Melbourne, it's pronounced "mel-bun"

After an amazing day at the Taronga Zoo, we made our way back to the Australian Hotel to pick up our bags and get some dinner. Stacy had a Caesar salad and I had beef sausages with garlic and thyme, mashed potatoes and gravy. It was a hearty Aussie meal and very delicious!

After eating we trudged down the hill with our heavy packs to the Circular Quay City Rail Station to catch a train to the Central Sydney Station to catch our train to Melbourne. Upon arriving at the train station we learned that it was only a train for eight of the ten hours of the trip – there was work being done on the rails and they would have to wake us up at 4:30 a.m. to transfer us to coaches to take us the rest of the way. Stacy and I tried to sleep on the train but it was not comfortable. The coaches were much better and we got some sleep then.

We arrived in Melbourne at about 8:00 a.m. Melbourne Southern Cross Train Station has a fantastic facility called Traveller’s Aid. It is a small set of rooms that you can rent for $5 an hour.

We took an hour to rest, change our clothes and reorganize for the day then we stored our packs and set off to explore Melbourne.

First things first, we needed some breakfast! We found a little café on one of Melbourne’s many small side streets. We had tasty omelets and some excellent coffee. After breakfast we made our way to the Melbourne Aquarium.

The Aquarium is small and many of the exhibits are aging but the animals are well cared for and the staff was wonderful. The main attraction is the new Antarctic exhibit that features king and gentoo penguins. The exhibit is home to 12 king penguins and about 30 gentoo penguins. They are working to breed the gentoos and have done a great job training both the gentoos and the kings when it comes to feeding time.

I had a chance to talk with one of the keepers after the feeding presentation. All the keepers at Australian zoos and aquariums are also the presenters for the feeding shows and such. The get on the job training to care for the animals and learn animal husbandry as well as training on how to present to the public. The idea is that the keepers know the most about the animals and are the best people to answer questions about them. (Fantastic idea! I think we should incorporate this more in the states! I miss presenting with Husbandry staff!)

After the Aquarium, Stacy and I headed off to the Immigration Museum. It was interesting to read about the colonization of Australia (specifically Victoria). For most of its history, Australia has active recruited immigrants (although some of the selection practices were more exclusive than inclusive). Only in the last decade has there been an effort to slow immigration to Australia.

Once done at the museum, we walked around town to Federation Square, Birrarung Marr park and generally around the central business district (CBD which is like downtown). We stopped by a family run opal shop and learned all about how opals are mined and made into jewelry. Most important lesson – solid black opals are more expensive than diamonds and since I want some I need to find a rich man to buy them for me :)

After much walking around, we collected our packs and headed to our accommodation at Victoria Hall. Thank heaven there was a tram to take us there because my knee was so swollen I could not have walked up the hill with my 40-pound pack!

We checked in to our room and headed out for dinner. We had some delicious gnocchi at La Spaghetteria on Lygon St. just north of our hotel. By this point, Stacy and I were asleep on our feet and so grateful to get back to our room and relax. We watched some odd Australian television then crashed for the night.

Tomorrow we are renting a car and heading out to the Great Ocean Road. I am excited to put my feet in the Southern Ocean and to see some amazing vistas. This will be the furthest south we are traveling and really we will be practically in Antarctica ;)