Skip to main content

Melbourne Zoo

I remember a number of outings to Melbourne Zoo as a child. I daresay a lot has changed since then. The zoo train sadly went during my childhood and today even the hints of tracks have disappeared. However, you can still catch a train to the zoo.

After a breakfast at the outlet centre above Southern Cross Station (known as Spencer Street when I was a kid) we went to catch a train. Unfortunately, the Myki stored on my phone has expired in the two and a bit years since it's last use. Very annoying! I have to get a new one.

The Upfield train is an a refurbished Comeng. I did an assignment on them in grade 3.

The short train ride to Royal Park at the rear entrance of the zoo brings back a few other memories. I could have ridden it further!

Despite having visited both the Canberra and Adelaide Zoos this year, the Melbourne Zoo manages to impress.

It's not just the range of animal species, but the beautiful surrounds and enclosures. We especially enjoy the bamboo and Southeast Asian settings and buildings of the Trail of the Elephants. The butterfly house is fun too, with the insects taking a special liking to B.

The elephants themselves bring back memories of Thailand and I just wish that we could have a lunch of genuine noodles in the gorgeous traditional wooden buildings that surround the trail.

We manage to see most of the animals, from the shy orang-utans hiding beneath their sheets, to posing ring-tail lemurs and elegant jabiru.

There is also the most beautiful Japanese garden I have seen in Australia. The weeping cherry trees must be stunning in Spring.
Our feet are exhausted by the time we exit through the old iron turnstile gate of the main entrance. A tram takes us down Royal Parade, bringing back memories of childhood trips to the city and to school in Carlton.

Our arrival in the city leads to further exhaustion as B goes clothes shopping in H&M, Zara and Uniqlo while us males suffer.

By the time she finishes it is almost dinner. I lead us to Gypsy and Pig, a tonkatsu restaurant, but it doesn't seem to be open. Alex refuses to eat Malaysian food or ramen, of which there are other potential eateries within range.

We end up returning to Hardware Lane and sitting down at an expensive grill whose steak disappoints, though my kangaroo was nice.

As we walk back to the tram stop we pass a popular char kway teoh restaurant and B wants to take some away, despite the lack of a microwave. I suggest we return tomorrow.

The tram returns us to Crown Casino. After B buys another of the brown suger bubble teas that she's fallen in love with we sit outside and feel the blasts of heat from the gas show. Then back to the hotel to give the feet a well deserved rest. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Down the Oito Line

Riding the length of the Oito Line from Itoigawa to Shinjuku (well, Matsumoto, really, but you might as well go the whole way) has long been a dream of mine. It suddenly gained urgency when I read that the last length of it between Itoigawa to Minami-Otari would be closed once the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa and Toyama opens by next year. Now, as mentioned last time, B and Alex are among those that would much rather catch the very fast Shinkansen, but in the end she decided to follow me, despite the very early morning. We rode the Hokuetsu Express from Toyama to Itoigawa, completing a little more of that West Coast for me. Though the coastal stretch was short there were some nice views at times. I should like to see more of Itoigawa one day, explore its geology. But now we had to quickly cross over the platform bridge to catch our train to Minami-Otari. To my great delight it was a KiHa 120 railcar, my favourite. I felt a degree of sadness standing up at the front...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Kamioka mines: from silver to supernovas

Part of the Kamioka zinc mining and smelter complex Just after posting about the Kamioka Railway another photo from that 2006 set piqued my interest. Up there in the mountains the landscape looked blasted not just by winter but by something more. It was the kind of lonely place where you would not expect to find major industry, so this sight was quite surprising. Even more surprising is the history associated with this photo. According to some sources mining and refining of ores in Kamioka dates back to 710 AD  and only closed in 2001. Undoubtedly the mine was a major reason for the existence of the Kamioka Railway. Refining of zinc still continues to this day under the parent Mitsui Kenzoku zaibatsu . Gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead were all dug out of the rock here. Unfortunately, the process released cadmium into the river, which, when taken up by the rice that was grown in the river, caused the terrible itai-itai disease  - meaning "It hurts! It hurts". Cadm...
Post a Comment
Read more

To Melbourne on the XPT sleeper

Excited by the prospect of reliving the experience of seeing my very first movie and hearing the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform it I bought tickets to The Empire Strikes Back in Concert in Melbourne back in February. Then I did nothing about actually getting there. Much as I love Melbourne, due to family commitments I didn't want to spend more than the Sunday away. Flights there and back made sense, but  my flight down to Melbourne in late October reiterated the fact that I usually don't enjoy descending into the city. And the concert was in December, a season of summer storms. I really didn't feel like driving the whole route alone and in a hurry, so that left one choice. The train. My very first trip up to Sydney from Melbourne was aboard the luxury Southern Aurora. Or it was supposed to be luxury. I wouldn't know because I spent the whole ride up very sick with the flu lying in the top bunk, unable to stay awake for my whole of night vigil. Now only...
Post a Comment
Read more