Going up?

On our recent trip to Melbourne to catch up with family members, we did a little sight seeing on the last day and paid a visit to the Eureka Skydeck in Southbank. I really wish we hadn't left it till then as I found a nice place to sit and look at the boats going up the Yarra River that was reasonably quiet and away from the dreadful crowds in the CBD.

 When looking at the building from our unit I thought it would be quite a hike to get there but, as it turned out, Mr.Google said we just had to go to Flinders Street, walk though the pedestrian tunnel underneath the train tracks and then walk across the pedestrian bridge to Southbank. A nice easy walk!

 

The building was visible from our unit and it always helped me sort out which direction I was walking in as it is the tallest building in Melbourne I believe. According to Wikipedia the tower was named after the Eureka Stockade rebellion which happened during the Victorian gold rush so this has been incorporated into the design. The top 10 floors have 24 carat gold plated glass windows, the spilt blood is represented by the red stripe and the blue glass cladding covering most of the building represents the blue background of the Eureka Stockade's flag as do the white lines.

The art installation at the base of the tower features bees inside a white box resembling a manmade beehive with two bees outside the box and one queen bee at the top. They are gold and complement the gold at the top of the tower. I am not sure what they were supposed to represent though.

Once we had paid to go up to the skydeck we were ushed into a lift which took only 40 seconds or so to go up to the 88th floor. Once there you have 360 degree views of Melbourne through floor to ceiling windows. The above photo shows how tiny the massive Flinders Street Station looks from the Skydeck and it was fun trying to work out where our unit was. Thankfully the dreadful vertigo I had the few days before had gone and I wasn't dizzy at all. It is a great place to visit if you are ever in Melbourne as the views are just amazing.

A few days after we arrived I had a look at the shops as someone from the Home Makers Forum had mentioned a UK shop next to Morris and Sons in the same building as the big Dymocks store.  Treats from Home sells sweets, souvenirs etc. from the UK and I even met the Queen there. She was looking very regal :-) Morris and Sons has everything crafty you could imagine and there seemed to be quite a few classes being held if anyone wanted to learn how to knit, crochet etc. It is well worth having a look if you are ever in Melbourne.

Across from the Hopetoun Tea Rooms, which I have mentioned in a previous post, I often walked past a shop selling scarves and shawls.  I popped in one day to check them out and found some really soft shawls and wondered what they were made from. I couldn't believe it when I was told they were made from possum fur and merino wool. As possums are protected here in Australia I was absolutely astounded then I read the signs on the wall about the damage the possums in NZ (which were introduced from Australia) were doing to the forests and the wildlife in that country and it is hoped that they will be eradicated in time.

Anyway, after taking a week to digest the facts about the possums, I decided to splurge and buy a shawl which could also be used as a scarf as they were on a really good special. I bought a hot pink one which is unbelievably soft to the touch and should be very warm in winter. That and a pair of cotton socks were my only holiday splurges.

I was a bit taken aback by the overflowing wheelie bins in Collins Street and was quite amused when walking up the more upmarket part of the same street, where the Gucci and Prada stores are, that there were no wheelie bins in sight. Mind you, there weren't a lot of people there either. 

Now it is back to normal living again and the builders have been asked about when they will come back to finish off the laundry and unfortunately, instead of saying it won't be till September as I was hoping, they said they would be here in two to four weeks. Yikes! Floor coverings have to be done as the old lino is wrecked and in pieces so there is a lot of shifting of furniture etc. to be done first. I need to be twenty years younger to cope with it all I think. LOL! 

 Tomorrow we remember the sacrifices our ANZACS made as the crowds in all towns and cities in Australia and New Zealand will show their appreciation at the various ceremonies. They did us proud!