Home to Rodger, Miryl, Josh and Livvy.
We had an early start on the Wednesday morning as our flight left Perth at 9.50am. Donna wasn't working so we said goodbye to her and piled us and our luggage into Rob's car for the journey to the airport. The roads were very busy at that hour of the morning but we were at the airport by 8am. We said our farewells to Rob as he dropped us off outside the terminal building. We checked in and printed the baggage tags and loaded our bags onto the luggage belt before making our way through security. We had time for breakfast and coffee before we boarded our flight to Melbourne. Only a 31/2 hour flight but as Melbourne is 3 hours ahead of Perth it was almost 4.30 when we landed. We were to be staying here for 4 days with Rodger, who is my son Steve's best friend from our time in Devon. They had been friends since their days at playgroup and Rodger now lives here with his wife Miryl and their two children, Josh and Livvy.We were a bit concerned as there was no sign of Rodger in the arrivals area but we had no choice but to hang around and hope that he found us. After 20 minutes or so Rodger and Livvy arrived, the delay was due to them being at the wrong terminal! Off we went to the car park and loaded everything into the car for the journey to Olinda. The drive should take about 1 ¼ hours but at that time of day the traffic was heavy and it took a couple of hours. The last half hour, when we came off the free-way, became much more rural driving through places with names like Fern Tree Gully and Sassafras . Rodger and Miryl live in the Dandenong national Park, a forested, hilly area where there are lots of tall, oh so tall, white gum trees.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandenong_Ranges
It was quite a surprise to find, when we arrived, that there are 42 steps up to the house from the car parking area! Luckily Rodger is young and strong and was able to carry up our suitcases. The house is surrounded by a wrap around balcony with amazing views overlooking the forest and valley below. Miryl and Josh soon arrived and we had lots to chat about over dinner. I had last seen Rodger, Miryl and family when they were back in Devon, visiting Rodger's mum, last summer but it was a long time since N had seen them and he had never met the children. After dinner we skyped Steve and it was good to hear Rodger and Steve chatting together as they have been friends since they were 4 years old.
By the time we surfaced, next morning, Miryl had left for her work in Melbourne and Rodger had taken Josh to school and Livvy to kindergarten. However on his return he still had Josh with him who wasn't feeling well. Not surprisingly, after a dose of Calpol, Josh was soon feeling much better! We went into the small town of Monbulk and to the bank to change some travellers checks. Monbulk is, how can I put it, a charming but rather backward little place. We caused some consternation in the bank with the travellers cheques as it seemed that the teller hadn't seen one before! Eventually three of them managed to sort out what to do and we emerged triumphant. After lunch at a nearby restaurant, Hills Kitchen, we went to pick Livvy up from kindergarten and then drove up into the hills through Olinda and to a couple of look out points. There was a garden and restaurant at the second one where we had coffee and the children had an ice cream and we looked at the view across to the city of Melbourne. Rain was forecast which was difficult to believe as it was hot and sunny but looking across to the city it looked quite dark. Just as we were leaving it started to spot with rain and by the time we got back home it was becoming heavier. We managed to get up the 42 steps before the heavens opened and thunder rolled across the hills followed by vivid lightening. The storm continued for several hours and the electric was cut off as well. By the time that Miryl got home it was almost dark and Rodger had lit up the house with candles. He phoned the electric company and got a recorded message saying that the electric should be back on at 11pm.
Next morning, Friday, the power was on and Josh was well enough to go back to school. Livvy was home as she just does 2 days a week at kindergarten. We decided to have an easy day and stay at home. It was good just to be able to potter around and to catch up with e mails and photos. I spent quite a while reading and playing with Play dough with Livvy who is very easy to entertain. Rodger was working the night shift on Friday night so when Miryl returned from work she suggested that perhaps we would like to go into the city with her and the children the next day. We were very pleased to agree as neither of us had been into the city before.
So next morning, leaving Rodger asleep, we left to go into the city. It makes sightseeing so much easier when one has a local “guide” ! No problems getting there, no problems parking and no problems knowing where to go. We parked near the city centre and walked down a tree lined pedestrian precinct next to the Yarra River and across the river from the skyscrapers of the CBD. We stopped for a while to watch a street performer on a unicycle before carrying on to a food mall for lunch. I have had such good memories of Australian food malls since my first experience of one in Sydney 10 years ago. Such a diverse range of tempting food from many different countries to choose from. The only problem is that there is so much choice that it is so difficult to know what to choose! After lunch we caught one of the famous Melbourne trams to the Art Gallery of Victoria. A most impressive building with a wall of water, which of course fascinated the children, outside. There are many important paintings in the gallery from ones by local artists to others around the world. One prize exhibit is a painting by Picasso "The Weeping Woman"which Miryl remembered was stolen not long after it arrived about 25years ago and was found a week later in railway station locker.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Victoria After an hour or so Miryl and I took the children over the road into the park to give them a chance to stretch their legs whilst N carried on looking around the gallery. Then it was back to the tram for a ride back to the car park and thence back home.
On Sunday we took a trip to a winery and farmers market in the Yarra valley http://www.visitvictoria.com/yarravalley before returning to Olinda and having a late lunch at the Pig and Whistle, a pub with such an English atmosphere that it almost felt like being back there! Back home it was time to pack our bags again in readiness for an early departure the next morning. It had been so good to spend a few days with them and to see, at last, where they were living. If either of you, Rodger or Miryl, ever get the time to read this with your busy lives please let me tell you how much we enjoyed seeing you again and thank you for your amazing hospitality.
Sydney/Coogee Bay.
And a good tie was hadby all.
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