Visiting Melbourne
With the test finishing in only three days, that gave us 1 extra day for sightseeing - the probability of the test going into Day 5 was always pretty low - so we took advantage of the spare time to look around. Friday afternoon was hot so we got a river cruise from the centre of Melbourne down to the little seaside town of Williamstown. Just before we arrived, the captain discovered that the steering no longer worked, and the rudder/engine only worked on one side. He managed to get out of the shipping lane and did eventually berth quite skillfully, but it was an interesting 15 minutes.
Today, Saturday, we went on a wine tasting trip to the Yarra Valley region, one of the main wine producing areas in Victoria state. Very interesting it was too: the first winery visit included a token look at some of the plant for producing wine and a quick explanation of the process before the wine tasting began; the second stop included a well organised hot buffet meal before the wine tasting, whilst the third and fourth stops just went straight to the wine tasting. Perhaps a true reflection of Australia - direct and to the point!
Arriving back in Melbourne on schedule at 4 pm, we just had time to catch a City Circle tram and get to the Melbourne Museum so we could see The Ashes. Yes, the real Ashes are part of a touring exhibit of Australia and are in Melbourne until 7th January. But for all the fuss over them, the ceramic urn supposedly containing the ashes of a cricket bail is so small - no more than 3 inches high. Mind you, it was good to see them and it makes you feel proud to think that we’re lending them to Australia for another 2 years or so (though they will return to England next month and stay there).
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