Now though, because I know you're waiting with baited breath, I will tell you that yes, I did go on walk # 3, and like the previous two that I have done, this one also resulted in a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
Walk # 3 is called "On The Waterfront", and as the name suggests, it was a walk along the Yarra River. Certainly when the Yarra is passing through the central part of Melbourne there are beautiful paths and boardwalks, in most places along both sides of the river. In places there are parklands, but it is also a part of the city with stretches of apartments, offices, hotels, shops, restaurants, wonderful ice-cream/gelato shops (that's another goal I have while I'm here - to try every ice-cream/gelato shop along Southbank),... and some fabulous urban art.
Within about 3 kms there are also 9 bridges that cross over the Yarra. Some are for vehicles, but many have been purposely built only for pedestrians and cyclists, making the banks of the Yarra a very popular place to hang out.
Webb Bridge is one of these - an interesting, snaking, pedestrian and cycle link over the Yarra. The design is an analogy of Koorie fishing traps, drums, baskets and the gestural flow of the river below.
For those of you interested in some Australian history, in 1835 the ship 'Enterprize' sailed up the Yarra from Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) to create a commercial settlement. For the Indigenous people who had lived along the river for thousands of years, the landscape would change forever. At one time, this section of the river was very shallow and there was also a small waterfall that prevented saltwater from entering the river. Also, this was the only place for kilometres where Aboriginal people could cross the river over a reef of rocks. They believed the falls were created by Bunjil (the eagle hawk), and in its original form the area was a habitat for animals and resources that weren't found anywhere else.
The waterfall was destroyed in the mid-19th century and this area is now known as Enterprize Wharf. Five carved figureheads mark the spot where the waterfall used to be. (Unfortunately the destruction of the waterfall also ruined the ecology of the area with salt water now flowing into the freshwater wetlands.)
Enterprize Park is the site of the 'Scar Project'. Traditionally, Indigenous people would take pieces of bark from some trees to make canoes, shields or baby cradles, and these 'scar trees' would serve as a signpost for other clans to know they had entered the land of another community. These trees are rare today - and the 'Scar Project', located here on the 'pool' of Melbourne, is representative of these scar trees and was constructed by Indigenous artists.
Early port facilities were also located here, as well as bond stores and the Customs House, which is now the Immigration Museum.
After gold was discovered in 1850, thousands of people from all over the world descended upon Melbourne in their quest for fortune, and this harbour was their first port of call. The impact on the local Kulin population was devastating - the destruction of natural food sources and the introduction of diseases meant that the 1839 population of 1225 Indigenous people was reduced to just 181 by 1863.
There's no doubt about it, hanging about the Yarra, with all the comings and going along the river, is definitely a fun thing to do.
Tuesday was a beautiful day, 30 degrees and sunny, so I decided to take myself to a Melbourne suburb called St. Kilda.
St. Kilda is about 6 kms south-east of central Melbourne and it's right on Port Phillip Bay - hence it was "the" place to be today. It has a beautiful esplanade and of course the beach was very popular today. That being said, although the beach was very popular being in the water was not quite so, and after going in to about my knees I certainly didn't need to go any further to feel sufficiently cooled off. There's no doubt that Lake Huron this past summer was far warmer!
St. Kilda Pier is a local landmark, with its Edwardian pavilion a very important building to the locals. St. Kilda also has a very long breakwater that shelters a marina and is also home to a Little penguin colony. Sunset and early evening is the time to see the penguins so you can guess what I'll be doing some evening in the future.
The other very well known landmark in St. Kilda is Luna Park. The laughing face facade and the roller coaster have both been classified by the National Trust. Mr. Moon first opened his giant mouth to St. Kilda in 1912 and Luna Park has been an operating amusement park ever since.
I'm going to take a little break from Melbourne now - or more precisely I'm going to give Jude a little break from me - and I'm going to head up to Albury/Wodonga for a few days. Albury/Wodonga is where I did my first teaching exchange, and it's located about a three and a half hour drive north-east of Melbourne. I'm looking forward to seeing 'the gang' up there.
Beach? I haven't though of that word in awhile.
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