She'll be Right

Melbourne is notorius as a Sporting City. With such events as the Australian Tennis Open, Formula One Grand Prix motor racing, and the home of Aussie Rules Football and many others. Inside the city is a cusine melting pot with over 2,000 resturants. The surrounding natural scenery is breath taking.

Quick Tips:

Suggestions: To really explore Melbourne and its surroundings, you need time. The land is very diverse and there is lots to see and do.

Best Way To Get Around:

Transportation around Melbourne is very easy. From every corner of the city you can catch a public tram (trolley). Furthermore, it is easy flag down a taxi. To accommodate trams and lots of through traffic in the city we have a somewhat unique method for accomplishing a right hand turn at selected intersections. At these intersections, you turn right from the left hand lane, leaving the right hand lane free for through traffic and the tram tracks clear for trams. Some people hate them, other people love them. The trickiest part of the hook turn is getting everyone to cooperate. (These "box turns" are found in the CBD.

The accomodations here were OK. Basics of a bed, seating and a bar-sized refrigerator. But with all the wildlife around, who wants to stay in the room? At dusk the trees outside are filled with white cockatoos. And as the night gets darker... kangaroos start feeding in the front yard of the hotel. A koala also comes around every so often. The owner of the hotel also suggested a horseback ride throughout the area.. we thought it would be a cool idea. At that, the hotel owner rang the stables and the next morning we were off. The staff here were very helpful in making sure we caught as many sites as possible while we were in the Grampians.

What a value for $39AU! an all you can eat buffet in 5* hotel. Appetizers started with a salad variety, prawns (shrimp), raw oysters and breads (that's what I remember.) Dinner was choice of chicken, pasta, potatoes, soup, corn and some other foods. The dessert table was stacked to capacity and the pastry chef here is very talented. One word of warning, drinks were rather expensive (ie: amaretto sour = $15au each)

Well, I had to add the entry. One thing I noticed here in this city it the amount of 'Maccers' there are...HEAPS!
One word of warning to all you Americans...you won't find salads at these McDonalds. Some cool things about McD's is that you can get fried shrimp :) Furthermore, in a McCafe you can order a capuccino and a piece of cake. If you are on the road and need a quick bite, don't hesitate to try the fried shrimp.

Tidal River is 230km from Melbourne. Tidal River is the lodging area within the National Park. Accommodations range from camping to cabins for 12. (But you need to plan ahead to stay in the Prom itself, as demand for accommodation is quite high.) Or consider the 18km. walk to Wilsons Prom Lighthouse, where 2 cottages comprise the southernmost settlement of mainland Australia. The scenery here is sublimely beautiful, and the land and seascapes are incomparable. The park itself is 50,000 hectacres. Over 30 walks over 130km ranging from 30 mins to 2-3 days. Here you can surf, fish, swim, snorkel, scuba dive, bird watch have a picnic or a BBQ. This is one of my favorite places to go and get away from it all.

Cowes is located 142km from Melbourne. Phillip Island is an oasis of nature and tranquility. The Island is surrounded with stunning beaches, diverse wildlife and lots of things to do. Marvel at the Fairy (Little) Penguins during their nightly parade. Take a historic walk. Maybe try yourself with some surfing. Or perhaps visit in October when the Motorcycle Grand Prix takes hold of the island. Seal Rocks is also located on this island (not worth the time since you cannot see them with your own eyes). One of Victorias Greatest wineries 'Phillip Island Winery' can be found here. Don't miss the 'Wildlife Wonderland' on your journey to the island... here you can have close encounters with some of the animals of Victoria.

Through out Melbourne you can find markets, most being outdoor. The range of goods found in the markets is crafts, souveniors, daily goods, meats, breads, fish,baked goods and fruits and veggies. The Giant of all the markets is the'QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET' found in the central business district of the city. Enjoy all the color and excitement of this one of a kind market. Vic Market is more then just a shopping mecca, it is a historic landmark and an institution to Melbournians. This market spreads itself over 7 hectacres, meeting the needs of over 130,000 shoppers a week.

It is very easy to find your way to the market: catch any tram heading north on Elizabeth street, by car parking is only $1 for the first 2 hours, or you can take a train into the city and transfer to a tram.

Hours of trade: 6am-2pm Tues, Wed, Thurs
6am-6pm Fri
6am-3pm Sat
9am-4pm Sun
Closed Mon

This market is a place where you can find great value for your money. This is where I would recommend buying any 'Aussie' souvenirs... not in the souvenir stores in the city.

This historical park/open air museum is about an hour's drive from Melbourne, situated in a gold digging area. It portrays the way life was in the gold fields in the 1800's (reminds me a bit of Williamsburg, Virgina). Things to do: pan for gold...I have had heaps of luck. Visit the shops, watch local craftsmen work at their trades, ride on a stage coach, visit the gold mine, eat (New York Bakery, United States Hotel, Refreshment Kiosk, Hope Bakery, Lemonade Tent, coffee shop). If you visit here, interact with the people that are hired by the park. It makes it FUN! Great place to take kids and to learn a bit of the gold rush history.

Although they are not common sights, if you see either of these spiders use caution.

THE RED BACK SPIDER
The adult female red back is about 2-3 cm long, quite black, with a distinctive red stripe on its abdomen. The male is much smaller and considered harmless. Neither are aggessive. The bite is immediately painful; the pain may involve the whole limb. Sweating is common, starting only on the affected limb. Systemic envenomation usually results in headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pyrexia, hypertension and in severe cases, paralysis. Untreated, the symptoms worsen over a 24 hour period and may take weeks or months to resolve. The pressure and immobilisation technique is NOT recommended as local pain may become excruciating. It may be relieved by the application of ice packs. There is an antivenom available.

WHITE TAILED SPIDER
These spiders live in crevices, under bark, rocks and leaf litter and often in houses. They attack and eat other spiders including Black House Spiders. The body colour is a dull, dark grey to brown with a distinctive white spot on the end of the abdomen (sometimes also with paired spots towards the front). Symptoms of White-tailed Spider bites are usually confined to local stinging or burning pain which is sometimes followed by development of an itchy lump. Less commonly, bites cause swelling, skin discolouration and local ulceration, sometimes with nausea and vomiting. A sensible precaution is to remove these spiders when you see them around the home.