I know this is probably old news by now, but I finally went to see the “Pink Lake” in Melbourne at Westgate Park. The salt water lake turns pink almost every summer due to the interaction of algae and halobacterium in the heat. Lots of people were there to see it before it disappears.
If you go, be warned: it’s stinky!
About an hour from Melbourne is the beautiful area of Mount Macedon. Forest Glade is a private garden with a variety of themes, such as English, Japanese, and a fern gully. It costs $10 to get in, and it is beautiful year-around!
After living in Melbourne almost two and a half years, we finally went to the zoo! There were some particularly cheeky animals. I recommend going to the keeper talks to get good views and information. Every major exhibit has a message about conservation, such as recycling cell phones and buying products that don’t use unsustainable palm oil. A lot of renovation is going on, so we couldn’t see some things like the frog house, but I think the improvements will be really nice!
Now that the weather is getting nicer, we finally went for a hike. We went to Werribee Gorge (always looking for fun things to do on the west side!). The circuit walk is so good! There are definitely hard sections; parts of the trail are just piles of rocks, and there is a cable to hang on to in one part so you don’t fall in to the water. An old irrigation channel goes along part of the trail, and informational signs about plants and wildlife keep the hike interesting. It took us about 3.5 hours and we took our time.
Another touristy post!
Living in Melbourne, I have always wanted to tour Parliament. I never got the chance until recently. We only did the short tour (15 minutes), which was extremely rushed, but still really interesting. I would recommend taking one of the longer tours, because there is so much information! I got the impression that the guides prefer leading the longer tours, too.
Here are some quick photos I got of the building and details.
Australia has a very interesting and dynamic history of immigration. The Immigration Museum is full of surprising facts and amazing stories! They have an exhibition that chronicles the life of Mahatma Gandhi, and a British immigrants exhibition that closes this Sunday. I think the ‘Identity: yours, mine, ours’ exhibition should be seen by everyone. It is a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about diversity and acceptance.
One night a year, from 7pm to 7am, the city comes alive with art, performances, and activities. We managed to stay out all night long, and saw some really amazing things.
I love Melbourne!
Just some scenes from the NGV Triennial in Melbourne.
Apparently the NGV is a great date idea.
One of the most interesting things about the Triennial was the placement of the new, modern pieces in the historical galleries.
The NGV Triennial goes on until April 18th!
I went to the NGV last week to see the Festival of Photography, and then I just walked around admiring everything. My favourites were the William Eggleston and Ross Coulter exhibits. The former is a window to the past, while the latter is a kind of modern take on performance art.
Photography is so diverse and amazing.
My husband and I took a trip to the Great Ocean Road for our anniversary. Even though the weather wasn’t great, everything was beautiful! We even saw some koalas.
We started in Portland and drove all the way back to Melbourne in three days.
Christina Hardcastle photography 