Before this trip started, I figured it would be wise to reposition from the South Bank in Melbourne to a hotel next to the airport in Tullamarine (to have a shorter trip for my flight back to New Zealand early tomorrow morning). Since I’d already tried the Skybus (and Uber) to travel between airport and city and still had an active Myki card, I decided to attempt the more complicated return method via train, bus and hotel shuttle. Everyone I talked to thought this routing was too difficult and time consuming but I wanted to try. This morning, I woke up at 0600 and was able to get down to breakfast in the hotel lobby right after they opened (0630). My reward for rising early was another pretty sunrise. Back in my room, I quickly packed up for a short trip to the beach. Departing the Holiday Inn at 0730, I walked west on City Road until I found a tram stop. When I got on the next one that passed, I figured out it wasn’t going to St. Kilda. Hoping for better results, I got off and walked west on York Road until I found the Number 12 tram route in Clarendon Road. The next challenge was figuring out how to get on the tram - there were no visible stations and I didn’t realize there were places I could “hail” one. Eventually, I was able to board a passing tram... The Number 12 route passed through some pretty neighborhoods but eventually just came to a stop. When I asked the driver where the beach was, she pointed towards the southeast. Walking from there, I located the area of St. Kilda where Clive had driven me almost a week before. The oceanside was breezy but warm and I explored along the coastline for about 30 minutes before heading back towards the Number 12 tram stop. Once we got started, I noticed that the route passed by Albert Park - decided to get got off the train there and do some more walking. There wasn't much in the way of interesting attractions there but I saw lots of pretty birds and enjoyed the nice weather. Back on the tram again, I used it to get to the City Road stop before walking the rest of the way to my hotel (arrived at 0930). I spent the next few hours resting and reading. At 1130, I left the Holiday Inn Express Melbourne Southbank (a very nice place to stay) and walked across the Yarra one more time. From the Flinders Street Station, I boarded a train that was headed towards the airport. As I mentioned before, this route wasn’t efficient but I wanted to learn more about the Myki system. Since there was a transfer opportunity at North Melbourne, I chose to switch there instead of Southern Cross. I only had to wait about 10 minutes to catch a Craigieburn train. Several people asked me for directions and how to use the train - I guess I looked like I knew what I was doing... On the next train, I watched some great behavior on the part of several other helpful passengers (assisting the elderly, helping folks with parcels, etc.). Following some directions I found online, I got off the train at Broadmeadows and then easily located the waiting area for the bus (901) to the Airport. Because of some delays, however, I had to wait about 25 minutes before it arrived. Fortunately, the weather was pleasant and I knew I had all day to reach my new hotel. After getting onboard the bus, I reached the airport at1315. I called my hotel, requesting that they send a shuttle, and the driver arrived about 10 minutes later (I met him at the hotel shuttle zone near Terminal 3). We were at the Quality Hotel Melbourne Airport about 10 minutes later and I was able to check into my room at 1330. Verdict on the trains/buses option from Melbourne CBD to Airport: I believe I was successful because I had all afternoon to make it work and could afford to be patient. It took about two hours, rather than the 45+ minutes of bus and Uber from my first day in the area. Also on the plus side: it was much cheaper than other methods. After getting settled, I realized that I still had a whole afternoon with beautiful weather! The hotel staff told me they didn’t think there was anywhere to walk nearby but I decided to try to find something. Departing from from the busy commercial area, I entered a quiet residential district. This immediately yielded dividends as I discovered that most neighborhoods had extensive “greenways” that allowed transit to playgrounds, ball fields and parks. Locating a bike path called the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail, I wandered farther and farther from town until I could barely hear any traffic. I could still see departing and arriving aircraft at Tullamarine Airport but couldn’t hear them either. I climbed a nameless hill that had a great view of the town, open fields and mountains in the distance. While atop this plateau, I encountered wallaby tracks, lots of playful cockatoos and, I’m almost certain, a wombat who waddled away from me as I approached. Bonus: I found $5 (Australian) on the path. Instead of backtracking, I ended up reaching a road that allowed for a loop to the hotel - total distance was close to 3.5 miles. It felt good to find a way to take a hike in a rather urban setting, especially when the locals didn’t seem to know about pretty walks located close to where they live... Just before I was finished with my excursion, I noticed that there was an interesting business called “Lolly World” (located next to the Quality Hotel) but it was closed on Mondays. After getting done, I stopped (1515) for an early dinner (grilled chicken burger, salad, Sprite Plus Lemon and Lebanese Custard) at “Sheesh”, a Lebanese fast food restaurant. The food was good and I enjoyed watching the customers. Finishing my meal at around 1600, I walked back to my hotel room and changed shoes. Looking for something to drink (I'd heard the hotel had a happy hour), I took a seat at the hotel bar and tried a few more Aussie beers and, in the process, used the rest of my Australian money. The bartender was nice and I met two ladies from Western Canada (Dawn and Sherry) who had just finished driving a “Jucy” van from Melbourne to Cairns - what an adventure! I stayed in the bar until 1900 and then returned to my room to pack. For the rest of the evening, I read and relaxed - bed time was at 2230. After all the adventures I had this week, I’m going to miss Melbourne...
