With free days on the card, & Glenn back in Melbourne, we sat down & planned an agenda for the next few days, as there are so many things to do in Melbourne. Hopefully, we'll do something that appeals to each & every one of you.
Today involved a trip to St Kilda, then back to South Melbourne markets & DFO in the city.
St Kilda has a number of drawcards to recommend itself. Acland St is home to cafes, restaurants & the main shopping precinct. It is also known for its European bakeries & cake shops. Window fronts are chocker block with product including cakes, biscuits, pastries & macarons.
St Kilda also has Luna Park, which is just across the road from the beach front. At the moment, Luna Park is only open on weekends, but once the school holidays & the warmer weather hits, then it's 7 days a week.
Photo: Luna Park, St Kilda, showing the Mr Moon entrance & the rollercoaster
Melbourne's Luna Park was designed & built in 1912 by T.H.E. Slick & 20 builders from New York's Coney Island. The Great Scenic Railway ride (roller coaster), was the principal feature when Luna Park first opened. The entrance towers & Mr Moon were built as part of the Great Scenic Railway. This rollercoaster is unique for two reasons. Firstly, it is the only one from its period still in operation & secondly, it is the only example in the world of brakeman operated carriages. The brakeman is the fella you can see standing up in the middle of the carriages. He doesn't appear to be wearing a harness or any safety equipment, so how this passes OH&S I have no idea! As it happens, Sydney's Luna Park didn't open until 1935, over two decades later
Photo: the rollercoaster with the brakeman standing between the carriages
Being a beautiful day meant the beach front played host to families, walkers, bike riders & the multitudes that just sought the warmth of sunshine in an effort to escape the chill of the past two days. We also journeyed along the pier which allowed views of Port Melbourne to the west & as far as Mornington Peninsula to the south east.
Photo: St Kilda pier
Photo: views of Port Melbourne & Melbourne from St Kilda pier
Photo: looking from St Kilda pier back to St Kilda beach
Every Sunday, artisan market stalls line St Kilda's esplanade, selling wares ranging from jewellery to photo canvases to sewn & knitted scarves & clothing. Honestly, St Kilda has something for everyone.
Back in the city, you can't walk along the streets or Southbank without encountering street performers, particularly on a weekend. In Melbourne the street performers & buskers are of a very high standard & I have heard they audition for a permit. Today, we caught up with two. Along Southbank, we encountered an escape artist who we watched be bound up in a straight jacket by a member of the audience. He was then wrapped up in 25m of chain with 3 padlocks joining links in 3 different places & 35m of rope, which bound his body & legs in a black bag. His feet were locked in shackles that were also secured by padlocks.
With a lot of wriggling, he eventually managed to work the chains down to his feet, then slide the straight jacket over his head to be free of it.
In Swanston St, we came across Funky Bunny, whom I've seen before. Funky Bunny plays popular tunes on bass guitar &, as the name implies, is dressed as a rabbit. He is actually a very accomplished bassist & is very entertaining.
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