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