Back To Melbourne

     This week we all tagged along with Chris to Melbourne.  While he worked, the kids and I played.  As with our last trip, we had a great time exploring new sights in Melbourne.

    We're having a hard time wrapping our brains around summer as Christmas time, but all the decorations in Melbourne helped - sorta. 

There was a real guy inside this "Stone Santa."  Great costume!

Melbourne is known for its trams. 

Sam was not too keen on walking across this "Mistletoe Bridge."  He was not subjected to any kissing.

Nutcracker scenes were projected on the State Library of Victoria.

     Melbourne is known for its volatile weather and we got a taste of it while at the St.Kilda Pier.  We had bright sunshine but the light effects from storms across the CBD were wild to watch.

     

Sunlight bouncing off the Eureka Tower.

    The stone breakwater attached to the St.Kilda Pier is home to a colony of about 1300 Fairy Penguins.  These little guys are the smallest penguins and even live as far north as Sydney.  Most of them swim all day eating and then return home to their burrows at sunset.  Their arrival home is noisy and amusing.  Some got so excited they tumbled back into the water.  Unlike at Phillip Island, here you are able to photograph them as long as you don't use a flash.  You're also able to get very close to them without hundreds of other folks around or paying lots of money.  Great way to view them! 

    We also saw these rakalis, or water rats, swimming around the same area.  One wildlife volunteer insisted they "are not rats, they're indigenous rodents!"  Another one kept calling them water rats repeatedly.  The sign called them water rats.  Looks like a rat to us!

     One of Chris's coworkers, also his sail racing skipper, was nice enough to take us out on a sail around Port Phillip.  We didn't have much wind but loved getting a water view of Melbourne.

Sam had a ball steering, although his skill with the tiller was a bit unnerving.  "Sam, are you heading in the right direction?"  "I will be."

    Lastly, we stopped by Brighton Beach to see the colorful Bathing Boxes.  It's hard to believe these shacks can sell for $150,000!  Some have electricity, but really.  Great for photographs though.

   If Chris keeps working in Melbourne, maybe we'll head back again.