Melbourne, Day Three

My lodgings were just around the corner from the Victoria Parliament House, which I wandered past the next morning as I set off to explore. You can see wires for Melbourne's fabulous trolley system in the picture here. It's free in the Central Business District, though I spent more of my time on foot.

Do you need a fountain and palm trees in your morning? Because apparently I did.

 The old Treasury building, just down the way from Parliament House.

I didn't make it back to the botanic gardens, but I did go to both the Treasury Gardens and the Fitzroy Gardens. First up, this statue of Artemis (she's always been a particular favorite of mine).

I love conservatories!

I don't know what kind of bird this is, but it was neat. And massive. And did not attempt to kill me.

Across the street in the Fitzroy Gardens.

One of the reasons I'd set off in this direction was to see Cook's Cottage. This house was originally built in England in 1755 by the Cook family (Captain Cook himself probably never lived there, as the house was built after he was an adult). In the 1930s, the house was going to be destroyed in favor of a new highway, so a local man bought it. It was dismantled brick by brick, shipped to Melbourne, and rebuilt in the gardens, opening to the public in 1934.

I didn't realize that Captain Cook was actually quite tall. This statue is life-size. (He was 6'4")

There's a little model village nearby!

This was my favorite, for obvious reasons.

The story behind the model village is very cool. It was a gift from the citizens of Lambeth, England, as thanks for food that was sent from Victoria to England during the food shortages after the end of World War II.

Next to the model village is the fairy tree, which was carved by a local artist from 1931-1934 and then gifted to the children of Melbourne. 

My wandering then took me back to St. Paul's Cathedral, which I'd seen from Federation Square the day before. It's quite beautiful. I happened to show up as a local children's choir was practicing for an upcoming Christmas concert. The acoustics were, oddly enough, amazing.

It costs around AUS$3,000 per day for upkeep on this place, so there's a small fee if you want to take pictures inside.

Worth it.

The Flinders Street railway station across the way is also not entirely unattractive.

A dear friend in Wellington had suggested that I go to Movida (https://movida.com.au/) while I was there, which just happened to be tucked in an alleyway nearby. The food was fabulous. The alleyway was pretty cool, too.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in the National Gallery of Victoria, which has a stunning collection. That evening, I dropped in on a sword fighting school, scouting places to train for when I (hopefully!) move back in February.