Woke up at 6am feeling wide awake but forced myself to go back to sleep of I would be goosed later in the day. Woke up again at about 9.30am and went down for breakfast. There was a reasonable choice but nothing like the kind of breakfast we had in Kuala Lumpur. I think we had been spoiled there as there was everything you could think of on the menu, and here it was just your regular English breakfast stuff and some pastries or continental stuff.
We got a 2 hour tram ticket from reception and walked to the nearest tram stop. We’d also figured out by accident (as the tram was to full to get to the machine, which got us thinking) that if you don’t validate your ticket the first time you get on then your 2 hours don’t start until you do so we could use the same ticket on the way back. We got off the tram at the visitors centre as we wanted to try and book on the neighbour's set tour.
The visitors centre was pretty busy and you had to take a ticket and wait for your number (very Sainsburys meat counter). Took a ticket for the info desk, had a wander round and then within minutes our number was up and we went to speak to Barry (or whatever) who told us we could only book it through the tours desk but they were on different tickets as he was just info. Back to the meat counter and took a ticket for bookings and tours, Darlene promptly called us up (or some other Australian name). She rang through for us to the tour company but they were full until Friday GGGRRRR. Instead, we asked what else we could do. thankfully she didn’t say “sorry I’m bookings not info you need to take a ticket for info” lol. She highlighted for us on our map where the various points of interest were, the Eureka building, the harbour, shopping outlet and the Jail (as Phil wanted to see it).
We made our way to the Eureka building first as we thought it might be similar to the towers in Kuala Lumpur where you have to book for a certain time. As it happens when we got there we could just go straight in, so thought it best to do it while we were there and the weather was clear. It was $16 to go up to the 88th-floor observation platform, I had a 10% discount voucher and Phil got a student discount. We got straight in the lift and within 48 seconds we were at the observation floor. We had a look around and took lots of photos of Melbourne. There was also the opportunity to pay an extra $12 to do the EDGE experience. We had been to the outside viewing area and seen the edge in action. As we might not get the chance again we bought a ticket and were given a plastic disc that would vibrate and light up when it was out turn to make our way to the entrance.
Within minutes we were flashing and buzzing and so we made our way to the roped off area. We were promptly handed some shoe covers to put over our shoes and asked to take a seat. There was only one other group of people already in so we didn’t really have to wait long. Once the others came out, we were walked into another room and introduced to our “driver” who would be driving us out to”the edge of the building” (she means she pushes the button) The room was a glass cube with frosted glass windows, floor and ceiling. We entered the room with about another 8 people and our “driver” explained that we could not take our own photos and that she would give us the opportunity to have out photo take in groups. The camera was in the centre of the wall where the door was so we could go to the opposite wall in groups and the other should move to the wall where the door was so you’d be under the camera. She left the room and the door shut and the sound system started to play a kind of rumbling noise like a large boulder rolling down a mountain sort of thing. The cube we were in was then pushed out of the building on some kind of steel beams I guess so that the whole of the cube we were in was outside of the actual building 88 floors up. Once in place the frosted ceiling, walls and floor switched to clear and you could see all the way down to the ground under your feet. People on the outside observation platform could watch you. It actually sounds a lot scarier than it was as the cube floor wasn’t all glass it had a metal frame in it to form 9 smaller glass squares. For $12 I was hoping to be lay on a frosted glass floor and then it suddenly disappear but it was a bit disappointing (especially as you couldn’t take pics either). We posed for our individual group pics (which you could by for $15 surprisingly) and then we were frosted back up and dragged back into the building. We bought a photo each as it’s the only proof we’d have of it and got 2 pics for $25 (bargain lol).
I'll find the pic at some point and add it in here.
After the tower we jumped on the free circle tram that goes right round the perimeter of the city and has commentary about the various stops and things to see etc. We got off along the waterfront and had a wander around before deciding to get some lunch. We plumped for local battered fish with chips, I can’t remember the name of it, something-head fish tails.
After lunch Phil wanted to go to the Jail to see where Ned Kelly had been locked up or something so we both decided to do our own thing and meet back up at the hotel later. I took the opportunity to have a look around the shopping centre and got myself a bargain V-neck T-shirt for $2. Yes I said $2 ! that’s a quid ! Even if I just wear it for dosing around in it’s worth buying for a quid. I had a look in most of the shops but a lot of the T-shirts were quite long even if they fitted everywhere else so I made my mind up to only buy clothes that fitted perfectly and that I REALLY liked as clothes are Ten a penny at home n stuff.
I went to get the tram back to the hotel but the power was out at the top of the street so I decided to walk part of the way and get on the tram further down. I walked through the park on the opposite side of the road from where we get the tram. It was a really nice day and the sky was totally clear so I managed to get some good pictures. Tried out a few different settings too as there are so many things you can do on my camera that I haven’t even looked at properly.
Started to edit out some of the crap photos from my camera until Phil came back as we said we’d go for a swim because our pool was open until 11pm. Neither of us was hungry so just swam until it was about to close at 11pm and then packed before bed as we are up at 6am in the morning.
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