Life Down Under (Part 3): Melbourne's Important Buildings and Gardens, the Philippine Consulate, and Hamilton!

- July 28-31, 2022, Thursday to Sunday.

- Melbourne has been interesting so far, and I know I have just barely scratched the surface of the things I can experience in the city. I am normally working on my research on most days, but at least I do get to give myself a break on weekends. 

- I spent most Thursday working as a way to recover from my Castlemaine trip, but I got to go around again on Friday. I first visited the State Library of Victoria (Trams 1, 3/3a, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72 to State Library / Swanston Street stop). The library was opened in 1856 with expansions to the structure done in the following years. I noticed that many of Melbourne's structures are done in the neo-classical style, so it's no doubt that they remind me a lot of Manila's National Museum complex (see here). 

Library facade.

Giant chess outside the library.

- What is special about this library is that apart from being having a big collection of books and documents, it also functions as an art gallery. The highlight of the library, however, is its main reading hall called "The Dome." The dome houses the La Trobe Reading Room and the Dome Gallery. This is the central reading room, with most of the exhibits in the higher levels surrounding the dome.

Inside the dome.

From the ground floor.

From a higher floor.

This angle really makes me feel like I'm back in Manila.

See me?

- After visiting the library, I rode the tram to the Parliament House of Victoria (tram 35, 86, or 96 to Bourke Street / Spring Street - Parliament Hall stop). The building also opened in 1856 and in the neoclassical style. Although I wasn't able to go inside for the timed tour since I was rushing, I probably will if time permits. As the name suggests, it is used for the meetings of the parliament of the state of Victoria where Melbourne is the capital.

Parliament House.

This reminds me of Manila's National Museum of Fine Arts.

Windsor Hotel across the Street and Tram 35 (Circle Line, which looks like an old tram). The hotel opened in 1884 and is still functioning as a hotel today!

- From the Parliament House I walked to St. Patrick's Cathedral (tram 1, 12, 109 to Albert Street stop if going directly). The cathedral was built in the 1800s, but construction officially finished in 1939. The cathedral was named after St. Patrick as there were many Irish immigrants in Melbourne at that time. St. Patrick, of course, is the patron saint of Ireland - and why St. Patrick's Day is often associated with Irish (or appropriated Irish) culture.

St. Patrick's Cathedral.

I like the way the church is subtly illuminated during the day.

- From the church I walked towards the Old Treasury Building, which is just beside the Parliament Hall. The building was finished in 1862, and was meant to store all the gold during the Australian gold rush. However, the gold rush was over after the building was completed. It was, instead, used to store government documents. It is currently a museum on the treasury building, as well as life in early Melbourne.

There were these fake fossils on stones in the middle of the city.

They show creatures that can be found in Australia.

A platypus....with a 6-ring plastic?

Old Treasury Building.

There was an exhibit on jobs.

It still looks like a government office.

Oh look. I hope people can see this, especially a particular archipelagic Asian country in the Pacific that does not speak Bahasa. :) :) :) :)

A preserved office room.

Would you believe that someone actually lived INSIDE the Old Treasury Building? The Maynard Family lived in the basement of the building in the 1920s. John Maynard, the father, was the caretaker of the building, so he was allowed to live there.

Replica of the biggest gold nugget found in Melbourne.

Basement, and vault.

Real gold bars.

- Since I was in the area, I decided to visit the Treasury Gardens, which has a memorial for John F. Kennedy. After his assassination, Australia erected this memorial for him because the Australians thought highly of him.

JFK Memorial.

- Across the Treasury Gardens is the Fitzroy Gardens (tram 48 or 75 to Lansdowne Street / Wellington Parade stop.) The garden opened in the 1860s as a place of leisure for Melbournians then until now. Although the garden is not as big as others, it has several points of interest. My favorite was the model Tudor village!

Cook's Cottage, from 1755, but brought to Melbourne in 1934. The parents of Captain James Cook stayed here. Captain James Cook was an English explorer.

The Sinclair Cottage from 1864. James Sinclair was the head gardener.

Model Tudor village, built in 1864,

Dolphin fountain. To be honest, the dolphins looked like slugs because of their shape. But I like this fountain overall.

- From Fitzroy Gardens I went to Collins Street to meet an Indian colleague Kiran. After my meeting, I went to an inner-city suburb called Northcote to eat at a restaurant Wild Yak (tram 86 to Arthurton Road or Separation Street). I wanted to introduce Tibetan food to my colleague Andrew. Since we had to wait for half an hour to have available seats, we explored the shops and restaurants along the street. Wild Yak has been around for more than 20 years!

Momos as always.

I love the Tibetan aesthetics! For a while I felt like I was back in the Himalayas. (Never ben to Tibet, but I've been to Nepal - which is also in the Himalayas.)

Worth visiting though it's a bit far from the CBD!

- Ending Friday with soothing Tibetan food was probably a good way to start the weekend. However, Saturday the 30th was a busy day. Andrew and I were invited by the Philippine consulate to network with other Filipino scholars and leaders of the Melbourne Filipino community. It was nice to hear their stories and learn from them. (The food was great too!) Of course, it was definitely an honor to meet Ambassador Ma. Hellen De La Vega, Consul-General Maria Lourdes Salcedo, and the rest of the diplomatic team who were present in the event.

Signing of the Deed of Gift between the Philippine consulate and La Trobe University. La Trobe University received a donation that would boost its Philippine Studies program.

With Ambassador Hellen De La Vega.

With Consul General Maria Lourdes Salcedo.

Proud to be Pinoy!

- Sunday was once more a day to explore another part of the Melbourne. This time I went to south of Melbourne, known for its Arts Precinct, and the Domain Parklands (Trams 1, 3/3a, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72 to Arts Precinct / St. Kila Road stop). It is where the National Gallery of Victoria is, as well as the Shrine of Remembrance, which I visited a few weeks prior. I passed by the structures along the Arts Centre on the way to the King's Domain and the Queen Victoria Gardens. The Queen Victoria Gardens was built in 1905, after Queen Victoria passed away in 1901. Queen Victoria Gardens is known for the King Edward VII Memorial, which was made in 1920, and the flower clock in front of it, donated in 1966 by Swiss watchmakers. The King's Domain is a park built much earlier, in 1854, and has full of memorials and other big structures Like the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and La Trobe's Cottage. 

Hamer Hall and State Theatre.

Sunday market outside the theatre.

The flower clock and Prince Edward VII memorial at Queen Victoria Gardens.

The (in)famous Australian magpie.

Sidney Myer Music Bowl, an outdoor performance venue opened in 1959.

The Government House, the residence of the governor of Victoria, opened in 1876. Unfortunately it was closed when I went and they'll open once again in January next year.

La Trobe's cottage, from 1839. It was where Charles La Trobe stayed with his family. He was the first governor of Victoria. The house was originally located in the city, but was moved to the Kings Domain in 1963.

- Beside the Kings Domain is the larger Royal Botanic Gardens, opened in 1846. The garden boasts both native and non-native species of plants and animals. The non-native ones were usually those that the British brought in back in the colonial era. The gardens also boasts its majestic lakes and gazebos.

Surrounded by cacti and succulents.

They're bigger than my head!!

Perhaps one of the most priceless photos of this trip. The wind toppled my tripod.

With a view of the Melbourne CBD behind me.

Government House from the Royal Botanic Gardens.

This photo reminds me a lot of Steps' "One For Sorrow".

At an outdoor cafe in the gardens. Birds waiting for crumbs from customers.

Alone with birds.

This beauty is called a swamphen. My color scheme coincidentally matched its colors.

Giant artificial flowers that will light up at night.

- I went home in the early afternoon for a bit of downtime before my evening musical. I booked a ticket to Hamilton, which was showing at Her Majesty's Theatre. The theatre itself was built in 1886, nearly a hundred years after Alexander Hamilton's birth (I really just had to make some connection). The ticket i got was quite cheap for a big musical so I was glad I didn't run out of tickets. The Australian cast was amazing!

I booked Hamilton the last minute and I still managed to dress for the occasion. Haha. I bought the bandana/neckerchief here in Australia before planning to/knowing that I was going to watch Hamilton.

Merch. Didn't get anything because they were so expensive. I also cannot believe that the playbill is also for sale. Huhu.

"Work work."

Stage.

Her Majesty's Theatre.

- Hamilton was perhaps the perfect way to end the weekend! It was also the first big live show I've watched since the pandemic. The week that went by had so many unexpected and last minute-things. They normally bother me as I always like being in control of my schedule. However, as Australia has many interesting things to offer here and there, I really do hope to see things the way I hope to see them, but maybe little nice surprises here and there won't hurt!