Monday, April 30th
This morning I went to Cook's Cottage in Fitzroy Gardens. Built in 1775, Cook's cottage is the oldest building in Australia. It was originally located at Great Ayton in Yorkshire but was brought to Melbourne in 1934. Each brick was numbered individually, packed into barrels and shipped to Australia and now stands in Fitzroy Gardens. The interior is furnished in the style of the period,
and has a lovely English cottage garden with herbs and flowers. Fitzroy Gardens themselves are absolutely beautiful
and boast a fairy tree, a rather tacky model Tudor village (donated by the people of Lambeth as a way of thanks for sending food to Britain during WW2) and a magnificent Conservatory.
down the road I was fascinated to discover the experience of being arrested, charged and locked up. A really innovative museum experience and rather chilling!
On the plus side I appear to have grown four inches.....
Next it was back through Falstaff Gardens where the flag used to be raised to notify the settlers when ships were sighted arriving from Britain, and off for a closer look at the sporting complex and the MCC and the tennis centre in particular. Sadly the latter was closed but I did get a few glimpses of the cricket ground (affectionately known as the G by Australians) and of the bronze sculptures of some of Australia's finest cricketers.
Waiting for the bus back to the centre I had the opportunity to harangue an unfortunate Chinese couple about Tibet then walked up to Southern cross station to see the monument marking the spot where Melbourne was first marked out.
At six thirty I was back on the coach for the Neighbours Trivia night. Rav, the girl I met on Saturday and I had agreed to go together to a pub in St Kildas where we were to meet some of the cast. I had already decided that this was a pointless evening if I was going to be inhibited and embarrassed; the only thing to do was enter wholeheartedly into the spirit of the thing. So I did! Rav was already on the bus with Nick, a young English guy on a gap year. He proved to be really friendly as did Mark who we picked up a few minutes later. He made us laugh by saying he had been hiding until the coach came as he didn't want to tell his friends where he was going! Arriving at the pub we were eventually allowed in the quiz room then Jade, Kyle and Dr Karl arrived.
The first part of the evening consisted of them answering questions posed by the audience and then the quiz began during which the actors came round the pub talking to us, posing for photographs and signing autographs. I was surprised at how natural they were and how friendly. Kyle told me he had never been to drama school, but just "got lucky" when he turned up for an audition.
This was the first time he had attended one of these nights but Karl is usually the main attraction as he plays with his band Waiting Room. There were then some silly competitions in which I managed to win a trip to Uluru for Rav (She had to sing the national anthem but didn't know the words so I wrote them down for her).
Kyle and Jade then left and the music began.It was very lively, very loud and great fun.
This morning I went to Cook's Cottage in Fitzroy Gardens. Built in 1775, Cook's cottage is the oldest building in Australia. It was originally located at Great Ayton in Yorkshire but was brought to Melbourne in 1934. Each brick was numbered individually, packed into barrels and shipped to Australia and now stands in Fitzroy Gardens. The interior is furnished in the style of the period,
and has a lovely English cottage garden with herbs and flowers. Fitzroy Gardens themselves are absolutely beautiful
and boast a fairy tree, a rather tacky model Tudor village (donated by the people of Lambeth as a way of thanks for sending food to Britain during WW2) and a magnificent Conservatory.
The grand steps of Parliament House
are often used for wedding photographs, and there are gun slots in the roof and a dungeon is now the cleaners' tearoom. The Old Melbourne Gaol
is a forbidding place with tiny bleak cells and displays about legendary Ned Kelly who was hanged here. I did not linger as I found the place too sombre - maybe all that human misery, but at the Watch House
On the plus side I appear to have grown four inches.....
Waiting for the bus back to the centre I had the opportunity to harangue an unfortunate Chinese couple about Tibet then walked up to Southern cross station to see the monument marking the spot where Melbourne was first marked out.
At six thirty I was back on the coach for the Neighbours Trivia night. Rav, the girl I met on Saturday and I had agreed to go together to a pub in St Kildas where we were to meet some of the cast. I had already decided that this was a pointless evening if I was going to be inhibited and embarrassed; the only thing to do was enter wholeheartedly into the spirit of the thing. So I did! Rav was already on the bus with Nick, a young English guy on a gap year. He proved to be really friendly as did Mark who we picked up a few minutes later. He made us laugh by saying he had been hiding until the coach came as he didn't want to tell his friends where he was going! Arriving at the pub we were eventually allowed in the quiz room then Jade, Kyle and Dr Karl arrived.
The first part of the evening consisted of them answering questions posed by the audience and then the quiz began during which the actors came round the pub talking to us, posing for photographs and signing autographs. I was surprised at how natural they were and how friendly. Kyle told me he had never been to drama school, but just "got lucky" when he turned up for an audition.
This was the first time he had attended one of these nights but Karl is usually the main attraction as he plays with his band Waiting Room. There were then some silly competitions in which I managed to win a trip to Uluru for Rav (She had to sing the national anthem but didn't know the words so I wrote them down for her).
Rav and I then left the boys to go drinking (them, not us), and we went to find a tram back into town. (We had first to stop a motorist to find out which direction we needed to go!) Altogether a really good night, very silly but lots of fun and I was very proud of myself as I don't find that kind of thing easy. (Fancy dress? a piece of cake now!)
Tuesday May 1st
Back to Adelaide in a reverse of friday's journey...
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