Amazing Architecture in Melbourne, Australia
What impressed me most in Melbourne was the interesting architecture, old and new, and a close second place is the fantastic public transportation system. Volunteer ambassadors were easy to find wearing sharp looking red vests, available for visitors answering questions, giving directions and information about the city or other attractions. We rode the trams and the free city busses, and took a self guided walking tour of the city architecture.
The sad thing happening to this part of Australia is the drought, and many years of less than normal rainfall. It was visible everywhere, trees were dying and large shrubs looked dead. With a water shortage, lawns and gardens can not be watered, the landscape was brown and grasses yellow. The residents are concerned that the area will become desert in the not too distant future. Nonetheless, Melbourne is a stunning city.
We had eight jam-packed hours there before setting sail to the island of Tasmania, and our wild passage over the roughest sea in the world. But, that is a story for another blog entry.
Gail Niebrugge, landscape artist