Left the Dandenongs Friday morning and drove south west to the Mornington Peninsula. This area south of Melbourne has some beautiful golden sandy beaches but lots of flies! Melbourne is notorious for its flies as well as it's changeable weather. As there was no breeze and it was also very humid it was ideal conditions for these pesky creatures. It's not so much the quantity as their persistence. You can wave away an English fly and it will invariably give up. Aussie flies go straight for moisture - eyes, nose and mouth. They fly straight at you and just don't go away! You have to walk along with your mouth closed and glasses on or suffer the consequences.
Sunday. Had our 'hurray the parents are going' BBQ and Mat kindly prepared and cooked the meat. We held it at Tom and Sarah's apartment block where there is a residents' BBQ and tables in the same area as the swimming pool. Tom and Sarah invited a few of their friends who we have already met and Kristy came as well. (Colin is in Kuala Lumpur at the mo). Tasted my first kangaroo meat. It was ok.....
Monday we visited the police museum which is just across the road to Tom and Sarah's apartment. The only interesting thing there was the armour made and worn by Ned Kelly and his gang which apparently weighed 45 kilos and was the main reason he was captured as it was so heavy to wear he couldn't run away!
Yesterday David and I took the little ferry down the Yarra river to Williamstown. The ferry takes 50 minutes from the centre of Melbourne to the mouth of the Yarra where Williamstown is situated. It is named after King William IV and would have been the main city instead of Melbourne but had no fresh water supplies nearby. It is now a quiet little town with many historic buildings. We caught the train back and stopped off at South Kensington station (yes really) to see the house that Tom and Sarah are moving to next month.
In the evening, as a thank you to Tom and Sarah we took them out on the 'Colonial Tram'. There are 3 maroon coloured trams, reminiscent of Pullman coaches, that go around Melbourne every lunchtime and evening. They each have their own chef and waiting staff on board and provide a 3 or 5 course meal while you take in the sights. It is a very popular attraction and is rated as the top restaurant in Melbourne. (See Trip Advisor). The food and service was excellent and made a very enjoyable end to our stay in Australia.