Golden Mile Heritage Walk

After a bag drag to the airport for a short flight from Sydney to Melbourne, and then another bag drag to our hotel, we finally felt like true professional travelers navigating public transportation with ease. By the end of the day, we were content to recharge at a local pub, savoring the simplicity of a warm meal before calling it a night. The next morning, we were excited for the Golden Mile Heritage Walk we had scheduled with a local travel company. As Karen and I revel in stories during our travels, this was a golden ticket for success. The Golden Mile Heritage Walk, picked from a recommendation from Karen’s Fodor book was a wonderful way to learn a bit about the history and key historical landmarks in Melbourne. We appreciate a good story teller and our guide, Isabel, told great colorful stories, and kept us at a good pace. Our companions were 2 old friends, one local, and the other visiting, that gave us a chance to chat with some Aussies and we all appreciated the sites and tales our guide described and showed us. The guide went out of her way (we thought) to show us so many interesting things because it’s different to be a tourist in your own city. The two-and-a-half-hour guided tour offered us a deep dive into Melbourne's past; we started at Flinder’s Station, then we strolled along Collins Street, taking a peek inside the elegant Gothic interiors of the ANZ Bank, the plush European-style hotels, and the austere but commanding inner recesses of Melbourne Town Hall, including the Athenaeum. I shot the most frequently photographed desserts in the window of The Tea Room in the Block Arcade, where a portrait of a young Helena Rubinstein hangs on the wall from when she was a waitress before her beauty industry fame. I even found myself chased out of the hall for snapping photos when I didn't realize it was prohibited—there were no signs to inform me!

Travellers Bridge

The Travellers celebrates Indigenous presence and the meeting of cultures through migration. It comprises ten large-scale sculptures, each approximately 7.5 metres tall and collectively incorporating 3.7 kilometres of stainless steel. It is sited near a former Aboriginal meeting ground and near the landing point where many early migrants stepped ashore. Built in 1888, the bridge is the third to occupy this site, the original constructed in 1853. Each of the ten figures comprising the work represents a phase of arrival, as historian James Jupp has defined these. The figures, graphic and abstracted in form, are Gayip (Aboriginal period); First Settler (convict period); Melbourne Beauty (gold rushes); Walker and His Tucker Bag (assisted migration); Shelter (displaced persons); Urban Wheel (European migration); Running Couple (refugees); Butterfly Girl (Asian and Middle Eastern migration); Technoman (students and professionals); and Walking Sun (multiculturalism). Below the figures, a series of etched glass panels stretch across the bridge as a component in this history of migration to Australia. They record places of origin and other details relevant to the migration experience when this artwork was completed. This work was commissioned by the City of Melbourne and Victorian government, and launched in 2005.

Vanishing Attendant

When we walked into the hall, I instantly knew that this image would be a great for our blog. Just as I raised my camera, an attendant rushed over, urgently asking me not to take photos. With a nimble finger and a quick reflex, I snapped the shot before lowering my camera and offering an apology. Later that evening, as I reviewed my photos, I discovered that while the attendant had been right in the frame, a few clicks later on my keyboard, she had vanished. It was a fleeting moment turned magical, showcasing the unpredictable beauty of capturing life's adventures in a blink. (While Randy marveled at his ability to get the shot, the rest of us looked up at the structure and were immediately sympathetic to the ladies having to sit below the monstrosity every day, thinking more of Poe’s Pendulum swinging above their heads.)

Dining As Locals

At the end of our tour our guide had taken us to one of her favorite coffee shops where we enjoyed a local coffee. Melbourne prides itself as one of the coffee-appreciating capitals of the world. And they take their coffee consumption seriously. We joined the scores of various coffee concoction appreciators; cappuccino for me, and some mocha concoction for Karen. It was delicious. Afterward, we wandered in search of lunch, drawn to a bustling restaurant only to discover that sometimes, the busiest spot isn't necessarily the best. At least Karen was delighted with her drink, while I found comfort in a cold Carlton Draught, which would soon become my go-to beer over the next few weeks. The pizza that accompanied our meal was just okay, not quite living up to our expectations, but it didn’t dampen our spirits as we continued our adventure.