Heart of Wisconsin
Business & Economic Alliance and
Community Foundation of
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A Joint Initiative Between Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance and Community Foundation of South Wood County |
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Enterprising Rural Communities Study Tour 2004 – Australia November 5-7 2004 Hello Folks, It's 5:30 in the morning, I'm just not too sure which morning. I know we're in Melbourne, Victoria Australia. We left on Friday, Nov. 5 flew a total of 18 hours, sat another 10 hours or so in airports, and to add insult to injury, lost a day when we crossed the International Dateline. Okay, so it's 5:30 am, Monday Nov. 8 in Melbourne and 12:30 pm Sunday in Wisconsin. We arrived at our "apartments" in Melbourne yesterday around 11:30 am. As you can see from our picture, we all arrived in good form, ready to take on Melbourne. The rest of the day we were free to do as we wished. I chose to spend the time snapping pictures, which you see here. Before I explain to you the incredible experience of Melbourne, let me introduce the people in the photo: 
From left to right. Connie Loden, Marcia Kuenne from Medford WI; Marion Ruelle, Wisconsin Rapids; Kelly Haverkampt, Lodi, WI; Felicity Gallaghan, Perth, Western Australia; Arlene Scalzo, Nekoosa; David Beurle, Perth, Western Australia; Bernie Kuenne (married to Marcia), Medford, WI; Al Rasmussen, Bagley, MN; and Aaron Kaiser, Shelvin, MN. Now, on to Melbourne. Our accommodations are right in downtown Melbourne. After washing up I grabbed the camera, bounded out onto the sidewalk, took a left and was immediate struck by what I can only describe as a tendency toward architecture contrasts in this beautiful city. The architecture seems either modern or classic. A short walk brought me to Federation Square. Check out this incredible BMW Theater [4a-4b] in the Ian Potter Center, and the Australian Center for Moving Image [6]. These are adjacent to Flinder Street Station [5] a beautiful (and busy) subway station. 
A short walk and you can visit Queen Victoria's Market [7a-7c]. At this sprawling market vendors sell anything from leather handbags to organic pineapples. And it was packed with people on Sunday afternoon. 
Heavy pedestrian traffic seems the norm in Melbourne. All places that I walked found the sidewalks busy with people out on a Sunday afternoon. And it's no wonder. There are hundreds of restaurants and small shops located on the main thoroughfares and tucked into narrow pedestrian walks that positively draw you in with their charm. One beautiful green space I found in downtown Melbourne was Flagstaff Gardens. Taking up several city blocks, this provides a restful respite from the hustle and bustle of the city streets [8]. 
Freestanding art abounds in this city [2], [9]. 
There are hundreds of examples that positively pepper downtown. The old [3] and the new [1] co-exist beautifully. 
Well, I wish I could go on and tell you more. But we're getting ready to hit the road in a hour. Today we'll be traveling to the Gippsland Region. We'll visit local businesses and trails that have been designed around the "Gourmet Deli Country Region" concept. In the evening we'll arrive at Phillip Island, where we'll watch the penguins as the run up the beach and return to their burrows. Does that sound cool or what? Until tomorrow … |
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