Day 74 – Melbourne International Airport – 6:58 PM

Where have the previous four weeks gone?  Australia is complete and I board a red-eye flight to Vietnam in a matter of hours.  My last days in Australia have been busy covering as much of Melbourne as possible.

On Thursday evening, I met up with Johnny, a buddy from Scotland whom I met in New Zealand.  He is currently working in Melbourne before traveling the country later in the year.  We met outside the Flinders Street Rail Station along with Simon, a German friend Johnny met in New Zealand.  With assistance from a number of Melbournites, we somehow navigated the tram system and made our way to Brunswick Street.  This street and the surrounding area is known as The Fitz Roy neighborhood.  It is home to numerous bars and restaurants and many supply live music on a nightly basis.  As we walked down Brunswick Street, Johnny asked me if I had “parma” since arriving in Melbourne.  I informed him I had not and he said I must before leaving the city.  We found a restaurant with parma on the menu and inside we strolled.  We seated ourselves and placed our orders.  I, of course, ordered the parma and anxiously awaited its arrival.  We sipped beers and caught up until our waitress appeared with three parma dinners.  Now in front of me was the largest chicken breast I had ever seen.  Topped with a slice of ham and melted cheese, it rested on a large supply of fries.  It was accompanied by a small side salad.  My eyes turned to saucers at the sight of the portion before me.  Although there were moments when I did not think I could stomach another bite, I miraculously cleaned my plate.  Another example of a recommendation that turned out to be just what I needed.  The parma was a delicious dinner and I surely received my moneys worth.  After a beer and the parmas, we stopped at three establishments to sample other beers on tap.  We reminisced about our time in New Zealand and Australia and Johnny informed us about his job.  We progressed back to Flinders Street Station and Johnny boarded the 1135 PM train to the suburbs.  We agreed that if either of us made it to the others home country we would try to catch up.

A number of people I met in and around Melbourne recommended the National Art Gallery of Victoria.  Yesterday I decided to see what all the hype was about.  Next to the National Art Gallery is the State Theater and that was my first stop.  I walked through the entrance and meandered the halls adorned with pictures and information about the recent class of inductees into the Victoria Music Hall of Fame.  The two acts that jumped out to me were AC/DC and Olivia Newton John.  I forgot that both had Australian roots.  After thirty minutes or so I departed the theater and completed the short walk to the National Art Gallery.

Around Melbourne and most noticeably outside the National Art Gallery were banners advertising the Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei exhibit.  I remembered

Andy Warhol from high school art classes and bought an entrance ticket.  The hour I intended to spend in the gallery turned into three as I slowly walked through the showcase.  Famous pieces of artwork lined the walls and video footage of interviews added another dimension to both artists.

After enlightening my artistic side, it was time for me to work on my athletic side.  Prior to departing New England I was an avid runner.  However, limited space in my backpacks caused me to leave my running shoes behind.  Nearly ten weeks later and I truly miss lacing up my shoes and setting out on early morning runs.  There have been numerous instances in Indiana, Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia when I wished I had running shoes.  I remedied that problem yesterday.  I researched running stores in Melbourne and came across Sole Motive, a running store near the city center.  The sales associate was very helpful and added insight into the brand I wanted.  In between sampling sizes and models, we discussed our running history and he informed me that he spent a summer in Massachusetts.  After deciding on a size and model, he let me jump on a treadmill and test them out.  They felt great and I walked out the proud owner of Hoka Clifton 2 running shoes.  I returned to my hostel, Urban Central, and completed a number of logistical things for Vietnam.

I woke early this morning and finished packing.  After checking out of Urban Central at 10 AM, I walked to a local post office and mailed some belongings back home.  I then had two options: St. Kilda beach or the Australian Open.  A beach is a beach but the Australian Open is unique to Melbourne and something I may never have the opportunity to experience again.  I walked to the tennis center and purchased a $10 ticket to enter the grounds.  While the tournament does not begin until Monday, practice and qualifying rounds were taking place today.  I watched a number of stars take the court and refine their skills prior to Monday.  These included Bernard Tomic and Maria Sharapova.  I then watched a portion of a qualifying match between an American and a German.  The heat and blazing sun forced me into the shade under a row to nearby trees.

Around 2 PM, I left the tennis center and returned to Urban Central to gather my bags and walk to Southern Cross Railway Station.  From there I took an express bus to Melbourne International Airport.  I’m currently passing my remaining hours in Australia reminiscing about the previous four weeks.  I met some incredible people during my time here and I hope to catch up with many of them again some day down the road.  I snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef, was feet from a koala bear in its natural habitat, took a three day road trip along the Great Ocean Road, departed the routine backpacker route and spent time in a small town three hours from Melbourne, saw flawless waves surfed by proficient surfers in Byron Bay and for the majority of the month my feet never left the sand.

I cannot say for certain what Vietnam has in store.  I am both excited and nervous to board my China Airlines flight later tonight.  Hopefully all the positive things I have heard about Vietnam are true.  Stay tuned and we’ll continue on this journey together.

* Additional pictures from the Great Ocean Road are available within the Australia Portfolio section on the Perpetual Footsteps homepage