Day 2 of the Moomba Festival has the highlight of showcasing the birdman event - whereby contestants craft wings for themselves and jump into the Yarra in an attempt to 'fly' the furthest. The event attracts a lot of spectators, and contestants can win a prizes for the most interesting costumes, the furthest distance flown, and the softest and most graceful landing.

Early in the day I arranged to meet up with an old uni friend named Abi who has been in Australia since early last year and who is planning to settle down in Melbourne. She and her boyfriend Rob had just moved to Melbourne and we used the Moomba festival as an excuse to meet up and catch up. I headed into the city using my river route again, and at 12pm met Rob and Abi at Flinders Street Station.

After saying our hellos and catching up on the past year, we headed to the St Kilda Road bridge and looked out over the event. The banks of the Yarra were absolutely rammed, and unfortunately this meant we were never going to get a view close enough to make taking pictures or video worth while. We instead stood and observed from the bridge, chatting about what each other had been up to since we last saw each other.

After birdman finished we left and headed to grab lunch at Grill'd, this time just off Flinders Street. As usual Grill'd was no let down, the best burger I have ever had. With stomachs full we set off again, this time for a walk down Southbank, though with no particular direction in mind. We passed the Eureka tower, which I mentioned I hadn't been up yet but would love to see.

Both Rob and Abi also wanted to go up, and so we decided to head up the tower there and then. After entering the building we noticed the price of a ticket which allowed for re-entry at night was only a tiny bit more than normal entry and so we all decided to grab one. This would prove to be a smart decision, as Abi later remembered that we could watch the fireworks from Moomba from up the tower in the evening.

We entered the lift and were sent skyrocketing to 975ft, and the highest observation deck in the southern hemisphere. We emerged at the top, with the most spectacular views over Melbourne. I couldn't help but snap many many photos, however most were hindered due to high reflection the glass. It turned out that the glass was actually gold plated!

After spending some time admiring the skyline, we "returned to earth" (as the sign above the elevator read) and said our goodbyes for a short while, whilst I nipped back to recharge my camera battery and Rob and Abi took a ride of the city circle tram to get their surroundings.

We all met up again later in the day to grab a drink, before heading back to the skydeck at sunset. We managed to find some good seats and watched the Moomba Festival fireworks from atop the tower, and I recorded some video. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, and walked back home along the Yarra.

Ian.