North Melbourne - 37° 48' 47" S 144° 57' 4" E

Beautiful, marvelous Melbourne!

Springtime in Melbourne. A city in the grips of Finals Fever (Aussie Rules that is!). What other city has holidays for not one, but two sporting events? Friday is a day off for the Grand Final Parade and Melbournians enjoy the first Tuesday in November off for the horse race, the Melbourne Cup! A city with its priorities worked out.

And to make it more exciting, The Doggies are in the "Granny" for the first time since 1961 with their last premiership being 1954. Many fans are watching their team in the Grand Final for the first time in their life! Not a problem for me - Hawthorn has won twelve premierships in my lifetime - including three in the last three years.

The coffee really is fabulous and it is a joy to walk around the markets and grocery stores with the incredible range of tasty goods. The options in cream alone makes one want to whip up a pavlova. The restaurants tucked into alleyways off lane ways off lanes serve an extraordinary range of foods from dumplings to caviar.

And the Fringe Festival, an annual, independent arts festival, is treating Melbourne to some amazing productions. We saw Emily Taylor in the one woman play "The Thick of It" in the tiny, eclectic theatre at the Butterfly Club (in a lane, off a lane...). The Melbourne Festival, a celebration of dance, theatre, music, circus, visual arts, multimedia, outdoor and free events, starts at the end of the month with more marvellous entertainment for the city.

And cycling! Sigh, all those pretty bicycles! Pelotons of bright colours wizz by along Beach Road. We explored the new paths around Webb Dock and the developments along the Yarra. We can ride on back roads and bike paths from North Melbourne (my place) to Albert Park (my sister's) without the need to dodge traffic or ride through the Montague Street intersection. Hurrah!