Australia - 1 - Melbourne

 Thursday, 30 March, and Friday, 31 March 2023

We arrived in Melbourne on Thursday and had a free day to wander around. On Friday we officially started our land-based tour of eastern Australia with GAdventures with a full day in Melbourne.

Flinders Street Station - Melbourne's main railroad station was very near our hotel.

The rotunda in the Rendezvous Hotel - a historic hotel in the heart of city centre Melbourne.

The Block is a renovated Victorian-era shopping arcade. Much of the original mosaic floors and shop windows have been restored.

In the center of The Block is a mechanical clock that plays a 2-minute trumpet voluntary on the hour.

Queen Victoria Market

The Queen Victoria Market is on the periphery of the "CBD" (which means "Central Business District" and has nothing to do with Cannabis). Trams are free to ride within the CBD, so it's very convenient to get around.

The Queen Victoria Market is a covered market that has everything from fruits/veggies to meat/poultry/seafood to clothing to souvenirs (and more!).

Melbourne must be the doughnut capital of Australia - there's a doughnut shop on every block. The American Doughnut Kitchen is found in the center of the Queen Victoria Market. They only sell one kind of doughnut - a raspberry-jelly-filled one. Originally this was known as the "German Doughnut", but after World War II, the "German" was replaced by "American". Back home in Chicago, these doughnuts were called "Bismarcks", reflecting their German origin.

Street Art

Melbourne accepts graffiti/street art in a number of alleys and small streets. The main thoroughfares are kept graffiti-free.

Emu art

Layers of graffiti and "art".

Some murals are commissioned and professionally painted.

Art of a more conventional sort: the National Gallery of Victoria. We had tea here and a conversation with Margaret Dugdale, a friend of a friend, and author of the children's book "Hamish and the Double Bass". A children's play based on the book is in the works.