Australia Day 2011

Not sure what I expected for Australia Day, but luckily Andy found a leaflet on the tram about what was going on in Melbourne. We decided on a two pronged attack on the day, heading into town for the morning, returning home for a BBQ in the afternoon and then returning to the city for the evening.

We had a great day; starting off with the Peoples March down near Fed Square. Here are some pictures; it felt as if there should have been prizes awarded as some of the groups put in a lot more effort than others.

We then wandered over the river to the Gardens where we watched the Australia Day woodchop, a 140 year old sport of chopping logs in two, started by a bet between two men about who could cut the most shingles in the least time. They gave away mini plastic axes to the kids (just asking for trouble!).

After all that excitement we headed to the B-Sharps Big Band and sat on the slightly damp grass (only noticed once I got back up) listening to some swing and watching other people dance (really quite well, far too well for us to join in).

A visit to the RACV old vehicle display (which also had all sort of stalls and stands) finished us off for the morning. The afternoon consisted of an Andy BBQ (3 types of meat product covered in BBQ sauce for Andy, a veggie burger and corn on the cob for me). There was also an opportunity to have a rest (isn’t that what public holidays are for really).

Heading back into town for the evening our first stop was the Queen Victoria Market, to experience the Sukuki Night Market (every Wednesday). Unfortunately we were stuffed from the BBQ, otherwise we would have eaten loads here. There were stands of every type of food and craft you can imagine (and several I couldn’t – a spiral potato on a stick, sorry no photo! when we go back I will get one). We managed to force in some honey dumplings and real lemonade before we left for the fireworks.

So the final event of the day was the fireworks back at Fed Square, we positioned ourselves downriver slightly and hoped we were in the right place. At 9.15 they began shooting out from the top of the Eureka building (tallest in Melbourne) and the Gardens on the opposite side of the river. They were fab, and the finale appeared to involve setting off every kind of firework they could get their hands on!

Happy Australia Day 2011

I have a couple of reviews to write up about the Melbourne Museum and the Aquarium, so they will be coming soon to a blog near you!