Welcome to Melbourne. It’s pouring rain.

Day one January 12, 2025

Free walking tour led by a college student. College students are Melbourne‘s biggest source of revenue. We learned about the different famous sites. There are none, only Findlay’s train station shown below. We waled down HOSIER Lame to see the street art was wonderful!

Then the heavens opened up and it poured like it has never poured before. I was wearing sandals and walking through one foot deep swarms of rain. The guy took us in and out of shopping arcades just to get out of the rain and I felt sorry for people with no umbrellas. Arcades really were part of the tour though with elaborate clocks and statues just like the famous Paris 

The next day we took another free, cultural art walking tour and it was 100% different which I was so happy about.

We walked through AC/DC Lane and the guide said has everyone heard of AC/DC? I rolled my eyeballs of course! Have you seen the famous video? It is it was produced here. OK never saw it, only know a few of their songs. There was a famous bar, the Cherry Bar, threatened to be closed due to excessive noise. They took up a collection to buy soundproof walls and have the names of the contributors plaque here. Look who contributed, bottom left. .

We even saw an artist painting an Australian Open mural  

Wanted very much to eat baby abalone because it is a delicacy in a Chinese banquet and we cannot get it fresh in NYC. Only canned , a friend recommended two Chinese restaurants and we thoroughly enjoyed baby abalone and some fresh fish. We met my cousin Sharon who coincidentally was in Melbourne and her local friends were really helpful  

Wormoot. Ocean caught. Was dense/somewhat chewy