Thursday, 10 January 2019

Sea life Aquarium


After a bit of sleep-in this morning, Harry & his bears were on the lookout for trams again.


To fill in time before the Sea Life Aquarium opened we took some time to explore the other side of the Yarra River. We started with a short walk around the King's Domain gardens.



The Boathouse next to the Domain was busy with rowers going about their morning training.


South Bank is a bustling restaurant and shopping district during the evenings but during the early part of the day there is next to nobody around.



We were some the first visitors for the day to the Sea Life Aquarium so we had some time to see the exhibits before the crowds invaded.


There were small tanks with small sharks & rays.


Small tanks with small colourful fish.


Spiky Lion fish.


Very Large fish in very large tanks....


Full of big sharks,


schools of big fast fish,


and rays,


Sawfish,


and guitarfish.


There was also a small tank with a camouflaged wobbygong.



There were other animals including a crocodile (a real one & the fiberglass one in the photo above), frogs, jellyfish, and, in a separate area, a specialized type of bird that swims.


The Gentoo Penguins from Antarctica are pretty busy normally but once the keepers came to feed them they went crazy in the pool.



The Larger King Penguins are a lot more relaxed. It was great to see them up close so we could get a feel for their large size & individual personalities.


Melbourne - Arrival


Today, after years without any travel of interest, we set off on an adventure to Melbourne & Tasmania. An early morning flight had us awake at 4am. Harry was especially excited about going on a plane and for the adventure ahead.


Even the double-decker Skybus took us from Melbourne airport into Southern Cross in the city was a new adventure.



We had a bit of a look around Southern Cross station which is a busy regional train & bus terminal. Needless to say, Harry was very impressed.


Our apartment for 3 nights is in one of the tallest buildings in the city and we are on the 27th floor.


We have great views overlooking the city and Harry's bed is a great lookout for watching trams run along Collins st below.


The rail yards are also visible from our balcony. Harry is in his happy place here.


We spent the afternoon getting settled and had a bit of a walk around town.


The walk included a shopping trip to Southern Cross much to Harry's delight. We were exhausted after the long day and went to bed early.