Robot Claw

Yesterday we left Melbourne and drove southwest toward a natural tourist attraction called The Twelve Apostles. This was a drive through endless dry, yellow fields of sheep and cows interspersed by eucalypts.

We didn’t see any (living) kangaroos, but at one time had to stop for an echidna crossing the road!

The drive took a few hours and eventually we arrived at the destination. Although it’s somewhat remote it was very busy (even on New Year’s Eve!) and mobbed with tourists. And here’s what we came to see:

There were twelve rock formations originally, but many have crumbled and only a few are still visible above the water. The top photo looks west, the bottom east.

The ocean itself was the bigger attraction for me: that’s (arguably) the Southern Ocean which has always been somewhat mysterious and exotic in my mind. Monsters live there, and only madmen dare to sail it.

The winds blowing up from Antarctica were cyclonic and inflated our windbreakers admirably, but it wasn’t exactly cold and out of the wind we even got a bit overheated. A path led us down to a beach (behind and east of where the above photo was taken) where I was able to dip my feet into the ocean…

It was cold! Though it’s farther than the horizon, from this point on Australia the next stop south is Antarctica and the ocean was giving me a hint of what to expect! 

We continued to Ballarat where almost everything was closed (it was evening on New Year’s Eve and a Sunday…) so we were forced to enjoy McDonalds, which turned out to be as delicious as it had been for lunch seven hours earlier 😉

Oh and the new year? I welcomed it fast asleep!

That’s St Patrick’s Catholic cathedral, which didn’t charge $5 for a ‘photography’ license like the Anglican cathedral in town (St Paul’s). From the outside I found St Patrick’s more impressive, but I have to admit St Paul’s was prettier inside and I probably should have sprung for the license! As always, we lit candles for mum and dad 🙂

Melbourne Gaol is a must-visit if your ever here. It’s not large, but is a well presented look at Australian penal life back in the mid-late 1880s. Many of the prisoner stories involve the goldfields, and many are sad and leave some doubt as to the guilt of the (often executed) inmates. 

Prisoners were housed alone in tiny cells and silence was enforced at all times, even when they worked alongside their fellow inmates. In addition they wore cloth masks to even hide their faces to enforce separation. It was a bleak existence.

The prison is most famous for once housing and eventually executing Australia’s infamous ‘bushranger’ Ned Kelly.

He’s a blog post unto himself, but I was very impressed with the detailed history the gaol presented, as well as discussion of his legacy within a modern context.

Oh, and you can buy loads of Ned Kelly souvenirs in the gift store ?

That’s a view toward the docklands pier, slightly south of the city. Can you guess why we visited? Here’s a hint:

‘Melbourne Star’ it’s called. It’s 40 stories tall, takes half an hour to go around and costs $36 a ‘flight’!

I really enjoyed this. It’s slow and very smooth, and there’s plenty of time to appreciate the views. Since there weren’t many riders, we got a car to ourselves (they hold 20) and enjoyed the ride.

However I have to say the view – which is mostly industrial expanses or construction – leaves a little to be desired. Had this been built downtown on the Yarra river it would have been a tourist magnet. Out on the far side of the docklands though, it’s probably not a must-do 🙂

I’m getting my dreaded ‘Australian visit sore throat’ as well. I’ve already begun an intense treatment of medicated lozenges and frozen cokes to feel better. Let’s hope it works!

As often happens on these trips, I went to bed early last night then woke this morning around 2 am. Good thing they were showing Star Trek episodes on TV at that time because I didn’t head out for a walk until sunup a few hours later.

I walked to ‘the docklands’ via the main train station. It was quite early and the streets were empty but it was a good walk. A few hours later, after B woke, we headed out to be tourists…

The first place we visited was ACMI, a museum/gallery dedicated to the ‘moving image’, which means film, TV and video games. This was on a tip from AW and his description – “a treasure trove” – sums the place up well. It’s a fountain of nostalgia for those of us that grew up in front of Oz TV and the video came additions only sweetened the appeal.

But best of all was a display of ‘trick’ cinema techniques which included a dark smoky room with a projected laser tunnel. It was in there I got the lovely silhouette of Bernard shown above.

The ‘B’ in ABC was for Botanical Gardens. It was (only) ok but far more impressive were the views from the 88th floor of a nearby building called Eureka.

And right next door was an art gallery which we also stopped in to and were quite wowed by a few exhibits.

The ‘C’ of course was for casino, where we met PB and where Bernard won cash money and where I also managed to again win the ball-drop ticket jackpot from a redemption machine. 

I’m insanely tired right now; absolutely struggling to stay awake. It’s been a long and active day (~32k steps) but it’s only 6 pm. For some reason the jetlag seems worse this year….

This was the longest trip I’ve ever done. Four flights and over 35 hours in total it’s not something I’m keen on ever repeating! But I made it safe and sound and am now in Melbourne. 

First impressions are that it’s much like Sydney only even more multicultural? But to be honest yesterday (it’s 3 am) was a fugue due to jet lag and loss of sleep, so it could be anyway outside this hotel room.

I met this character. You’ll see more of him in the days ahead….