August 14th, Australia Day 174

This was my last day in Melbourne and I decided to spend it in the beachside suburb of St. Kilda south of the city. It is the home of a small amusement park known as Luna Park, which has branches all over Australia as well as the AFL St. Kilda Saints. I don't remember what it was the drove me to see St. Kilda, but off I went.

My first stop was Luna Park just to see what it was like and it turned out to be just a what I thought it would be, a small amusement park. There were few thrill rides, as well as some bumper cars but nothing truly flash. I exited the park, which has no entrance fee by the way and is open 24/7 as I recall, and then I walked along the nearby St. Kilda Beach. Melbourne, unlike Sydney, does not have many beaches so it never really developed the same beach culture. Also, the waters are a little colder off Melbourne so water activities are a little less comfortable than they are in Sydney. I continued to walk around St. Kilda, taking photos of various things and it would have been very uneventful if not for the incredible wind out by St. Kilda Pier, a long spit of land artificially created for ships. Although not a record, it was certainly stronger than any wind in Canada. I decided to make my way back into the city as my time was beginning to grow short.

Again, I wandered mostly aimlessly and when the time came to return to Glenroy, I chose to catch a train at Central Station. Inside the current structure, the old structure remains, a very tall brick building I must say. There is also a giant pocket watch across from the old Central Station which works as any regular watch. I boarded the train back for Glenroy and arrived in time to pack up.

After being driven to the airport, I thanked my hosts as much as I could for being so hospitable. My time in Melbourne was quite memorable and it is a city I would want to visit again, and I'm sure I will. I returned to Sydney where some schoolwork still awaited me but I was more than ready to take it on after that short break.

Photos now available at: http://australiaday174.blogspot.com/