Rowkin Rovings Blog

Very little to mention for today that you would consider as news worthy. We drove into the heart of the city where Fraser’s parents live to catch up with his mum Barb who some of you have met. They live in Little Collins Street in an apartment right in the very centre.

We felt like returning college kids as we had our washing with us but at least this time we did it ourselves. Parking, like any city is a nightmare and the traffic in hellish. Normally we would catch the 🚋 but we needed to pick up some stuff we had left there prior to our trip to the west.

We took Barb to see her sister in a care facility and celebrate her 83rd birthday. It’s never much fun having your birthday so near Christmas as you always feel short changed when it comes to gifts.

We made it back to Sam and Shelly’s just as they arrived from their teaching jobs both looking shattered. A lot of our friends we have caught up with are teachers and everyone of them looks tired. We have learnt a lot more about what teaching involves and you gotta take your hat off to these masochists. The kids are very full on but it is the parents that cause the most stress.

Sam had to scrub up into his finery for his schools Year 6 Graduation – reeeeaally, a Year 6 Graduation! Year 12 graduation, sure – but Year 6. We are just getting too old.

This meant we and Shelly went out and had some fish and chips for dinner and came home to keep Henry the cat company and learn his habits as we will be looking after him for three weeks in January.

Here are a few factoids about Melbourne.

1. The world’s first feature film, the Story of the Ned Kelly Gang was filmed and made in Melbourne in 1906.
2. 38 per cent of the population in Melbourne was born overseas, as of 2013.
3. Melbourne’s Chinatown, established in 1854, is one of the oldest in the world. It is also home to the world’s longest Chinese dragon at more than 100 meters in length.
4. The city is also famous for its unbelievable unpredictable weather and there are chances you get taste all the four seasons in just a day.
5. MELBOURNE has been named the world’s top sports events city in 2006. It hosted the 1956 Olympic Games and the 2006 Commonwealth games.…
6. Tallest building: Eureka Tower (300m), tallest residential building in the world!
7. Melbourne was originally going to be named ‘Batmania’ after one of its founding fathers, John Batman.
8. The maximum temperature ever recorded in Melbourne was 46.4 degrees Celsius in 2009, and the minimum was -2.8 degrees Celsius in 1869.
9. Melbourne has been voted worlds most liveable city and in the top 5 for many years but has started to slip – yeah, you try to battle the traffic!!!