Melbourne: February 2007

In this issue, our Aussie guest journo, Chuck Maboomerang follows Ray and Nikki as they visit Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria. In our next issue, due online in a couple of weeks, Chuck will be covering the completion of Ray and Nikki's three month tour of Australia, with stories and pictures about their visit to Sydney.

Swapping the peaceful, natural beauty of Tasmania for the cultured sophistication of Melbourne, I caught up with our dynamic duo as they arrived in the city. "We were very excited about visiting Melbourne for a couple of reasons" Nikki told me. "First, we met some wonderful people on our travels, who live here, and we really wanted to see them again" she said. "And second, everyone who spoke to us about the place was very enthusiastic, which motivated us to explore the city thoroughly" she added.

Above: Map showing Melbourne, in the state of Victoria. Ray and Nikki began their Australian tour in Perth (left) last December, driving across the Nullarbor Plain to Adelaide (centre) and visiting Tasmania, prior to their arrival in Melbourne in February

To give you some background about the history of Melbourne, it all began in May 1835, when John Batman 'bought' around 240,000 hectares of land from the Aboriginies of the Kulin clan, who were the traditional owners. The concept of buying or selling land was foreign to the Aboriginal culture and in an extremely one-sided exchange, they received some tools, flour and clothing.

Above: Today, visitors to Melbourne are greeted with an impressive skyline

By 1840, there were more than 10,000 Europeans living in the area. The wealth from the goldfields built a city that was known as 'Marvellous Melbourne' and this period of prosperity lasted until the depression at the end of the 1880's. Post WWII, Melbourne's social fabric has been greatly enriched by an influx of people and cultures from around the world. Several building booms have altered the city physically, so that it's now a striking blend, with ornate 19th century buildings sitting alongside towering skyscrapers and what seems like a million modern apartment complexes.

Above: Melbourne has a striking blend of architecture, with ornate 19th century buildings sitting alongside towering skyscrapers

Below: Huge, high rise office blocks line the banks of the Yarra river which runs through the centre of the city

"Our friend Rachel (who we met whilst travelling in Vietnam) lives in Melbourne, and found us a hostel to stay in above a pub near her home, which saved us a load of hassle when we arrived" said Ray. "So we were able to get settled very easily and start exploring the city straight away" he added. "We quickly discovered that Melbourne has a brilliant tram system that just about covers every part of the city" Nikki told me. "The trams are frequent and relatively cheap, which meant we could make good use of them" added a very budget conscious Nikki.

Above: Melbourne has a fantastic, modern and reliable tram system which Ray and Nikki made good use of during their stay

Below: There are some amazing sights to take in along the Yarra river - there are some interesting buildings, bridges and boats too!

In previous issues of The Daily Lama, some of my journalist colleagues have asked Ray and Nikki about their priorities when arriving in a large city. "Whilst accommodation is still number one, it used to be followed by the acquisition of good maps and identifying the highest 'lookout' as a starting poing for our exploration" explained Ray. "Nowadays, as we become more and more dependent on the Internet to communicate with the rest of the world, finding a reliable, easily accessible and (hopefully) free network has become extremely important to us" he said. "So we were very pleased to discover that visitors could use a really excellent, free wireless network, available until 9pm every day at the beautiful State Library of Victoria in the Central Business District (CBD)" added Ray.

Above: Nikki stands and admires this compelling and rather unusual pavement sculpture outside the State Library

Below: The library's wonderful 'La Trobe' reading room is an excellent place to quietly study, and there is free access to the Internet - heaven for Ray and Nikki!

Once they had sorted out their Internet connection, and got a better picture of the city, Ray and Nikki were able to continue their exploration and visit some of the popular attractions. "We found out that the highest lookout point in Melbourne is at the top of the Rialto Tower in the CBD" said Nikki. "I know how excited Ray get's about going up to the top of tall buildings" she told me, "and as our visit co-incided with Valentines Day, I secretly arranged to take him up to the Observation Deck" she added.

Above: The Melbourne Observation Deck is a member of the prestigious World Federation of Great Towers, a collection of 21 of the tallest structures on the planet. It is located 253 metres above the city on the 55th floor and is the tallest office building in the southern hemisphere

Below: The view of the tower and adjacent buildings, from the Crown Casino on the opposite side of the Yarra river

Ray was very energised by his visit to the observation deck. "I still get excited about getting the best 'birds eye' view that is possible" Ray told me. "It was brilliant of Nikki to take me there, although she had no idea at the time that I had also chosen a place to take her on Valentine's Day" laughed Ray as he told me about it.

"After we had left the tower, Ray told me that we were going somewhere else and it was a surprise" said Nikki. "I really had no idea where we were headed and kept asking Ray to give me clues so that I might guess" she told me. "We eventually arrived outside the Melbourne Aquarium, one of the city's top attractions for tourists" she added.

Above: The Melbourne Aquarium, on the Yarra river in the centre of the city

I asked Ray why he had chosen the Aquarium for Nikki's surprise visit. "Our friend James in Ko Samui is a huge fan of marine life, and always spoke very enthusiastically about a similar aquarium in Bangkok, which we never got around to visiting" said Ray. "James said they have one of those tanks where you can walk through a glass tunnel and the fish swim all around you, as if you are in the water with them" added Ray. "We loved the idea of this, and then I discovered that the same type of tanks were available in the aquarium in Melbourne, so thought it was the perfect opportunity to go and take a look" he explained.

I met up with them both as they completed their visit. "I really loved it in there" said Nikki. "It is Australia's only southern ocean aquarium, and it was amazing to be surrounded by sharks, stingrays and sea turtles" she told me. "As well as the big fish, we also saw a variety of more obscure ocean creatures, including sea dragons, cuttlefish, moray eels, sea jellies and many tropical fish" added a very excited Nikki.

Above and below: Ray and Nikki spotted many wonderful sea creatures at the Melbourne Aquarium. Nikki's favourites included the Leafy Sea Dragons (top left), Sharks (top right), a Napolean Wrasse, also known as the Giant Maori Wrasse (bottom left) and Stingray's (bottom right)

Above and below: Nikki enjoys standing in the amazing, circular glass tunnels - "You really do feel like you are part of it" she said, "although I am glad we are separated by the glass from those nasty sharks..."

Above: Nikki stands behind a small piece of the acrylic material they use in the Aquarium tanks (left). In the curved tunnels, it is about 5 inches thick and the curvature distorts how things look, as Nikki demonstrates. As well as fish, there are many other creatures in the aquarium (right). Here, Nikki gets up close and personal with a carpet python, thanks to the ingenious viewing bubble which she is standing in

Also on Ray and Nikki's list of places to visit was the chaotic, friendly and multi-cultural Queen Victoria Market. "Although we have seen a lot of markets on our travels, we could not miss this one as we heard the food on offer at night was extremely good and very cheap!" Nikki told me. "So we went along at about 5pm, the time of day when the fruit and veg day traders have packed up, and the night vendors, street entertainers and musicians have taken their place" added Nikki.

Above: The Queen Victoria Market, by day, provides a further contrast between the traditional Melbourne, and the modern city (in the background). The market was founded in 1878, and was built on Melbourne's first cemetery - there are an estimated 9,000 bodies still remaining under the car park!

Below: Every Wednesday night in the summer season, the market transforms into a throbbing, pulsating place of entertainment, with great cheap food and lots of stuff to buy! There are over 200 stalls, with roving performers, tarot readers and Shiatsu massage all under the one roof - it really is the place where the weird and wonderful come out at night!

Above and below: "Deja Vu" thinks Ray as he wanders through the night market and sees these Vietnamese traders (above), then stops for a 15 minute shoulder massage (below) - "I realised that this was definitely not Vietnam when it was time to pay for the massage - it is about five times the price here" said Ray

Below: Ray and Nikki were surprised to see that the Melbourne Police take their participation in the community very seriously. They have formed a touring rock band in an attempt to forge better relationships with people and help get some of their important messages across - "They were really quite good" said Nikki, "and had Ray and I dancing on our chairs as they belted out some well known anthems"

In most major cities, look hard enough and you will find some reference to the Second World War, and Melbourne is no exception. In fact, the Shrine of Remembrance is one of the largest war memorials in Australia and was built to commemorate all Australian soldiers who died in both world wars, and is the site of annual observances of Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

Above: The Shrine of Remembrance, built to commemorate the deaths of over 60,000 Australian servicemen and women who died at war

"I had no idea that Australia actually got bombed during the Second World War, prior to my visit" said Ray. "Having spoken to the guides there, I discovered that Darwin was bombed by the Japanese and a lot of people lost their lives" he told me.

"It was a very moving experience visiting the Shrine" said Nikki. "I met and talked with a man who had served as a soldier in the small unit protecting Darwin during the period it was bombed" she told me. "He is now in his eighties, and has kept a scrapbook of photographs and letters from that time, which he shared with me. I consider myself lucky that I have met with one of the few people still alive from the era, who was actually there and who could talk to me first hand about his experience - it was a pleasure to see he had lived through those very harsh times" said Nikki.

Above: Ray stands outside the Shrine of Remembrance, located on St. Kilda Road

As most travellers will know, sometimes you just need a bit of luck when you visit a city with the timing of major events taking place - hopefully while you are in town. Ray and Nikki 'lucked in' when they discovered that the annual St Kilda Music Festival was taking place during their stay. "It was great to fnd out that we were going to experience a huge cultural event" said a very excited Nikki. "It was so busy during the weekend of the festival that the main roads were all sealed off by the police" she told me. "Luckily for Ray and I, we were staying within walking distance so it did not really affect us" she added.

Above: Thousands of people from all over Melbourne and farther afield flock to the St Kilda Music Festival every year and it's colourful collection of musicians, street entertainers and night life

Below: Ray sits in the shade for a few minutes and plays his air guitar, as he listens to one of the rock bands performing - step aside, Eric Clapton!

"We had a great day out at the festival" said Ray. "It was boiling hot - in fact we encountered some of the hottest temperatures on our travels here, with 42 degrees on some days" he told me. "I heard that it had been like this for a while, and even the tennis pro's who had just been competing here in the Australian Open had serious problems playing their matches in these conditions" he added. "Unfortunately, there was no air conditioning in our small room above the pub, so we had to endure some hot and sweaty nights!" said Nikki.

One of the main reasons that Ray and Nikki had got so excited about their visit to Melbourne was the chance to catch up with a number of friends living there. "I don't know how, but it turned out that we had over 15 people to contact when we arrived - the largest number on our trip so far" said Ray. "Some of these were people we met whilst travelling, other's were friends of friends, or people we had not seen for a long time" he explained. "Whenever we made arrangements to meet someone, we couldn't wait to see them - it was like Christmas Day every day for a week" added Nikki.

Above: Ray catches up with Kristyn and Joe Trudgeon at one of Melbourne's beach side restaurants. "I met Kristyn, an American from New York in 1997, then again at my friend Sarah's wedding in England a couple of years ago - "Since I last saw her, she has met and married Joe, who comes from Melbourne" said Ray. "It was great to catch up with them and I really appreciated their generous hospitality" added Ray

Below: Nikki, pictured with Veronica Tod (left) and her husband Cal (right), a couple that she and Ray met in Ko Samui (Thailand) in November 2005. Veronica and Cal had just completed a three week trek to the Base Camp at Mount Everest. "We hope to follow in their footsteps when we reach Nepal" said Nikki. Also in the photograph is Rachel Guthridge (centre), who Ray and Nikki met in Hanoi (Vietnam) - "She is the sort of person you become instant best friends with" said Ray

Rachel not only helped Ray and Nikki find their accommodation, she also insisted that they come round to her house, which she shares with her mum, and enjoy some authentic Australian home cooking. "We had heard that the Australians were a friendly race, but Rachel and Bettina (her mum) took this to completely new heights, making us feel really at home from the monent we arrived" said Nikki. "It is so wonderful when you are constantly travelling to find people like them, who provide such a loving oasis for us" added Ray. "They even let us use their washing machine and watch DVD's on their TV whilst they were out" said a very contented Ray.

Above: Ray and Bettina in the garden of her lovely home - "Not only is Bettina a great host, she is also a brilliant illustrator" said Ray, after seeing some of her work

Many years ago, when Ray started his career in the UK, in Telephone Marketing, he worked with an Irish couple who have since moved countries two or three times, ending up in Melbourne. "I had not seen Tony and Virginia for a long time, although I did bump into Ginny briefly at a business event about three years ago" Ray told me. "I called them when I arrived and was thrilled to hear we could meet up" he added with great excitement. "The thing with good quality friends is that when you do see them, even after a very long time, it feels like it is only seconds before you have re-established the bond that you have and I certainly felt that with these two, who are both settled here now" said Ray.

Above: Ray catches up with Tony and Virginia McSweeney after several years absence - they are now happily settled in Melbourne

Like most major cities, Melbourne has quite a buzzing arts scene. "I was interested in seeing the Social Documentary Photographic Exhibition at The National Gallery of Victoria" said Nikki. "The exhibition was the thing that attracted me to visit the gallery, but when I got there, I soon realised there was so much more to see, including a rather bizarre, funky exhibition about the history of sneakers (training shoes)!" she added.

Above: The National Gallery of Victoria. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia

Meanwhile, Ray had become interested in exploring what was on offer at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), in Federation Square, at the edge of the CBD. It is the world's first museum dedicated to the moving image in all its forms. "Not only were there some fascinating exhibits" said Ray, "but there were also a number of courses about film making - which I am very interested in -  which I could attend while I was in town" he told me. "I enrolled on a one day course called 'Digital Storytelling' -averyinformative and practical workshop in which I learnt some new techniques and producedmy first ever one minute, fully narrated, documentary" said a very satisfied Ray. For those of you who would like to view Ray's one minute film, you can see it here: My University Challenge

Above: Ray arrives early for his one day workshop in Digital Storytelling at ACMI

When it comes to natural beauty, Melbourne is close to the 'Great Ocean Road', regarded as one of the most famous and jaw droppingly gorgeous stretches of road in the world. Starting west of Melbourne at Torquay, and stretching to Warrnambool, it is one of the most popular routes in the country and includes the 'Twelve Apostles', the Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge. "Our lovely friend Rachel took a day off work, just so she could drive us to the area, which was so generous of her" said Nikki.

Above and below: Rachel and Nikki fooling around at one of the many amazing stops along the Great Ocean Road. The spectacular rock formations known as the 'Twelve Apostles' can be seen in the background

Above: A closer view of the Twelve Apostles - not all twelve can be seen from this lookout; some are hidden behind headlands or obscured by other rock stacks, which are temporary remnants of a retreating limestone coastline under constant attack by the sea. The cliff faces are eroded about two centimetres every year, so you had better hurry if you want to see them in this lifetime!

Below: Rachel and Nikki admire the stunning views as they look east along the coast, towards Melbourne

Returning to Melbourne after a long day out, Ray and Nikki got together with Rachel and another travelling friend, Sara who they had met in Chiangmai (Thailand) last year. "We wanted to share our last night with our two fellow travellers before setting off for Sydney" said Nikki. "Sara has just moved from England to take a job in Melbourne and is settling in - it was really great to see her and catch up on her travel stories" added Nikki. "In the best tradition, we opted for the Thy Thy Vietnamese restuarant in Victoria Street, renowned for it's Asian food" said Ray. "It was so good there, we went twice!" he added.

Above: Re-united! Nikki and Sara after their wonderful Vietnamese meal at Thy Thy

Below: Ray and Rachel say 'goodbye' to each other before he and Nikki get back on the road and head for Sydney. Rachel really helped to make their two week stay in Melbourne a very memorable experience!

Editors Note: Thanks again Chuck for bringing us such wonderful coverage of Ray and Nikki's visit to Melbourne. We also loved Ray's fiirst ever documentary film (see link above picture outside ACMI). We look forward to your last feature with us in a couple of weeks, when our travelling pair complete their three month tour of Australia with a return visit to Sydney.

It's All in the Name

This is one of our new features for 2007 in The Daily Lama. From time to time, we will publish photographs of different places or things that Ray and Nikki have come across on their travels. If the name of the place or thing in the photograph matches with your name, you are invited to send us an email telling us, and we will include your name in a prize draw to be made at the end of the year, in our final issue of 2007! Here is the picture for this issue:

Above: Ray stops outside one of the many eateries in Fitzroy Street, in the heart of St. Kilda. A fault with the neon sign potentially spells out the name of a Daily Lama reader!

If your name matches the one shown in the picture above, please email us at The Daily Lama office to let us know, and be entered for our prize draw.

AMBER SOLAIRE AND MOZZIE BYTE

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