The past two weeks has seen us driving the three-hour
stretch of the Western Highway between Horsham and the greater Melbourne
area.
We have been tag-teaming with
Susan and Simon as they take us up on our offers to spend time with their kids
(and our niece and nephew).
Pick-ups and
drop-offs at sports and music; cooking lessons (spring rolls and pulled pork)
with Auntie Kate; trips to the local grocers and bakers to get our daily
supplies; bicycle riding around town; games of Monopoly; household chores like
feeding and recapturing the chooks … all these tasks that might be deemed
mundane are happily done by us, as we get the kids’ perspectives as we go.
We also have some time with Susan and Simon
once the little ones (at eleven and thirteen) are shoo-ed off to bed.
We hear about this year’s crop, catch up on
family and town gossip, and get a better feeling what has been happening with
them.
We are treasuring this time with
family.
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| Kate's Lovely New Bike ... with hearts! |
Three days ago, we returned to the city.
We’ve been spending hours each day on our
bikes, riding along Port Phillip Bay as far as Sandringham to the south and
Williamstown to the west.
As the weather
here will support it, Melbourne has a large (and growing) community of active
cyclists.
This is reflected in the
number of bike lanes, bike paths and general infrastructure set up specifically
for cyclists.
A special commuter punt
takes cyclists and pedestrian traffic across the Yarra River during the two
daily peak-hour commuting times.
Dedicated paths for non-motorized transport (bikes, pedestrians,
scooters, skateboarders, longboarders et al) exist to get into and out of the
suburbs here.
Kate and I are taking full
advantage of this by exploring the communities, which are self-contained but
seamlessly joined neighborhoods.
There
are kilometers and kilometers of pathways along the sandy beaches. Parks and
palm trees abound.
There are bike paths
along the various tributaries that flow into the bay, as well, connecting
greenspace after greenspace.
It is easy
to see why Melbourne always gets such high marks for livability.
The inner city has its charms.
Each of the neighborhoods has a 'village square' where much of the neighborhood's commerce happens. Cafés, bakeries, pharmacies, little restaurants and other merchants are mostly gathered here, as is a tram or train station that can take you to the city centre. Residential and commercial buildings rarely go above three stories in these neighborhoods. Combine that with the basement-less constriuction (most structures are built on ground-level concrete slabs) and the neighborhoods have a very low-and-flat feel. Yards and private spaces for the buildings are often behind the streetfront, lending privacy to the spaces. This particular neighborhood, once upon a time, was a working class area as it was close to the piers and warehouses. It has since gentrified with the piers and loading docks moving up the Yarra. Now, kilometres of sandy, well-kept beaches are close by. Those lucky enough to live in the neighborhood (or have relatives with a place here) can be at the beach before or after work for a swim/run/cycle/stroll/coffee/etc. That would be Kate and me right now.
Today we are holed up in Susan and Simon’s
weekend house in the Melbourne neighborhood of Albert Park.
It is a rainy day, therefore an opportunity
to document, reflect and do laundry. And 'blog. And do puzzles.
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| Chillin' at Albert Park |
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| The Vincent, our local pub |
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| Tram stop near the beach |
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| Bike paths going forever along Port Phillip Bay |
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| 'Little' streets, similar to Mews |
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| Victoria St., a typical main thoroughfare |
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