minutes.
Gradually, more penguins came to the rocks, with each having its own personality. Ashley even found a good spot only 5 feet from one vocal penguin who continuously called out.
They eventually disappeared into their nooks and cubbies under the rocks. Ashley could not believe her luck in seeing penguins twice in the same week.
As we rode the tram back to our hotel, we both agreed that today had been a good way to end the Australian portion of our trip. Tomorrow, we'd be flying to Auckland for two Weeks in New Zealand.
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