Day 65 – Melbourne, Australia – 12:55 PM

Today, prior to 10 AM, I had already ridden on a plane, a train and a bus.  I departed Sydney this morning at 7 AM and landed in Melbourne 45 minutes later.  I subsequently purchased an express bus ticket from the airport to Southern Cross railway station.  From there I boarded a train to Flinders Street station.

Last night, prior to leaving Sydney, I reconnected with a friend from Melbourne, who I first met in Dunedin, New Zealand.  I told him I was arriving in town this morning and would like to catch up over a beer or two.  He informed me he was heading to his parents house in Maffra for the weekend, a 3 hour train ride southeast of Melbourne.  He extended an invitation to join and I accepted.  It would be a great opportunity to experience some local culture and provide a respite from the normal Australian backpacker route.  His cousin from Germany, along with a couple friends, were arriving in Melbourne this morning and we could board the train from Findler Street together.

I arrived a couple hours prior to their landing.  With time to spare, I stored my bags, departed the station and explored the local vicinity.  I walked along one side of the Yarra River.  To my right stood riverfront restaurants awaiting the lunch hour crowd.  To my left, on the river, rowers drove their sculls upriver while scenic river cruises departed with eager tourists.  I crossed the Yarra Footbridge and worked back up the other side of the river towards my origin.

By now it was close to 12 pm and my appetite needed to be fulfilled.  Over my left shoulder I spotted the Mr. Burger food truck.  The smell of cooking ground beef wafted through the air and I was sold.  A burger for lunch would fit the bill.  I walked up and ordered a double beef patty, with caramelized onions, cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato.  It was accompanied by a small tin of fries sprinkled with salt and drizzled with ketchup.

Following lunch, I walked back to the Flinders Street station passing unique architecture and tourists with cameras raised snapping photographs.  I placed my transit card to the reader, the doors opened and inside I strolled.  The hustle and bustle that I witnessed on arrival had not subsided and riders came and went in all directions.  I found a quiet corner and sit, waiting on the arrival of my friend.

I am often asked if I’m making the most of the towns and cities I visit. While some areas have been larger than others and offered more to see and do; I answer that question with an emphatic yes.  However, with the weather that plagued me this past week, I’m unable to say the same about my stay in Sydney.  Aside from touring the Sydney Opera House and getting my first foreign haircut, I did not accomplish much more during my stay.  If I do ever return to Australia, Sydney is on my list of places I must revisit.