Big Brother Visits

After almost 5 years of David and I living in Melbourne we finally got a visit from my big brother Brian, his fiance Belinda and her son Rourke. Now the only family member not to visit is my little brother, Gregory.

Brian’s visit has been pretty cool cause we’ve done a few things we hadn’t done previously including a trip to Old Melbourne Gaol, Collingwood Children’s Farm and Eureka Tower’s SkyDeck.

On Friday we went to the Old Melbourne Gaol, the entry price of $20 for adults I think is a little steep given half of the gaol is actually no longer part of the gaol but now private businesses. You only really have access to the forecourt (which is open to the public) and a single wing of the gaol. They do have some cool information in there about some of the inmates and while it’s true Ned Kelly was interned and hanged there, the gaol saw many more prisoners who were much worse than him. Just not as dramatic I guess. And I never knew that it was (according to the gaol writings) Kelly’s mother who encouraged him to go off with another bush ranger as she was unable to properly care for him as a child. It was this that started with his life of crime.

Yesterday, Saturday, we visited Chadstone shopping centre in the morning for a spot of shopping and some bowling.

We then went to the Collingwood Children’s Farm, a farm run by volunteers in the middle of the city, on the bank of the Yarra river. It was pretty cool, there were goats with kids, sheep with lambs, horses, chickens, ducks, geese, cows, horses, guinea pigs and so much more. Rourke had a great time chasing around the lambs and chickens and holding the guinea pigs. It was fun to watch and to pat the animals.

We then followed up the farm with a trip to Brunetti for coffee and cake and then on to Eureka Tower.

Eureka Tower’s SkyDeck is 88 stories up inside Australia’s tallest building gives 360 degree views of the entire city, a section where you can go outside on one section and also (for additional cost) go into “the edge”, a box that slides out from the side of the building and then turns clear so you are standing on a glass platform looking 88 floors down. Brian, Belinda and Rourke went out into the Edge.

We also had a great view up there of the MCG and saw the crowds watching Geelong beat the Western Bulldogs followed by the massive exodus of spectators.

The night was rounded out at Crown with dinner at The Pub.

This morning we had breakfast at Crème and forgot it was fathers’ day so we got stuck outside in the cold wind. Wasn’t the best time we’ve had there.

Currently we’re playing Wii Sports Resort as it is a little too cold outside for Werribee Open Range Zoo (our intended destination), so we’re spending the remainder of the visit inside before the trip to the airport later this afternoon.