Early rising day again. Do you detect a theme? We woke up at 6am so we could get going early as the drive from Phillip Island to Melbourne (said Mel-bin) was about an hour-and-a-half if you went the direct, inland route. We had mapped out going along the coastal route, so it was supposed to take longer, about 2 ½ hours. 
Outside our window, and in the next yard over, was a small animal picking through the grass. We thought a kangaroo because of the tail, but later realized it was a wallaby! Pretty cool to sight another wild animal first thing in the morning! We headed out towards Melbourne after a quick in-car breakfast. The drive was fine, but we didn’t see much of the coastline, so it wasn’t really worth it to come by the coastal route, which was a little sad.
As we got closer to the city, we came across bikers riding everywhere! They weren’t just riders who were out for a little fun either. They were in groups, wearing biking outfits, and going both directions! There must have been some sort of bike race going on, because they were just everywhere for the last 40km into the city! It was kind of fun to watch.
We got into Melbourne and headed right for our hostel so we could get checked in and then spend the rest of the day exploring the city. Finding the hostel was not exactly easy.
The directions were great, and we got to where we were supposed to be, but the parking garage that we were going to park at for the day/night was on Little Burke Street, but the “Street” was more of an alley, and we passed it. Then, we couldn’t turn left at the next street because it was one way, so we ended up going up 3 blocks before turning left. Then, we couldn’t turn left onto Little Burke Street because there was road work being done! So, we ended up going all the way around back to the beginning and turning onto Little Burke Street to get to the garage. Then, once inside we had to park! You know how parking garages here have very tiny spots? Well, not only are their driving lanes smaller in Australia, they mimic parking spots too, and they are even smaller than those in ramps here!
Anyway, we got to our hostel, and it is on the edge of China Town! There were some cool archways right next to the entrance to the Exford Hotel. Downstairs is a bar, and starting on the second floor are rooms. Caytie and I had a two twin beds room, with shared bathroom facilities. We were on the third floor, but the stairway made it like the fourth floor!
We couldn’t check in until 11am, so we decided to get going and do that later.
Outside our window, and in the next yard over, was a small animal picking through the grass. We thought a kangaroo because of the tail, but later realized it was a wallaby! Pretty cool to sight another wild animal first thing in the morning! We headed out towards Melbourne after a quick in-car breakfast. The drive was fine, but we didn’t see much of the coastline, so it wasn’t really worth it to come by the coastal route, which was a little sad.
As we got closer to the city, we came across bikers riding everywhere! They weren’t just riders who were out for a little fun either. They were in groups, wearing biking outfits, and going both directions! There must have been some sort of bike race going on, because they were just everywhere for the last 40km into the city! It was kind of fun to watch.We got into Melbourne and headed right for our hostel so we could get checked in and then spend the rest of the day exploring the city. Finding the hostel was not exactly easy.
The directions were great, and we got to where we were supposed to be, but the parking garage that we were going to park at for the day/night was on Little Burke Street, but the “Street” was more of an alley, and we passed it. Then, we couldn’t turn left at the next street because it was one way, so we ended up going up 3 blocks before turning left. Then, we couldn’t turn left onto Little Burke Street because there was road work being done! So, we ended up going all the way around back to the beginning and turning onto Little Burke Street to get to the garage. Then, once inside we had to park! You know how parking garages here have very tiny spots? Well, not only are their driving lanes smaller in Australia, they mimic parking spots too, and they are even smaller than those in ramps here!Anyway, we got to our hostel, and it is on the edge of China Town! There were some cool archways right next to the entrance to the Exford Hotel. Downstairs is a bar, and starting on the second floor are rooms. Caytie and I had a two twin beds room, with shared bathroom facilities. We were on the third floor, but the stairway made it like the fourth floor!
We couldn’t check in until 11am, so we decided to get going and do that later.
We hit the road in search of Carlton Gardens and the Royal Exhibition Building. It was only a 20 minute walk, and we saw some pretty cool buildings on the way! We got to the gardens, and saw a beautiful fountain at the end of a tree-lined walkway, 
behind which was the Royal Exhibition Building. The REB was built in 1880 for an international exhibition (a World’s Fair) and another World’s Fair in 1888, and is now a World Heritage site!
Caytie and I were planning on taking the free city shuttle around to the various attractions of the city for the day, but there was road construction where the stop by the REB was, and we couldn’t find where it was supposed to be, so we ended up walking about ½ hour (got to see some pretty cool New Orleans-type buildings) to the next closest stop. We caught the bus, and rode around the town for a while, and got off at the Queen Victoria Market. It was pretty cool, and where I purchased most of my souvenirs! The place was huge! About 2 blocks long by 1 block wide, with a ton of vendors. 
There was everything from souvenirs, clothing, and purses to fish, cheese, and produce. It was pretty cool. We went through a lot of the place, but not the whole place. We sat down for lunch at one of the outdoor tables and ate are packed lunch, and then went back to catch the free shuttle.
We took the shuttle down to The Shrine of Remembrance and Royal Botanic Gardens. We went to the RBG first. It was pretty cool. We went by a ton of weddings in the gardens. One of the first things we saw as we actually entered the gardens were shrubs that were shaped like running horses (in honor of the Melbourne Cup)! We wandered around for about an hour, but the majority of the gardens consist of flowering trees, grass, and ponds. There are very few flowers, we found, in Australia’s RBGs. They were still very beautiful. I did get to see some awesome Birds of Paradise, which (again) reminded me of California! 
We moved on to The Shrine of Remembrance, another Australian monument to ANZAC soldiers. The entrance to the building was a red bricked, open-air area in a star-like shape that had “Lest
We Forget” scripted on the walls. Once we got to the top on the wrap-around balcony with a parapet, we could see the shape more clearly, and it is in a stylized shape of the stars on the Australian flag. The main structure was almost tomb-like inside, full of marble and columns. Before entering that portion, Caytie and I walked through a short exhibit of photos that were taken by two brothers who served in WWII. It was awesome to see the photos, but very sad at all the destruction and devastation.
We entered the main building of The Shrine of Remembrance, and at the center, was a room surrounded by the flags of all the units of ANZAC soldiers. In the very center is a copper statue
with two soldiers standing back-to-back. Surrounding their feet were poppies that people had placed there. When we were in that room, a tour was going through it, and the guide was saying that the boots of the soldiers on the statue were polished every day in remembrance of the soldiers that are currently at war in the Middle East.
We went to the top of the building an out onto the balcony where we had a 360 degree view of the city – beautiful skyline views!
There was an awesome view of an obelisk (the Cenotaph) in the front of the building where a fire continually burns. 
This area was dedicated in 1954 to WWII service members. The Cenotaph is a pillar that supports statuary representing six men in the battle-dress of the Navy, Army, and Air Services, carrying a bier on which lies a dead comrade. The Eternal Flame was lit by Queen Elizabeth II in February 1954.
We hopped back on the shuttle to head to our final place…
We got to the Melbourne Sports Precinct, and we were the only ones to get off! We were there because the area was the site of the 1956 Olympics. We found a wall dedicated to the Olympics, along with the medalists. It was kind of interesting to see “Czechoslovakia” and “U.S.S.R.” on there, so of course, I took a picture of it!
From the sports fields, we walked our way up back to our hotel, stopping at Fitzroy Gardens and Cook’s Cottage, home to Capitan James Cook’s parents, which was transported from the Yorkshire village where Cook, one of the first Europeans to chart Australia's east coast, was born, and has been restored to reflect the era. 
It was $8 to tour, so Caytie and I decided to skip it. We saw a few more weddings throughout the gardens here too. We walked the gardens and saw a sign that said a Tudor village was set up in the park. We thought, that’d be cool to see. It was kind of cool to see, but it was a model of a Kentish village built during the "Tudor" period of English history. 
From Fitzroy Gardens, we walked along Treasury Street back towards our hotel, and got to see the Treasury Gardens, Treasury Building, and the State Parliament House. The Treasury Gardens also had weddings going on, as well as pictures being taken on the steps of the State Parliament House. By the end of the day, we had seen 13 weddings going on around the Melbourne area (granted it was a Saturday)!
We got back to the hotel, and grabbed our stuff from the car and checked in. We rested for an hour or so, and then headed back out for dinner. We walked around a few blocks, and ended up eating at a Hungry Jacks. For all those who don’t know, that would be Burger King! Same logo, same food names (Wopper), different name!
It was kind of funny. We walked back to the hotel going a different way so we could see more, and went to take showers and get ready for bed! The showers were full when we got back, so we both just wrote our journal entries and read. We were planning on getting up at 5am because we had to move our car out of the parking ramp by 6am or it would have cost us an additional $12. We decided we’d get to bed early, and then get an early start. We didn’t’ plan on a 1:30 a.m. fire alarm! The smoke machine they had going in the bar below set the alarms off, and we all had to troop down 3 flights of stairs only to get to the bottom to have them wave us back up and say it was a false alarm!
behind which was the Royal Exhibition Building. The REB was built in 1880 for an international exhibition (a World’s Fair) and another World’s Fair in 1888, and is now a World Heritage site!
Caytie and I were planning on taking the free city shuttle around to the various attractions of the city for the day, but there was road construction where the stop by the REB was, and we couldn’t find where it was supposed to be, so we ended up walking about ½ hour (got to see some pretty cool New Orleans-type buildings) to the next closest stop. We caught the bus, and rode around the town for a while, and got off at the Queen Victoria Market. It was pretty cool, and where I purchased most of my souvenirs! The place was huge! About 2 blocks long by 1 block wide, with a ton of vendors. 
There was everything from souvenirs, clothing, and purses to fish, cheese, and produce. It was pretty cool. We went through a lot of the place, but not the whole place. We sat down for lunch at one of the outdoor tables and ate are packed lunch, and then went back to catch the free shuttle.
We took the shuttle down to The Shrine of Remembrance and Royal Botanic Gardens. We went to the RBG first. It was pretty cool. We went by a ton of weddings in the gardens. One of the first things we saw as we actually entered the gardens were shrubs that were shaped like running horses (in honor of the Melbourne Cup)! We wandered around for about an hour, but the majority of the gardens consist of flowering trees, grass, and ponds. There are very few flowers, we found, in Australia’s RBGs. They were still very beautiful. I did get to see some awesome Birds of Paradise, which (again) reminded me of California! 
We moved on to The Shrine of Remembrance, another Australian monument to ANZAC soldiers. The entrance to the building was a red bricked, open-air area in a star-like shape that had “Lest
We Forget” scripted on the walls. Once we got to the top on the wrap-around balcony with a parapet, we could see the shape more clearly, and it is in a stylized shape of the stars on the Australian flag. The main structure was almost tomb-like inside, full of marble and columns. Before entering that portion, Caytie and I walked through a short exhibit of photos that were taken by two brothers who served in WWII. It was awesome to see the photos, but very sad at all the destruction and devastation.
We entered the main building of The Shrine of Remembrance, and at the center, was a room surrounded by the flags of all the units of ANZAC soldiers. In the very center is a copper statue
with two soldiers standing back-to-back. Surrounding their feet were poppies that people had placed there. When we were in that room, a tour was going through it, and the guide was saying that the boots of the soldiers on the statue were polished every day in remembrance of the soldiers that are currently at war in the Middle East.We went to the top of the building an out onto the balcony where we had a 360 degree view of the city – beautiful skyline views!
There was an awesome view of an obelisk (the Cenotaph) in the front of the building where a fire continually burns. 
This area was dedicated in 1954 to WWII service members. The Cenotaph is a pillar that supports statuary representing six men in the battle-dress of the Navy, Army, and Air Services, carrying a bier on which lies a dead comrade. The Eternal Flame was lit by Queen Elizabeth II in February 1954.We hopped back on the shuttle to head to our final place…
We got to the Melbourne Sports Precinct, and we were the only ones to get off! We were there because the area was the site of the 1956 Olympics. We found a wall dedicated to the Olympics, along with the medalists. It was kind of interesting to see “Czechoslovakia” and “U.S.S.R.” on there, so of course, I took a picture of it!
From the sports fields, we walked our way up back to our hotel, stopping at Fitzroy Gardens and Cook’s Cottage, home to Capitan James Cook’s parents, which was transported from the Yorkshire village where Cook, one of the first Europeans to chart Australia's east coast, was born, and has been restored to reflect the era. 
It was $8 to tour, so Caytie and I decided to skip it. We saw a few more weddings throughout the gardens here too. We walked the gardens and saw a sign that said a Tudor village was set up in the park. We thought, that’d be cool to see. It was kind of cool to see, but it was a model of a Kentish village built during the "Tudor" period of English history. 
From Fitzroy Gardens, we walked along Treasury Street back towards our hotel, and got to see the Treasury Gardens, Treasury Building, and the State Parliament House. The Treasury Gardens also had weddings going on, as well as pictures being taken on the steps of the State Parliament House. By the end of the day, we had seen 13 weddings going on around the Melbourne area (granted it was a Saturday)!
We got back to the hotel, and grabbed our stuff from the car and checked in. We rested for an hour or so, and then headed back out for dinner. We walked around a few blocks, and ended up eating at a Hungry Jacks. For all those who don’t know, that would be Burger King! Same logo, same food names (Wopper), different name!
It was kind of funny. We walked back to the hotel going a different way so we could see more, and went to take showers and get ready for bed! The showers were full when we got back, so we both just wrote our journal entries and read. We were planning on getting up at 5am because we had to move our car out of the parking ramp by 6am or it would have cost us an additional $12. We decided we’d get to bed early, and then get an early start. We didn’t’ plan on a 1:30 a.m. fire alarm! The smoke machine they had going in the bar below set the alarms off, and we all had to troop down 3 flights of stairs only to get to the bottom to have them wave us back up and say it was a false alarm!
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