Fun things to do in Melbourne

"From the 1860's Britain sent over 100,000 children to Commonwealth countries through child migration schemes. They were sent by charitable and religious organisations, with government support. This exhibition explores the experiences shared by these children."

The Exhibition runs from 13 October 2011 to 6 May 2012. It's open daily from 10am to 5pm. Tickets are $10 per adult, concessions free. Group bookings available.

Take a leisurely 4.5 km stroll from the Immigration Museum in Flinders Street to the Melbourne Museum in Carlton Gardens and enjoy the best of Melbourne's fine buildings.

The trail was set up by Melbourne Museum and takes in most of Collins Street from King to Spring Streets (with a few detours) and helps give visitors the feel of Marvellous Melbourne (1880's) when the city was one of the wealthiest in the world.

Photo above is the trail as laid out in the footpaths - with and without the bird poo. Sorry I did not see that until I got home.

Self guided walk - booklet available from the Immigration Museum cost $8 or alternatively join a guided walk, $20 for adults, from the Melbourne Visitor Centre, Federation Square, 10am daily (includes booklet) Sadly the web site with all the details has been removed and when I locate my copy of the booklet, I'll up-date this tip.

On the first Tuesday in November each year Melbourne's beautiful Flemington Racecourse stages one of the world's top horse races, The Melbourne Cup. The world's richest and longest handicap race. It has been run for well over one hundred and forty years. Formerly a distance of two miles it rightly claims to be the richest distance horse race in the world. Total prize money, 2011, is Au$6.1 million. In metric terms, at 3,200 metres it is slightly shorter than before. It is the day that the ordinary Australian has a "flutter" and is probably in a work or family sweep.

By tradition at 3.00PM the whole country stops to listen to or watch the race and it is telecast and broadcast around the world. Even the country's Parliament is temporarily suspended. At the superb Flemington Racecourse the fun loving and extremely fashionable patrons really get into festive mood.
Despite what some may say, Melbourne has a great deal of lovely weather and when it plays its part it is a wondrous day to remember.
So when you visit Australia try to be in Melbourne on the first Tuesday in November.

Results 2011: French, English and German, the order of the placings in the (International flavoured!?) Emirates Melbourne Cup 2011.
Not the expected favourite, French Americain - fourth - but a fellow country-horse, the non-French-sounding entrant Dunadin.
As the second favourite Dunadin squeezed home first by the narrowest margin in the race's 150 year history - one millimetre ! Near enough to a dead heat for mine! Red Cadeaux ran second, and Lucas Cranach finished third. - Photo for ALL placings!
The Aussie Niwot ran eighth. A good pastime for odd horse names, pronounce that one backwards. Mmm.
Now for the remainder of the Carnival.
But, for the Big One today, well done to French horse and French jockey, (who arrived only 24 hours before the 'Frenchish' Emirates race).
Felicitations, Congrats.
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And also, the famous Flemington track itself was given a big make-over in 2010.
It is great for the world's 'greatest horse distance race'.

When in Melbourne, you gotta drop by Young and Jackson for at least one beer. Young & Jackson is one of Melbourne’s oldest remaining pubs. Rich in history, it’s a Melbourne icon and home to Jules Lefebvre’s famous painting, ‘Chloe’.

The site was purchased by John Batman in 1837 at Melbourne's first Crown land sale. On the site was built a home for his children, which became a schoolhouse in 1839. Warehouses were erected on the site after the schoolhouse was razed in 1853. The Princes Bridge Hotel opened there on 1 July 1861. The Hotel was renamed to Young and Jackson after the Irish diggers who took it over in 1875, Henry Young and Thomas Jackson.

Live bands also play here.

Open 7 days a week, til 3am on Friday and Saturday and midnight on the other nights.

"Phar Lap was Australia's wonder horse - he triumphed during the Great Depression of the early 1930s, when a hero was most needed by the people of Australia.

He conquered the local racing scene—36 wins from his last 41 starts—and then won North America's richest race, the Agua Caliente Handicap, in 1932.

A fortnight later he went to the great equine heaven in the skies, struck down by a mystery illness that many suspected was the work of gangsters"

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A steam train buffs delight - that's young and old - Puffing Billy (PBR) was the life line to the small mountain communities in the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne until the Victorian Railways closed down the line in the 1950's. Shortly afterwards, the Puffing Billy Preservation Society was formed to save the train and eventually have it running. Fifty years later the trains are still running using original locomotives and rolling stock and the line is now 15 miles long, from Belgrave to Gembrook.

You can catch a Belgrave line suburban train from the city and its a one hour trip to the terminus and a short walk to the ticket office of Puffing Billy.

The trains run from Belgrave to Gembrook, length 15 Miles (24 Km) on 2 foot 6 inch (762 mm) narrow gauge track. The minimum radius curve is 40 metres and the steepest grade is 1 in 30, so the trains are working very hard. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the little engines saying, "I think I can, I know I can, I think I can, I know I can . . ."

There are 4 intermediate stops - Menzies Creek, Emerald, Lakeside and Cockatoo, however the most popular destination and return point is Lakeside where there is a scenic lake, picnic facilities and other attractions including Australia's largest HO scale model railway. Trip to Lakeside from Belgrave is about 1 hour and Gembrook a further 40 minutes - not all trains go through to Gembrook.

Please note there is a restricted diesel locomotive service on "Total Fire Ban" days - check evening news for details. During the fire danger period, steam trains are followed by a fire patrol train (see photo).

Puffing Billy Railways also offer a chance to learn how to drive a 120 year old steam loco. It's a full day course and details can be found at Learn to drive Cost $A1,500.00

On another visit to Puffing Billy, I was able to capture footage of the G42 articulated loco heading off with a load of happy passengers.

Puffing Billy is always looking for volunteers - and I'm one of them - see web site for details and for timetables, fares, luncheon trains, dinner trains and other information. You may like to have a read of some of my experiences as a volunteer conductor on PBR by visiting my Belgrave page

Health Warning - you'll probably wear out your arms waving at everyone the train passes - and that includes the occupants of cars waiting at level crossings, dogs and almost everyone else, although its difficult to get a wave from teenagers.

TRAVEL WARNING

iF TRAVELLING BY TRAIN TO PUFFING BILLY, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU CATCH THE SUBURBAN TRAIN TO BELGRAVE. THE DANDENONG STATION IS NOT IN THE DANDENONG RANGES AND MANY KILOMETRES FROM PUFFING BILLY.

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Melbourne Street Art Series:
I know of a few places in Melbourne to experience some of our interesting graffiti art - all of it down slightly dodgy back streets and alleys in the CBD. It's all perfectly safe, and it's not fair to call this simply graffiti - most of it really is a work of art. Like it or hate it, it's worth a look because it's a real example of Melbourne's burgeoning creativity and youthfulness.
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Rutledge Lane
A side-trip for some on a walking tour of Hosier Lane, most skip this darker part of the laneway system because it does look slightly more dangerous. At night, it might even be.
During the day however, it's a fantastic mishmash of colours and paints. Every single surface is COVERED in tattoo-like artwork. The dumpsters, the floor, the walls, the vents. EVERYTHING. If you get here Monday around 1pm you should even catch a local underground hip-hop crew practising their dance moves here.

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Melbourne Street Art Series:
I know of a few places in Melbourne to experience some of our interesting graffiti art - all of it down slightly dodgy back streets and alleys in the CBD. It's all perfectly safe, and it's not fair to call this simply graffiti - most of it really is a work of art. Like it or hate it, it's worth a look because it's a real example of Melbourne's burgeoning creativity and youthfulness.
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Hosier Lane
Hosier Lane is right opposite the iconic Federation Square and is probably the best known of the graffiti art locations in the CBD. At any point in time you can see groups of snap-happy tourists clicking away with equipment ranging from simple point and clicks to monster cameras that seemingly have enough zoom to see a spot on the surface of Mars.
The reason this street art laneway is so popular is the street art in this location is the most intricate of the lot. Huge Krakens swim sleepily in a deep blue sea, a saint prays to find enlightenment, and the lord Ganesh watches on calmly.