Anzac Parade, Melbourne

After the Dawn Service, there was a short break before the ANZAC parade got underway at 9am. I queued for the Gunner's breakfast- very welcome after getting up so early- and wandered around on parkland near the Shrine where there were various monuments. People were setting themselves up with seats near the tram tracks along St Kilda Rd, and that is where I decided to wait as well. Mobile ambos were on bicycles- police were patrolling on bicycles and horseback. The organisation was obviously thorough, but not obtrusive. The Aussies have pulled off this massive parade before.

The navy, army and airforce all had their turns to march. Some of the older veterans were transported by cars or jeeps, while a few walked. The crowd clapped especially hard for these old men (and some women- mainly nurses.) There were groups of peacekeepers, and groups from various conflicts. At one point there was a break in the parade for a 'medical incident' where a veteran collapsed. Bands were interspersed throughout the parade, and eventually I worked out I was seeing the same bands over again. What a massive day for them- being transported back to the start to march and play again. There were military and civilian bands, and also some very good school bands.

Mainly I will just present some photos to give the flavour of the whole event, without much extra commentary...

 Returned peacekeepers

 New Zealand had a small presence, but were there. They had the honour of being one of the early groups to march.

It was the Navy Band that played so beautifully in the Dawn Service. (I think!)

 This school drumming band were particularly strong and impressive.

 Currently serving soldiers were out in force.

 I walked back up to the Shrine area where marchers were finishing. Blue blue skies and sunshine after the cool start to the morning.

Quite a few descendants marched with photos of their loved ones. This photo was especially poignant.

 Young members of the scouting movement carried signs with dignity.

 I'd noticed this magnificent fountain as we had bussed past, glowing even in the pre-dawn darkness. I was glad to walk back past it in the sunshine.

While the airforce marched, there were several groups of planes that flew over.

After three hours I started heading back towards Flinders St. I gather there was still another hour of parade to go. I missed the wreath laying ceremony at the end of the parade, but will head back to look at the Shrine more closely in the next few days.

Anzac Dawn Service, Melbourne

This morning I was present for the ANZAC dawn service in Melbourne. It meant setting my alarm for 4.20am (gulp!) but a quick shower brought me back into the land of the living... I first walked down Bourke St, where some people still seemed to be on the streets from the night before. But as soon as I hit Swanston St I was with people wearing hats and jackets, all walking in the same direction as me, for Flinders St and St Kilda Rd. The flood of people became steadily greater.

There were free buses leaving from opposite Flinders St Station, all headed for the Shrine of Remembrance. In some ways it might have been more in fitting with the occasion to have walked down, but I was one of the many jumping on the buses. I arrived at the Shrine around 5.15am, then tried to find a place amongst the crowd (reported to be estimated at 80,000) somewhere where a tall man wasn’t going to jump in front of me and totally obscure my view. The Shrine was lit with some golden light at this early stage- but all lights were turned off once the dawn service began.

A man began speaking at 5.45am, into the darkness, telling various stories of the heroism of individuals who served as Australians in various conflicts. And at 6am the lights on the Shrine were all darkened except for a single light on the top. The atmosphere was one of complete silence. (At one point when it seemed to get colder again, I wanted to retrieve my woolen hat, but the sound of undoing a bag would simply have not been appropriate.)

The service has clearly been structured over time, and flowed quickly on. There was a rendition of Abide with Me, with the band, chorus, and gunfire- that was very moving. The Last Post was played out into the darkness.

The first guest speaker introduced New Zealand into proceedings in a definite manner. He was a prominent educator and a historian, and he spoke about how both young countries were in need of the Empire’s survival, so had no option but to support the Motherland. He also emphasised that we came to mourn the lost, not to celebrate or glorify them.

Both anthems were presented, with band playing and chorus singing. The New Zealand anthem was first, and it was done strongly and well. For me, it was one of the most moving moments of the ceremony. It was then followed by the Australian anthem.

After the dawn service, once the sky had lightened, there was the “Gunner’s Breakfast” provided, and the sausage in bread was very welcome. (I felt virtuous waking before 5am- but the army catering corps had been up much earlier!)

I bought a poppy- a much more realistic shape than the current flat NZ model) and wandered around near St Kilda Rd for the ANZAC parade to begin. More on that -mainly photos- later.

Melbourne Zoo

Yesterday I visited Melbourne Zoo. It was easy to get there via public transport, and I took a train there that stopped about 50m from the gate. Then I took the tram back into the city, passing parkland with cycle lanes, and the Royal Melbourne Children's Hospital. It was special to see this place which proved to be vital for a baby I know.

You enter the zoo from the back entrance when you go via rail or tram, and the first enclosures I saw from this direction were the big cats- and I was concerned at how small these were. However, the rest of the zoo has had extensive development, and had many interesting displays. I'll just share a few of my favourite bits here.

 An unexpected surprise was the platypus house. I had no idea they were nocturnal, and I didn't realise they were quite so small. I guess I had imagined they were more like otters in size. The platypus was very active while I was watching- swimming around with great abandon. This photo is of course of the statue outside- 'no flash' in a nocturnal house, plus a speedy platypus didn't help with photos!

 I loved the section where the seal and penguins were. At the entrance were these Southern Fiddler Rays, which are apparently quite docile. They were swimming around vigorously in their tank- and their colours blended in well with the stony bottom.

 What amazed me the most about the penguin tank was how close the penguins came to me- just metres away. You could easily see all the waterproofing on their backs.

 Another of my favourite sections was the area near the main gate set up for children. There were glass fences that allowed children an excellent view of the meerkats. Here's one on 'duty'- though the meerkats seemed very used to people close by.

 

One of the other animals in this children's section were these big tortoises- and I happened to time it right to see them eating.

 The primate section was amazing- built at various heights so you could see different lemurs and monkeys etc at the height in the trees where they lived most comfortably. Some of these lemurs came very close to people.

And of course the baby monkey was one of the stars of the day...

Down by the Yarra

In the afternoon I headed off down to the Yarra River area- another area bustling with people and full of interest.

 In the midst of all the trams and car traffic, they still find room for some horse-drawn carts.

 So much to see in the juxtaposition of buildings when you look up- these were on Swanston St I think, though I might be muddled...

 Flinders St station- from where I will catch a train to Sandringham to see my cousins.

 On a footbridge over the Yarra. Looks a bit like the padlock theme from a bridge in Paris is being copied here- except having these on wire means they are not so easy to read.

On a dull drizzly day, the lights from the railway station reflected rather nicely on the Yarra.

Despite the rain, I really enjoyed this day wandering in the city. Walked far enough to give myself sore feet, and you have only seen a taste of my photos here. (The thing about having an umbrella is, it gives protection for your camera!) Off to the Zoo and to see my cousins today...

More umbrellas

The rain theme continued off and on all this first day in Melbourne- but people were all still out and about.

 I guess I was surprised by how many autumn trees I saw, but they have imported deciduous trees from the 'homeland' here as well.

 I had already fallen in love with Melbourne's architecture- and the unexpected juxtapositions of buildings.

 Fitzroy Gardens were beautiful, and had this sculpture by a woman author in the 1930s, made for children, with fairies on it.

 Coming around by Treasury, I was glad to find that one of the 'important men' had shoes just as wet as mine...

There were some unexpected old signs on some of the walls as well.

Umbrellas in the morning

I woke to a drizzly kind of Melbourne day. Thought about making it a museum kind of day, but knew that I really wanted to be walking- and it wasn't cold.
Headed up Bourke St and stumbled into Parliament Buildings. Thought of a guided tour to escape the rain- but I was ten minutes too late.  Oh well, lots of others were out and about with umbrellas. It turned out the umbrella was the most useful item I had packed in my suitcase, and here I was feeling a bit silly packing it! (In fact they had a supply of 'loan' umbrellas at Reception as well.)

 Looking back down Parliament steps to Bourke St.

 And then the rain got heavier!

 Lots of varied sculpture in Melbourne. There were a series of animals on large rocks outside a building behind Parliament.

 Impressive entrance doors to St Patrick's Cathedral.

 Gargoyle, said to be of Jeff Kennett, on the Catholic Cathedral.

 Beautiful interior of St Patrick's Cathedral.

 Pilgrim's Pathway up the hill to the Cathedral- running water- more than 'usual'.

 Sculpture of Bishop Mannix outside the Cathedral. Turns out he was born in Charleville in Ireland- where my grandmother was also born!

The Irish of St Brigid in the trefoil.

St Patrick's really was a beautiful Cathedral- built at a time when money from the goldfields was awash. Many beautiful mosaics and marble floors inside. And the outdoor grounds are also full of interesting sculptures and points of devotion.

Off to Melbourne

OK the Wanderer has returned to this blog- just for a week! I am having a 'city break' in Melbourne these hols.

Started off by driving down to Wellington from Palmy. Took a break at Paramata on what was a lovely Wellington day.

I arrived at the airport abundantly early- but you never know when you are going to experience hold-ups on that Wellington SH1 highway, especially on a holiday weekend- and if my Twitter feed is anything to go by, there were indeed some hold-ups. However, time passed quickly, with a visit from my nieces and their parents.
Finally I was on board and ready to leave...

Arrival to my hotel was hassle-free, with an airport bus to the main railway station, followed by a free hotel transfer in a smaller bus. And now I am ensconced on the 16th floor with a semi-view.  The room is very comfortable, and the service from reception was wonderful, very friendly.

I am quite tired. It was an early start NZ time, and my body is two hours ahead... so I just unpacked, and took a quick walk around the block. Turned out my block took me to Chinatown.

Lots of colour and people.... might return another night to eat there. But for now, it's snoozing time.... Catch you again tomorrow after I have done some exploring.

Blood Moon eclipse

Last night we had a superb view of the 'blood moon' lunar eclipse from my place in Palmerston North. It was all the 'sweeter' since we had been told by forecasters that we could expect cloud, and wouldn't see much at all. In fact it was Aucklanders who didn't see much...

This is a screen grab of the way FB displayed the five photos I uploaded from different phases of the eclipse.

Test on phone

Test before trip to Melbourne. Can I post photos?