Australia's Sapphire Coast - a hidden gem?

Day 70

Between Melbourne and Sydney on the Southern coast of Eastern Australia is about 56 miles of coastline with deep blue waters known as the Sapphire Coast. 

We stopped in Eden for a few hours and visited Merimbula and Pambula, tiny little towns near Eden. In Merimbula, I had the best oysters I've ever had. 

Eden, well known for its whaling past is today more of a tourist spot. Fishing and forestry are still around, but are not the thriving industries they once were. 

Eden was a popular spot for Australia's whaling industry for more than a century. Australia is no longer a whaling nation from what I understand. 

Today, Eden's focus is on whale conservation. Its intriguing whaling past is on display at the Eden's Killer Whale museum, a beautiful white building stunning against the sapphire sea. 

Eden was the first port in Australia we hadn't visited in 2019. 

More in pics below. 

On the walk back from the Killer Whale Museum to the ship (two images above) 

It's why it's called the Sapphire Coast!

Hotel Australasia - an 19th century historic hotel, recently restored

Skeleton of Old Tom - he was an a orca (a killer whale), the leader of a pod of killer whales that helped Eden's whalers along in their quest for blubber.  Of course, Old Tom didn't do it just to be nice. The whalers fed him and his pod in return! He died a hero in Eden, and is well-ensconced in Eden's whaling folklore. 

The Killer Whale Museum, Eden

                                                           Merimbula Lake (above two pics)

More Merimbula pics above

Some murals and a famous coffee shop well known for it's scones (I had one - yummy) - all in Pambula

On to Sydney

Melbourne and Geelong (pronounced jilong)

Day 53

Melbourne is stylish, artsy and edgy. Her alleyways are enhanced with street art, and elaborate arcades punctuate the streets. 

Glorious old Victorian buildings co-exist with Moorish, Art-Deco and colorful modern  structures of unusual shapes. It's a pretty city. 

Pics from our current visit and from the 2019 visit are below. 

We docked in Geelong, a port town about an hour away by train. Once known primarily for its wool, timber is its primary industry today. 

It's a booming town. Lots of construction everywhere. And lots of new buildings since we were here in 2019. Folks from Melbourne flocked here during the pandemic, fueling Geelong's growth. 

Once again, a grey day transformed into a blue one! Par for the course. Some weird weather on this trip. 

Enjoy the pics below. 

Pics from the wharf at Geelong above 

View from the bus - Geelong. We went on a short bus tour where the driver/guide didn't know right from left. Of course, I kept missing important views on our ride! Thought I'd share at least one. 

Geelong buildings - love the juxtaposition of old and new - we saw this all over New Zealand and Australia

Geelong Wool Museum icon(?). Or perhaps a Geelong icon? 

Geelong was the heart of the wool industry in Australia for more than a century. The story of Geelong is in many ways the story of wool. The museum has a lovely shop (no, I didn't buy anything). 

Speaking of wool, I took a class on needle-felting. I'm almost done with a kiwi bird I made. When it's finished, I may post a pic! 

A carpet loom: This is the only one of its kind in working order in Australia and one of a few working ones in the world. Built in 1910. It's a jacquard loom

Manor House Rug - designed exclusively for the Wool Museum by the company that made the jacquard loom above. It's an archival design and woven at the National Wool Museum on the carpet loom. The carpets are made from 80% wool and 20% nylon, the internationally accepted blend for high quality carpets. 

Caught the last 5 minutes of the Super Bowl at a pub across the station in Melbourne. And right in front of a large screen TV, and of course, accompanied by more fish and chips. Matt was thriled. This would never happen in the U.S. (finding a table I mean, in front of a large TV during the game. 

Melbourne alleyways above (I loved the murals)! 

Melbourne Arcade 

Mosaic medallion on floor in arcade

Inside the arcade. The arcades are full of shops and food

Art-Deco Building facade in Melbourne

Building with Moorish architecture

Flinders Street Railway Station, Melbourne (above)

Alley across from Flinders Street station

Modern building and structures in the Marina above

On the way to Southern Cross Station, Melbourne for the train back to Geelong

Cool sculpture at Southern Cross station (we took the train to Geelong from here). Thus ended a day in Geelong-Melbourne

MONA and the Little Penguins (the littlest in the world)

Day 52

One of the bullets on MONA's "About page":

 --- Somewhere people can come to say "not sure about the art but the architecture is amazing". --- 

And that is exactly what I said after our visit. (No, I hadn't looked at their About page). 

The building in which the Museum of Old and New Art is housed is striking. 

MONA is the whimsical vision of David Walsh, a professional gambler and art collector who owns it. He's designed the most jaw-dropping and unusual interior spaces, unlike any museum I've ever seen. The building is built into a limestone hillside. 

You read that right, MONA is actually owned by a person. One person. It is in Hobart, Tasmania. 

The art collection is not world class (according to some folks in the know about such things) but some of the permanent installations are phenomenal: like the "word fountain" (pic below). And the building. 

Among other unique experiences is the "O". It's an app. It helps you navigate the art works. It lists the art works near you and you can select it and read all about it on the app. No physical write-ups on each piece. It's all in the O! 

Pretty slick. 

We went to MONA in the morning of our only day in Hobart. 

We came back to the docks to see a wooden boat exhibition, a craft fair and a bustling crowd and lots and lots of boats! A grey day was transformed into a gorgeous blue. 

The next day we went to a "Penguin Parade" to see the littlest penguins in the world. This was in Phillips Island, Australia. Unfortunately, no pictures of the little waddling penguins allowed (the light from the cameras could damage their eyes). I did catch one before the parade though (pic towards the end of the post). 

They're cute, fat and fluffy when they moult ('tis the season) and awfully grumpy! Read to the end for more on these little guys. 

Some sculptures on the docks. A grey day turned into a beautiful blue

MONA from the ferry on the way back to the wharf in Hobart (above) and some art and installations in MONA  below. 

 Into the abyss. Walkway (tunnel?) at the MONA. 

The "word fountain" at MONA - the words childhood and request are water droplets! Hard to see in the pic but quite special in person.

 It turned into a skyblue day with lots of energy with boats and a craft fair (below)

 

Landmark coffee shop in Hobart (2019)

Hobart building (2019)

Town of Richmond (from 2019) near Hobart

Wine tasting near Hobart (2019)

A few pics above from a 2019 visit to Runnymeade House, the 1840s home of a whaling captain. I remember it being extremely well preserved. 

The only little penguin photo from Phillips Island, Australia  - the only "little penguin" colony in the world. They are tiny, weighing only 2.2 lbs. and only 12 or 13 inches tall.

Little penguins can spend upto 4 weeks at a time at sea (to feed on fish!), and they have several sleep cycles during this time. They will float on the surface of the ocean for 4 minutes at a time to rest. 

They're pretty well fed and fat by the time they're back. 

In the ocean, a collection of these penguins is a raft, and a waddle when on land. Watching them waddle back was adorable. 

The beach at Phillip's Island 

Waiting for the parade. 

The penguins start the waddle home just after sunset. It was fun to see them wait for each other to form a group before heading back. They're pretty nervous! They'd go back in the water if they saw those nasty gulls flying anywhere near their little posse (well, raft). 

Cape Barrier Goose at Phillips Island

Wallaby at Phillips Island