We started in Sydney, oldest and largest city in Australia, then visited Hobart, our second oldest and most southerly city. Stop 3 was Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, capital of Victoria and a melting pot of cultures that gives it an amazing vibrancy. We found ourselves wandering through the Greek precinct ( Melbourne's Greek population is exceeded only by the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki), and taking in the scents and sounds of Asia in the lively atmosphere of Chinatown. We visited the charming Captain Cook's cottage in Fitzroy Gardens, connecting with our British heritage. But for me, the most exciting part was visiting the grand, old Lutheran Trinity church where my Swiss great-great-grandfather was ordained in 1878, two years after his arrival in Australia. He had landed in Adelaide and completed his studies at Sevenhill to become a Catholic priest, but never took his final vows because he would not accept the infallibility of the Pope. And so he travelled to Melbourne and ended up becoming a Lutheran minister. As family history goes, I find it exciting that the actual hand written sermon he delivered at his ordination still exists in the archives.

The church had only been built four years before his ordination and, though grand, is dwarfed somewhat by the Catholic Cathedral across the road. I wonder how my ancestor felt about that.

After getting in touch with my roots, we then proceeded to soak in more of this glorious city. It did not disappoint us with its weather reputation. The day had started off windy, cold and overcast, but by midday the sky was a deep azure, and the sun shone warmly.

Everywhere people were enjoying the sunshine, lolling about on grassy spots, listening to street musicians, shopping, chatting, sightseeing, strolling. We did a circuit of the city on the free tram, but spent most of our time exploring on foot. The riverside is lovely, the many gardens cool and green, the buildings stately. This was our loveliest day so far and Melbourne is now on our must re-visit list.