Melbourne Happenings - Part 3

Melbourne continues to enthral us. If we find some free time we try to fit in a visit to a local tourist attraction. Thus Rick and I spent one Sunday afternoon at the Melbourne Museum.

It is a mammoth place and the exhibits are extensive, covering every imaginable area of interest. We found an amazing interactive bird and animal diorama,

a dinosaur exhibit of immense proportions,

an Asian-Pacific display such as we had never seen before,

an Aboriginal section that included the original documents when the Aborigines asked the government in vain for the return of their land,

and an entire area dedicated to things from the depths of the ocean.

On the hour a handbell installation played the tunes of Strauss or Mozart. We also discovered many historical displays, exhibited in a variety of manners - through stained glass medium, as a recreated village, in miniature model form,

or even stitched into a tapestry.

The outside of the museum was also beautifully landscaped with different types of vegetation.

Horse racing is always near and dear to every Australian's heart, and the Australian horse-racing legend, Phar Lap, has been immortalized in the museum! (Never mind that the actual heart of the horse was in the museum in Canberra. Rick and I have seen that also!) And, in case you are wondering about this next picture, it is me in the midst of an ant farm!

At the conclusion of our visit to the regular museum, I was able to take a tour to see the special Titanic exhibit, which Rick had seen a few years back in Vancouver.

It was sobering to relive the sinking of the massive "unsinkable" ship. We were able to see the ship's grand recreated central staircase and view some of the artifacts that have been lifted from the Titanic's watery grave.

The churches in Melbourne are all very stately and grand, built in the Victorian era, and have three or four manual pipe organs. Rick has been at a couple of organ recitals that take place during the day in different venues, all with fabulous pipe organs. I was able to attend an organ recital at the stately Melbourne Town Hall

together with Rick one afternoon. The organ is touted to be the largest organ in the Southern Hemisphere

and the guest organist truly played a recital worthy of the grand instrument!

There is still so much to see and do as the days tick by, always shortening our time left in Australia. And now we have only just over two months remaining in this amazing adventure which is Australia! How we wish we could stay just a tad longer!