Melbourne

Back on ship for a good night's sleep and a full day at sea. Dan and I both had a lot of Bible reading for our Bible Studies to catch-up on, so this was a good time to dig in a bit.  We also attended a lecture about the city of Melbourne that was very interesting.

Melbourne is at the southern tip of Australia by the Tasman Sea and the Indian Ocean. Melbourne was Australia's first capital in 1901 when it became a part of the commonwealth of England. At this time it was settled as a Penal Colony. There are about 4 million people living there today.

One of the things we liked to do while with different tour guides was to listen for unusual saying.  If you want a hamburger, you could go to "Macca's". That's McDonalds.  Perhaps after eating you need to use the toilet--well it's called the 'dunny'.

Our first stop at this port was the Healesville Sanctuary. Seen one, seen 'em all. We saw 'roos',  and 'boomer's' (large kangaroos). There were also many birds as captured by this shot. It was very similar to the Featherdale Wildlife Center.






After what we considered too long a stay there, we headed for wine country in the Yarra Valley.

This valley produces award winning wines. We sat at outdoor tables and had a wine lesson and tasted 4 different wines. I passed on the wine, but everyone said it was great. We went inside the winery where they entertain guests and had a great lunch (that I did not pass on!).

Here is a little fact you might not know. Rose plants grow at the end of each row of vines. If the roses are healthy, then the soil and conditions of the grape plants will also be good. Growers use the roses as an indicator of the health of their vineyard. We left here and headed for another winery that wasn't near as good, but hey, free wine!

With a slight buzz, we loaded back on the bus and had a lovely tour of downtown Melbourne.
Dinner was back on the ship and we had time to chat with those who did not go on this outing. The evening ended with this great sunset at 8:45. Some folks went to the evening show and others went to listen to music or...

We prepared for two days at sea as we head for New Zealand and the Fiordland National Park. Unfortunately we couldn't go ashore, but would spend the day cruising by the Fiords. If you have ever gone on an Alaskan cruise, it would be like cruising through Glacier Bay. So basically we had 3 days at sea. More reading, lectures, cards, ship shopping opportunities (don't worry, I refrained and bought nothing), the gym and walking track, pool and sauna...well, you get the picture.