It’s a glorious Melbourne morning. I meet up with Chris and Jean in Federation Square for the day. A nice long walk down to the Domain Parkland. It’s a perfect day for this. Not too hot but a good dose of insect repellent is needed here. The flies are gathering in numbers, as is their want around the flora and fauna.
Discussions of cupboard building and weddings dominate as we cross the River Yarra and walk down St Kilda Road and alongside Queen Victoria Gardens and Alexandra Gardens.
Coming into Kings Domain and the impressive War Memorial comes into view. The large Shrine of Remembrance building is Melbourne’s memorial to those who died in the Great War, having been designed by two architects who were also war veterans. The foundation stone was laid in 1927 and the building completed and dedicated on 11 November 1934. The centre piece inside is a marble stone which has the words “Greater Love Hath No Man” inscribed.
After the Second World War the reflecting pool which had sat on the northern side of the Shrine was replaced with the current forecourt and a 12 metre cenotaph erected to remember those who died in the Second World War along with the eternal flame. Areas around the Shrine now also remember those who died in other conflicts, including Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq and East Timor.
Passing by La Trobe’s Cottage we head into the masterpiece of the Domain Parkland. Melbourne has, without doubt, Australia’s finest Botanical Gardens. These gardens include a mix of both native and non-native plant life.
Charles La Trobe, first governor of Victoria, was keen for Melbourne to have numerous gardens and parkland around the city and he chose the location of the Botanical Gardens. With a few changes over the years the Botanical Gardens now mix some 10,000 species of plant life around a large ornamental lake.
This was the first time I’d really had a walk round the Gardens and very spectacular it all is. After lunch in the café (pie and chips) we headed back into the city for a ride around the City Circle tram and a beer at Young and Jacksons before walking down to the Bourke St Mall and a view of the rather poor Myer Christmas windows.
With an upcoming wedding Wednesday night was also the Stag Night for Howard, a little pub crawl around Fitzroy. Convening in the Little Creatures Dining Hall on Brunswick St all the guys showed up bit by bit. Little Creatures is one of Australia’s best brewing companies and their ales are well worth trying.
I have no idea which other bars we went to afterwards and I was already half asleep before getting back home to bed.
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