On a rainy Monday, April 11, we happily hit the road for our first school holiday adventure. We've heard how wonderful the state of Victoria is and in particular Melbourne, Phillip Island and The Great Ocean Road. We planned on a week for this excursion and couldn't wait to see the sights! Melbourne is about a 4 1/2 hour drive from Narrandera. We pretty much went 
straight South stopping along the way at the "Big Strawberry" and for snack breaks until we could see the tall buildings of Melbourne! We were so excited at our first glimpse. Melbourne is the Capital City of Victoria and is home to over 3 million people. It is second in size only to Sydney but it is predicted to surpass it in 5 years. It is built around the Yarra River and the Ocean and is very picturesque.We drove through the city (yikes! Trams and many lanes made it a little tricky for Dan but we managed to get through) and went to our rented cottage south of the city near the ocean where we would stay for 3 nights. Our beach hopes were dashed by the cool wet weather but there was PLENTY to do in the city.
straight South stopping along the way at the "Big Strawberry" and for snack breaks until we could see the tall buildings of Melbourne! We were so excited at our first glimpse. Melbourne is the Capital City of Victoria and is home to over 3 million people. It is second in size only to Sydney but it is predicted to surpass it in 5 years. It is built around the Yarra River and the Ocean and is very picturesque.We drove through the city (yikes! Trams and many lanes made it a little tricky for Dan but we managed to get through) and went to our rented cottage south of the city near the ocean where we would stay for 3 nights. Our beach hopes were dashed by the cool wet weather but there was PLENTY to do in the city. We settled in and the next morning we were up early to take the train into the city. Driving and parking in Melbourne are both expensive and difficult so we opted for public transit. It was fantastic! Jack continues to be fixated on The Polar Express, so 
this was a perfect opportunity to give him a train ride. Melbourne has the world's 4th largest light rail transit system so it was easy, relaxing and convenient to take. We hopped on a train 3 minutes from our cottage and were in the heart of the city within 30 minutes.
this was a perfect opportunity to give him a train ride. Melbourne has the world's 4th largest light rail transit system so it was easy, relaxing and convenient to take. We hopped on a train 3 minutes from our cottage and were in the heart of the city within 30 minutes. On our first day in, we decided to take in the Melbourne Aquarium. It was a great activity in the wet weather and we were told it was a must see! It was very enjoyable! We saw many species of ocean animals in a great setting! We learned interesting facts like the rays can get to be 350kg's! Imagine that! We saw a diver feeding a 180kg ray in the tank and it looked like it could swallow him up! The divers where 
helmets in the tank, not because of the sharks, but because of the rays. The rays try to suck on their heads to show them they want food! You can actually see the scrapes on the helmets from them sucking. The Cardinal Ones will be happy to know that I saw and photographed sharks, stingrays, sawfish and even an anglerfish among others! Check out the photos to see what else we saw!
helmets in the tank, not because of the sharks, but because of the rays. The rays try to suck on their heads to show them they want food! You can actually see the scrapes on the helmets from them sucking. The Cardinal Ones will be happy to know that I saw and photographed sharks, stingrays, sawfish and even an anglerfish among others! Check out the photos to see what else we saw! After the aquarium, we walked around the Melbourne streets to take in some of the sights. There was so much happening in the city - International Comedy Festival, Tutankenam Display, AFL games - the city is alive with activity! It was really enjoyable!
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At the end of the day, we wandered into Chinatown and enjoyed a dinner of dim sum (dim sim as they call it here). This was the kids first experience with dim sum and they enjoyed it. Jack was so worn out from the day, he fell asleep at the table. He perked up for the train ride home though!
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