In and Out of Melbourne

There is a rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne, much like the one between New York and Boston. And much like that rivalry there is no comparison between the two cities; they are quite different so there's no reason people should have to choose.

I was really looking forward to seeing Melbourne because of hearing people say it was more relaxed and more multicultural than Sydney, and that it has more interesting older architecture. One of the things I noticed right away in Melbourne was there are a lot of visible inter-racial relationships. Sydney has a lot of diversity but I didn't see many mixed couples there. The weekend I was in Melbourne was the Moomba Festival which I thought was going to be an ethnic festival with lots of different music and food, etc. To be honest, I was disappointed. It was mostly a carnival with lots of rides and games and water skiing on the river. I did see some live music but it was kind of Aussie-country and it didn't really grab me. I did take a ride on the river, however, that was lots of fun and got to see another perspective of the city.

The art museums of Melbourne were wonderful. I got a one-on-one tour of the National Gallery of Victoria, with the docent showing me some of the most treasured pieces of their collection. They are very proud of the work they've been able to bring together and the docent emphasized that it was the largesse of one main donor who left his fortune to the museum that has allowed them to purchase some very valuable pieces.

Yet it was the modern Aboriginal art that really excited me. These traditional shields were painted with images of superheroes, turning their iconic symbols into modern commentary.

I was also very impressed by the number of women artists that were included in the collection, and found that true in several galleries around Australia. The painting here of Sydney Harbor Bridge is by Grace Cossington-Smith. I'll highlight a few others women artists in other posts.

But it was on Saturday that I got away from all the museums and city hubbub and took a day trip with friends David and Laura out to Phillip Island. When they picked me up we were all a bit doubtful about the weather for the day. Raincoats and umbrellas were thrown in the back, just in case. First we took a detour out to a rain forest park outside the city. We took a stroll amongst the overhanging vegetation and the huge trees that compare with the redwoods of California.

Then we headed for Phillip Island and spent the rest of the day touring the various beaches. Some were rocky and some were silken smooth. There was  gorgeous surf at many of them and wet-suited surfers following the curls. Laura wanted to show me her favorite spot, a sand dune where kids and adults take boogie boards to the top and slide down the hill directly into the water below. Done well, it is a smooth and graceful endeavor but there were several wipeouts and some that petered out before reaching the water's edge.

Last on the water spots was The Nobbies, at the very end of the island. It is a nesting ground for the fairy penguins but we only saw one little fellow flittering around in his burrow. They usually come in after dark. The Nobbies was an amazing experience because of the tremendous surf and the sheer power and beauty of the ocean. Flashes of aqua and green and white froth.

We stopped on the way back to Melbourne for Indian food and ice cream, another of Laura's favorites. The full moon was high in the sky and led us homeward during the couple hour's drive back to the city. The raincoats and umbrellas were unneeded, thankfully, and I even had a tan line when I removed my watch that night. After all that rain in Sydney, I felt grateful for this special day of sun and surf.