Life Down Under (Part 4): Bundoora, Melbourne Museum, Smith Street, Brighton Beach, Polly Woodside

- August 1-7, 2022, Monday to Sunday.

- August welcomed me with grander things to discover in Melbourne. On Wednesday the 3rd, my colleague and I visited La Trobe University, which is our partner institution and research funder. It was nice to physically be in the university after sending e-mails back and forth with our colleagues there. La Trobe University is a public research university. Its main campus is in Bundoora, a suburb that's around 40 minutes from the CBD.

Here we are!

It reminds me a lot of Ateneo.

Yes, the statue of Charles La Trobe, the first governor of Victoria, is really upside down. The statue, known as "Landmark" was made my artist Charles Robb in 2004. He intentionally made the statue upside down as a challenge to how we commemorate historical figures. It was also meant to encourage academics to "think on their heads." (OK, if you say so.)

The agora, or the main square/plaza.

One of the many lecture theaters.

- After a day in La Trobe University, we hopped once again to the Winter Night Market in Queen Victoria Market to check out more treats.

I finally got to try cheese wheel pasta!

This is why it's called cheese wheel pasta!!

Churro bowl with ice cream.

- Come Friday, I decided to visit the Carlton Gardens where the Royal Exhibition Building was (Tram 86 or 96 to Melbourne Museum stop). Built in 1879, it was one of the many venues around the world used for the international exhibition. Although it is not always possible to visit inside the hall, it is still nice to look at it from the outside.

Bridgerton anyone?

Just sitting around.

- However, one's trip to the Carlton Gardens can be maximized by also visiting the Melbourne Museum just behind the exhibition building. The roots of the museum go back to 1854, but it was then located in La Trobe Street in the CBD. It has been in its current location in the Carlton Gardens since the year 2000.

Museum entrance.

There was an area where you can hold indigenous tools, like this big boomerang. Traditional boomerangs may come in this size, and are commonly used for hunting.

Indigenous representations of animals.

Pacific cultures gallery. You can see these giant boats, just like the ones used in Moana.

Australian emblem with an actual stuffed kangaroo and a stuffed emu.

Melbourne Gallery.

There were dinosaurs!

The most surprising were actual live spiders and bugs.

A plump mantis!

OK maybe this wasn't real.

Tricerotops.

One of the random things I saw in the museum.

And yes, Pobblebonk is alive.

One think I liked about the museum was that it had an actual forest with free-roaming animals as part of the exhibit.

- From the museum I rode tram 86 to Smith Street (Smith Street stop) to look at the quirky shops and restaurants. It is one long street spanning several blocks. It has international restaurants and cafes, thrift stores (called "op shops" in Australia, short of "opportunity shops"), fabric stores, art stores. 

Smith Street! So far, one of my favorite streets in Melbourne!

One random store had this almost life-sized Power Ranger Lost Galaxy megazord (or if you're familiar with the original Japanese super sentai, Gingaman's Seijuu Gattai GingaOh).

- On Saturday, I had an early trip to a suburb called Brighton in the far south (Sandringham-bound train from Flinders Station to Middle Brighton Station or Brighton Station). The suburb is known for its beach and its colorful bathing boxes. Yes, it is named after the famous Brighton Beach in England. The history of Brighton Beach goes back to the 1800s. The bathing boxes are all privately owned, so no one can go inside each box, but visitors are free to go and take photos of them.

Bathing boxes.

I waited for this moment to wear my Australia shirt!

A little costume change and a little sand kicking.

Inside a mini-mall.

Brighton. The streets are cozy and lined with cafes, restaurants, and shops.

Train tracks in Middle Brighton Station.

- After my morning at Brighton, I had a bit of downtime and errand time in the afternoon. On Sunday, I had an early start once again and headed to Polly Woodside at the south bank of Melbourne (Tram 12, 29, or 160 to MCEC / Casino / or Clarendon stop). Do note that Polly Woodside is only open to visitors only during the first Sunday of the month, and everyday during school holidays.

Here I am!

I am totally loving my outfit here by the way.

I am not a ship person, but I am fascinated by how ships look and how they get to fit everything in one vessel.

Small kitchen.

Got to meet some pirates! (They were just visitors dressing up! I thought they were staff!)

- The ship was built in Belfast in by William Woodside and launched in 1885. The ship was named after his wife Marian, whose nickname was "Polly". Hence, the name "Polly Woodside." It was a cargo ship that carried numerous goods in 16 around the world trips. The trip has worked almost nonstop before restoration works were done in the late 1960s. 

Office.

Captain's room.

Scrubbing the deck.

At the ship's bow.

Pulley being used inside the basement where all the goods and supplies were supposed to be. 

- I also joined the free tour that comes with the entry ticket, and our tour guide shared lots of stories about Polly Woodside and how things worked. My favorite part of the tour was when he asked for volunteers to scrub the deck and all the kids volunteered (I'm not included!). He explained that scrubbing the deck didn't only ensure that the deck was clean, but scrubbing the floor with sea water helped ensure that the wood the ship was made of would last longer.

I knew I had the right outfit for the day! My ship guide and I were dressed similarly!

Scrubbin' the deck.

Anchors outside Polly Woodside.

Polly Woodside from afar.

- After spending time at Polly Woodside, I went to the nearby DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) to check out their stuff. There were many branded items for less though nothing interested me at that time. It was nice to see which brands and products they had, just in case I needed something. The prices were generally good too.

DFO.

Crown Melbourne (a casino and resort.)

Also passed by the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

- I am overwhelmed by the fact that there are still lots of unique and unusual finds in Melbourne. What more if I had the chance to see more things around Australia? It excites me to know that there is still so much that I can experiences to learn more about Australia's culture, history, and society!