Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia
Feb. 12, 2001

Melbourne is the 2nd largest city in Australia and is the capital of Victoria. Melbourne was formally established in 1835 by John Batman who struck a bargain with local tribal leaders and was granted rights to develop more than 500,000 acres in exchange for a meager collection of blankets, mirrors and other Western goods. We heard today that the Prime Minister of Australia is offering an apology to the Aborigines.

Our tour today was a panoramic look at Melbourne via a tour bus. We saw magnificent parks and some well-preserved Victorian residential neighborhoods. Central Melbourne displays ornamental Victorian structures. We stopped at the Shrine of Remembrance modeled after the Athens’ Parthenon. It is dedicated to the soldiers who served and died in WWI. The monument is in front of the Botanical Gardens where we also spent some time. The mid-19th century gold rush provided the wealth that built so many distinctive structures and established an extensive network of wealth and beautiful public green spaces.

Our entertainment tonight was a fantastic couple called the Soul Mystique who danced and performed magical costume transformations. We remembered seeing them on the America’s Got Talent.

We continue sailing along the Australian coast on a west-northwesterly course towards Perth. We will have two days at sea before we reach Perth.