Alice Springs

After we left Melbourne we flew to the outback for a visit to Alice Springs, a remote town in the middle of the Northern Territory.

Our first visit was to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.  Because the outback is so incredibly vast, sheep stations can be hundreds of kilometers from the nearest doctor.  This service was established by the Reverend John Flynn in 1928 to provide emergency and primary health care services to rural areas of Australia.  Nurses and doctors were dispatched by plane to areas all over rural Australia and the service is still used today.

We also visited the School of the Air which is how children in these rural areas get their schooling.  It began with lessons broadcast over the wireless radio with students sending their work to the teachers through the Royal Flying Doctor Service but now it relies heavily on the internet.  Prince Charles and Princess Diana visited the School of the Air and their pictures and signatures are framed on the wall.

Our final stop was to the Alice Springs Telegraph Station.  This was a repeater station on the Overland Telegraph Line which linked Adelaide to Darwin and Great Britain.  This site was chosen because of a waterhole on the normally dry Todd River.  It was, erroneously, thought to be a permanent spring and was named after the wife of the Postmaster General of South Australia.  This telegraph station opened Alice Springs for European settlement.  I thought it was very interesting.

Melbourne

Melbourne is a city of contrasts.  The capital of the state of Victoria is a modern, cosmopolitan city known for finance, entertainment, fashion, tourism, and sport.  It has one of the best transportation systems I've ever encountered in a major city with an extensive tram system, which is free in the city centre.  It also boasts some of the most innovative architecture around.  But Melbourne is also a stately, old city with lovely Victorian buildings built from the proceeds of the gold rush during the 1850s.  Melbourne was my first stop on my Australian adventure and I loved wandering the streets discovering both the old and new.

Burke Street is a pedestrian area in the city centre with beautiful covered arcades which have been converted into high end retail shops and cafes.

 

Skyscrapers along the Yarra River.

The ultra-modern Federation Square.

The innovative architecture of one of the many museums to line Federation Square.

The Victorian Arts Centre.  It is designed to look like the tutu worn by a ballet dancer.

Near these modern buildings you will find the bustling Flinders Street Station, a beautiful example of Victorian architecture.  Many locals would use the clock as a meeting point before the advent of cell phones. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Inside St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The Shrine of Remembrance was originally built to commemorate the ANZAC soldiers who died during the Great War but it now commemorates those who have died in all military conflicts.

The entrance to the Shrine of Remembrance (view from the the balcony) which is meant to look like the trenches used in World War I.

Different views of the Shrine.  There were many exhibits inside and, of course, my favorite was dedicated to the battle of Gallipoli.

This tomb was designed so that on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day during the eleventh month (when World War I officially ended) the sun would shine directly on it.  This was simulated for us using a light.  I found it to be very moving.

Floral Clock in the Royal Botanic Garden.  I love floral clocks!  My favorite ones are in Niagara Falls and and Geneva.

Victoria Parliament Building.  I loved the lamp posts!

The Old Treasury Building.  The gold discovered during the gold rush of the 1850s was stored in vaults in this building.

The Windsor Hotel.  Many celebrities have stayed here.

The Royal Exhibition Building, an iconic image of Melbourne.

St. Paul's Cathedral.

Inside beautiful St. Paul's Cathedral.

Town Hall.

I loved all of the floral displays outside the Town Hall.

I had two days to wander around Melbourne and for most of that time it was cold and rainy but I still thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the city.  The people were so friendly (I was called "darling" about 812 times) and I loved that it was incredibly easy to get around by riding the trams.  By the second day I was giving people directions!  Good on you, Melbourne!