Forgive me borrowing this week’s banner from the classic Peaches and Herb song, but after 84 days apart ( we last saw our rig on December 14 in Savannah), over a month of which the Talisman sat just waiting in Bass Strait, and an at times traumatic experience getting through quarantine, our Sprinter was finally delivered to us on Friday, March 10 at the MIRRAT terminal ( for RoRo ships ) here at the Port of Melbourne. Hallelujah!!!!! To say we were overjoyed after such a long (and at times very tense) wait would be an understatement – we were deliriously happy to at last have our van and thus our travelling independence back !
A view of the Port of Melbourne. Nice to be on the inside looking out after so long on the outside looking in !
Reinstalling the Canadian licence plates on our van which we had carried with us on the plane. A favourite target of port souvenir hunters and VERY difficult to replace in Australia !!!
The good news ( and it’s mostly very, very good news ) was that the van itself was in great shape outside – no obvious nicks, scratches, bumps or bruises . I say that because the “Port to Port” insurance policy that we had purchased specifically excluded coverage for any such minor issues and they are unfortunately quite common. So it was nice to escape that. The van started immediately, ran well and seemed to have lots of battery charge in it which, of course is another concern after such a long time of inactivity.
The not so good news ( in the scheme of things, not so horrendous but something that is always a huge risk on any RoRo passage ) – things were stolen from inside the van and it was obvious that the thief/thieves knew where to look. I had designed an impenetrable barrier to the garage area of the van where most ( larger ) valuables were kept so that saved us a larger loss, but the lock to the seat of our sofa (which was where we kept the smaller things we could not carry on the plane ) was bypassed when the intruders simply lifted the whole top of the seat frame ( by force ) and plundered what was in there. Frustrating, since we now need to deal with a claim and try to itemize everything that has disappeared ( easier said than done).
Mirren, from the Port of Melbourne ( Mirrat ), came to document the loss/slight damage inside the vehicle. The staff were very timely and organized. She mentioned that such issues with campervan contents are not uncommon.
For all that, we are just glad to be mobile again and nothing was taken that prevents us travelling or that cannot ( fairly easily ) be replaced here – we are very thankful for that. We thought back to a Swiss couple we met back in Argentina whose van travelled from Europe to Montevideo, Uruguay by RoRo ship. Their skylight was smashed to gain entry – the damaged skylight itself made travel difficult and was very hard ( and very expensive ) to replace in South America, in addition to some more significant valuables that disappeared as well.
So as not to make this an interminably long blog ( nor to take away from the overall feeling of delirious happiness we feel !!) I’ll document the final stage of the shipping saga next week (possibly in a dedicated edition ) for the benefit of those overlanders following our shipping experience to Melbourne ( and/or for those readers simply interested in the minutiae of the process ! ).
Leaving the Port of Melbourne – we had waited a long time for this moment !
The port collection process was very easy and ( apart from the time needed for the port staff to witness the loss ) quite fast – staff were super friendly and sympathetic especially knowing how long we had been waiting. With the van in our possession ( and constant reminders from Lois to “stay left” ) we drove off port, over the giant Westgate bridge and on to Maribyrnong (a suburb of Melbourne). A pit stop at Aldi to stock the van with groceries, then another stop to fill it with diesel after which we drove straight to the home of Darryn (my nephew) and Rebecca, where we were delighted to be able to park up in front of their house so we could unpack, clean and repack as well as make some electrical modications necessary for us to be able to charge the camper batteries on the Australian 240v system. Darryn’s an electrician – which helped immensely !
So much to buy when starting with a completely empty kitchen and fridge ! Lois at Aldi, Maribyrnong.Parked in front of Darren and Rebecca’s house – let the repacking begin !
Both Lois and I are so thrilled to close off this week’s blog with such great news – there were honestly days when we questioned it would ever come ( but you know what they say – “Good things come to those who wait” ). I have included a few pics below of some travels we did in our last few days in Forbes and Temora, and of the journey from there back to Melbourne; those early days of the week seem almost forgotten given the excitement of Friday.
We now look forward to a couple of days in Melbourne to get settled into the van and then to finally, finally getting on the road again – a huge thanks to our family and friends who helped us so much along the way and especially to Kristy, the most patient and helpful shipping agent we have ever known !!!!
Our final local exploration trip from our Forbes “base”. Wonderful to explore so many small towns during our “wait” time, places I knew of but had not visited in so many years.Lois enjoying the “crafty” stores in MillthorpeInterestingly named Millthorpe winery.Another example of silo art, this one at Yerong Creek en route to Melbourne.The mythical “Ettamogah Pub” a famous Aussie institution ( near Albury ).Our feature picture this week- so happy to finally be settled in Melbourne, WITH our rig !
While we have patiently continued the waiting game in Temora, there has been some progress with our ship – read Postscript: Shipping Update ( at the end of the blog ) for the gripping details. Other than that, a pretty short blog along with a very slight change of location.
We have, of late, been very fortunate ( and extremely delighted ) to be able to spend more time with family so we split this week between Temora ( my brother ) and Forbes ( my sister ). The communities are very close by so it’s easy to get from one to the other – passing the quaint town of Grenfell on the way we checked out what would become the first of (what should be ) many examples of unique “silo art” in NSW and Victoria. The images below show what else we have been up to.
Lois enjoying a little pool time in Temora – perfect on 30 degree days ( 86F).Delicious Aussie scones and tea with my brother and his wife and the neighbours (all aviation enthusiasts of course ).One of the guests for scones owned this unique plane, a TransAvia crop sprayer ( one of just a few left in the world ). Known as an AirTruck, it’s practical but does not win any prize for aesthetics !
Through the week we took the opportunity to travel to a couple of nearby communities, Junee and Cootamundra to take in some local attractions. Junee is renowned for its chocolate factory ( yes, we just seem to keep finding them ! ) and Cootamundra for both the Australian Test Cricket Captain’s Walk and, perhaps more famously, as the birthplace of Sir Donald Bradman – THE most legendary cricket player of all time. In more global terms, Bradman is to cricket as Babe Ruth is to baseball or perhaps Pele is to soccer – an icon in the annals of the sport, idolized by cricket fans all over the cricket playing world. His childhood home is the attraction and has been tastefully converted to a museum honoring his life. Very impressive !
Grenfell’s colorful silo art. There are now many of these that make a tourist “silo trail” across much of Australia. Thanks for the book, Anne, we look forward to seeing many more !Henry Lawson, a very famous Australian poet, hails from Grenfell, probably its most famous son. Memorialized on a bench in the town.Sir Donald’s childhood home ( now a “shrine” to the great man himself ).Inside the museum.A bust of every Australian cricket captain is placed on a walking path in Cootamundra. The most famous one is below !Don Bradman himself.The Chocolate Factory – from outsideThe Chocolate Factory is a local success story, having been created from the remnants of an old flour mill. It’s now a major employer in the town – and the chocolate is excellent !
Postscript: Shipping Update
Mixed news ( at best ).
The good first. Our vehicle is finally off the ship and on the port in Melbourne. That’s far more exciting than you might imagine given we have watched it float on a car carrier in Bass Strait for a month..! Now the bad. It has been inspected and, as we had been told to expect ( by EVERYONE ! ) it did not pass the initial rigorous quarantine inspection. To put this in perspective, a month or so back some new cars that arrived on a ship from China were shipped right back to China because they did not pass – yes, NEW cars ! Vehicles that fail ( our shipper advised that was 98% of anything used ) usually go off port to a Quarantine Dept approved wash bay but that has not happened because there was some confusion over the fact that our van contained personal effects ( it’s full of them obviously, as with any overlander’s camping vehicle ). As such they called for a “re-inspection” of those goods which has set us back further. Frustrating ! More details on that as it unfolds next week.
As an aside, it has now been almost 11 weeks since we left our van on the dock in Savannah, 5 weeks since the ship arrived just offshore of Melbourne, and almost a week since it was offloaded at the port. It all seems to have taken sooooooo long. Our plans for Tasmania (the booking was made 7 months ago) have been cancelled since we were not able to make the initially scheduled departure date ( Feb 28 ), nor even the revised date ( March 3 ). Incredibly disappointing. Hard to make firm plans for anywhere else until we get our rig. Sigh…………
Given the extraordinary delays in unloading the Talisman I decided to research what was happening in the nation’s ports – I came across an online article that pretty well spelled it all out ( see the link to it in the Postscript: Shipping Update section at the end of this blog). It’s a short but instructive read on exactly why we are caught up in this incredibly frustrating situation.
Melbourne’s notoriously fickle weather had been typically changeable this past week as we looked around the area for things to do to. Fortunately it had been mostly fine (changing really only from good to excellent), so on that front we’ve had little to complain about. Lots of days in the 30’s ( with one nudging 40 ) so it was nice to have a pool given the higher temperatures. Not as nice as our beach-side AirBnB, but “any port in a storm” as the saying goes ( can’t believe I’m now making “port” jokes about this train wreck of an unloading experience ). With our AirBnB available again by the end of last week we happily made the move back to Aspendale. Not only is it a very nice spot but we could actually look into the bay and see the comings and goings of all the marine traffic in Port Phillip Bay – one of these days the name on the ship passing by must surely be “Talisman” !
After a few days back in Aspendale ( which included a beach closure due to a shark sighting and some wonderful travels into the nearby Dandenong Ranges ) news reached us that the unloading of our van had been even further delayed. At this point the decision was made to employ a little “reverse psychology”. Staying in Melbourne and patiently waiting ( for over 2 weeks ) had not served us well so we packed up, grabbed a rental car, and drove back to Temora – surely, we thought, as soon as we leave Melbourne there’d be some movement at the port !
Near Olinda, Dandenong RangeWhite cockatoos, Dandenong Range.Sir Paz Winery, Yarra ValleySir Paz Winery.We enjoyed wine tasting here complemented with a delicious brick oven pizza. A nice view to enjoy while preparing the crust.Wandering the vines, Sir Paz.Shiraz grapes, Sir Paz.Hugely popular with Melbournians, the chocolate (and ice cream) at the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie was divine. The place was absolutely packed – we could see why. View from the Chocolaterie.You could watch the chocolate making process and learn a bit of the history of chocolate.On this particular day Aspendale beach was packed and lots of young kids were doing surf life saver training. Within an hour the beach was empty as a result of a shark sighting !The shark was sighted just in front of the Aspendale Surf Club. Caught this clip on our TV as we went back home.Turned out to be a “Blue” shark, not usually dangerous, but a frightening thing to bump into if you were in the water ( the fin looked just like all other sharks !!!! )Lois had asked if sharks could come in this close – the beach is very shallow as you can see. “Unlikely”, I answered.A beautiful sunset on our last night in Melbourne ( for now anyway ! )
Little did we know that in addition to spending some more quality time with my brother, Ian and his wife, Anne that there’d be even more aviation joy ahead while in Temora ( hard to top the Spitfire’s we saw flying around during our last pit stop here ). Their immediate neighbour at the Airpark ( Nick ) owned an F1 Rocket experimental plane and invited both Lois and I up for a couple of aerobatic flights. To say it was the thrill of a lifetime would be an understatement. Absolutely stunning to experience rolls and loops with an unforgettable view of Temora from 1,400 metres, inverted, flying at 400km/h and experiencing 4G forces while entering and exiting the loops ! A few images below and a great video of what a loop looks like in an acrobatic plane:
Rocket F1 planeIn the air with Nick piloting.Sign in Nick’s hangar – and his plane goes faster than that !
Lois, in the Rocket F1 doing a 360 degree roll.
Lois, doing a loop…….inverted, at 400km/h, over Temora.
Now I can’t imagine anything that could top the experience of flying upside down and doing rolls and loops at 400km/h on a perfect Temora day. Well, there is one thing…..getting the keys to our rig next week (fingers crossed ). Stay tuned, and wish us luck !
Postscript: Shipping Update
The article referred to it as “A Total Ship Show”. Two weeks back, Josh Dowling of drive.com.au ( one of Australia’s most widely read motoring sites ) completed an investigation into the ever-increasing delays of new car deliveries into Australia ( our van is caught up in all this). If we needed to better understand why we are where we are then we got our answer in that article. Actually, there was more than one article – another here ( and at least one TV spot ) addressing the issue of long delays in Australian ports. If you’re interested in reading about any of it, take a look at either article. They certainly explained a lot of things for us.
In the first few days of the week ( we follow port traffic updates regularly ) the news went from bad to worse until late in the week we saw, for the first time in almost a month, that the Talisman had finally moved from Bass Strait and into Port Phillip Bay and simultaneously the Port Scheduling app showed that it’s “berthing” was being prepared. Hallelujah ! After the delays we had endured this was indeed great news. By week’s end the unloading was near complete. Next step will be an inspection by the quarantine folks on Monday at which point they decide whether our vehicle is clean enough ( so we get the keys and can take it ) or if it requires further cleaning and thus needs to be trucked to a certified offsite washbay before re-inspection by the quarantine folks. Let’s hope we have it all done by the next blog !
We looked at the app to see that finally our ship was inside the bay and heading to the dock, getting ready to berth. It has been such a loooong wait.A day we had been dreaming of for almost a month – the Talisman finally berthing in Melbourne.As the Talisman finally berthed in Melbourne, (almost a month after it arrived off the Australian coast) we began to think that there might at last be light at the end of the tunnel. Still some major steps before we get our hands on the vehicle, but it just might be (as Churchill famously said) at least the “end of the beginning” of this long, drawn out process of getting back in our rig !
To be honest, we’d been more than just a little disheartened this past week after the ongoing unloading delay outlined in the last blog ( I dare not even mention the “s” word – we just call it a “transportation delay” now, it’s so depressing ). It’s typical when things go wrong on the road to start feeling sorry for yourself ( and we certainly did some of that ) but there’s nothing Iike a truly traumatic event ( or two ) somewhere else to put your problems in context. The tragic Turkish earthquake and terrible New Zealand cyclones this past week really have put things in perspective ( those and a litany of other problems around the globe ). Reality check time – our problems are actually truly trivial.
Map showing Mornington Peninsular map ( relative to Melbourne ). Phillip Island is the “island” just to the bottom right, connected now by a short bridge to the mainland.
“Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care” was an old marketing slogan used for years by the Manly ferry to draw visitors across Sydney harbour to Manly’s beautiful seaside beach. I was reminded of it as we used the past week to explore the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, which is ( in some ways at least ) to Melbourne what Manly and its surrounding beaches are to Sydney – for many, a nearby escape from the hustle and bustle of big city life.
Exploration of the Mornington Peninsula ( and nearby Phillip Island ) was in our plans with our van, but in the circumstances ( no van ) we decided to simply explorewithout it. A couple of judiciously timed car rentals and some long walks allowed us to explore the area quite extensively in the end. Having moved away from the seaside and further down the peninsula, it seemed Frankston was a good place to start since it was close by. While I would not call the city itself a holiday destination ( the good stuff is further down ) the sculptures and murals for which it is renowned (among other things) are worth a look as one passes through.
Frankston muralFrankston muralFrankston mural.And one of the rather eclectic sculptures in Frankston…!
Further down the coastline it gets more interesting and we really enjoyed the scenic beaches, the Bass Strait coast, the many hikes and walks as well as the sighting of much more fauna than we had expected. There’s also a great deal of history in the area, some of which dates to the very earliest days of Victoria as a British colony ( “Australia” as a country was far off in those early days ).
Historic buildings, Sorrento.Smack bang in the middle of the otherwise very flat Mornington Peninsula sits a rather abruptly positioned outcrop known as Arthur’s Seat. You can drive, or “gondola”, up for some pretty amazing coastal views.The coastal walks were very impressive with lots of points of historical significance. The area was some of the earliest settled when the British first came to Australia. A windy day though !Valentines Day 🙂 – Point Nepean beach.Lois, Point Nepean beach.Part of the coastal walk system near Point Nepean – steep in places !An oceanside beach, Mornington ( they refer to them locally as “back” beaches versus the much calmer “bay” beaches inside Port Phillip Bay).Sorrento cafe – Melbourne’s cafe culture seems to extend down to Mornington ( they are everywhere ). Lois loves sampling coffee, especially the cappuccinos!Approaching the National Park ( and on nearby Phillip Island), signs caution drivers to watch for local wildlife, these four types in particular- we saw many wallabies and one echidna ( only two out of the four) 🙁On the drive out the Pyramind Rock there were lots of wallabies around. Much smaller than a kangaroo but otherwise broadly similar to the untrained eye.An echidna – unlike a porcupine ( to which they are sometimes compared ) the echidna cannot eject its spines.I’d actually forgotten, until we drove right by it, that Phillip Island ( just off the Mornington Peninsula ) was home to a Grand Prix circuit ( mostly for motor cycles but cars race there too ). Motorcycles were practicing while we were there- loud !
While Phillip Island has many attractions, undoubtedly one of its most well-known is the Parade of Penguins. The picture below shows exactly what they look like when they emerge from the sea. It’s hilarious to watch them waddle out, waddle back in, and then waddle out again before summoning the courage to eventually cross the beach ( where the risk from predators is highest ).
Little penguins coming ashore, Phillip Island (picture courtesy of Parade of Penguins website – no visitor photography allowed after sunset !)
We were not allowed to shoot pictures or video of the penguins after sunset ( which is when they waddle ashore ) but peeled this video off YouTube to show what the experience was like. Very impressive…!We managed just one picture of a penguin in its nest while there was enough light. No pics allowed after sunset.
Technical sidebar: ( a read only relevant to those with an inquiring electrical mind ! )
In the expectation that we should ( hopefully ) soon be reunited with our vehicle it only made sense to use some of this enforced downtime to get as much done as we could in advance of it being released. One of those things was to solve the issue of charging the vehicle’s leisure batteries from an Australian mains/household supply. Not an issue when we are driving ( charge comes via the vehicle alternator and onboard 40 amp DCDC charger ), nor when we are stationary on a sunny day ( 700 watts of rooftop solar and 300 watts of external solar should do it ) however there will be times when one ( or both ) of those options is not available and we need to “plug in”. Not a problem in our 120v AC world ( US/Canada/Central America and parts of South America ) but in Australia ( as in most of the rest of the world ) it’s all 240v AC. What to do ? There are really only 3 options: A) do without the plug in option, B) get a step up/step down converter, or C) get a 240v (input) charger that will tide us over while in Australia. Doing without was not a viable option. The step up/step down converter, while giving us “constant” AC power, would have to be very big, very expensive and very heavy to handle the draw of several of our appliances so was also ruled out. A local ( lithium compatible ) charger with 240v input was sourced, with the bonus being it was a Victron unit and thus compatible with the whole electrical system we have. Many thanks to Paul at Retropower in Clayton ( Vic.) who not only provided us a new 25amp Victron unit, he delivered it right to us ( service with a smile ) ! So, while we will never be “plugged in” in the strict sense of the word, when we do have access to 240v AC power, the 25amp charger will keep our batteries topped up sufficiently to match/(or limit ) the battery drain from the fridge, cooktop etc. via our inverter – hopefully anyway !
In anticipation that the van will arrive ( someday ! ), we sourced a secondary 25amp Lithium battery charger that will run off the Australian 240v AC system. The one in the van of course, is 120v AC.
Postscript: Shipping Update
Back in August, 2022 when we pre-booked the ferry from Melbourne to Tasmania, we had hoped to get a nice short connection with the ferry from Melbourne to Tasmania. The Talisman from the US was scheduled to arrive in Melbourne on January 25 and we could not get confirmed ferry passage on to Tasmania until Feb 28. That left us an awkward month in between where we could not ( effectively ) roam too far from Melbourne. Never, not in our wildest dreams, did we anticipate things would be so delayed with unloading the Talisman that it would potentially jeopardize us actually being able to make that Feb 28 departure date for the Melbourne to Tasmania ferry ! Sadly, that is now exactly where we stand. Unless we have a very speedy customs/quarantine clearance at the Port of Melbourne next week it could be a “salt into the wound” experience – getting out of Melbourne port too late to catch the ferry to “ Tassie”. For over-height vehicles like ours changing the dates ( out and back ) is next to impossible. So, very nervously, we just continue to wait……..and wait.
Current status of the Talisman for unloading. It’s literally been one step forward and then two steps back all week. Feb 20 is the new projected unloading date now 🙁That’s it…..tantalizingly just offshore. Actually visible a few days ago when we walked the headland on the Bass Strait side of the Mornington peninsula.
Not sure where the time went but it seems suddenly we looked at the calendar and it was time to head to Melbourne for a long-anticipated rendezvous with our rig – or so we hoped anyway. The “car switch” a week before meant we now had a Victorian-plated vehicle making a convenient one-way trip from Forbes to Melbourne possible ( no need for what would have been a long detour via Sydney ).
For those readers not so familiar with the geography of Australia, we are currently in the South East corner of the country. The white dot is Sydney, “A” is Forbes, “B” is Temora and the blue dot is Melbourne.Our route from Forbes to Melbourne via Temora, travelled this past week.
Forbes lies on the main highway between Brisbane and Melbourne so it’s a very well travelled route. Given it’s about a 7 hour trip from Forbes and I have an older brother in Temora ( 90 minutes South-West and more or less on a direct route to Melbourne ) it made good sense to stop in for a quick overnight visit and shorten what would have been a longer journey from Forbes (and it’s always wonderful to catch up with family).
Over the past 25 years, Ian and his wife Anne have travelled Australia probably more extensively than anyone I know so it was extremely helpful to be able to lean on them for some route planning regarding our own upcoming adventures. They were full of great tips on possible routes, seasonal travel considerations and a requisite list of “must do’s” – the family barbecue was a real Aussie treat as well. They have a large hangar-sized workshop at their place and have generously offered us the use of it to do some minor finishing work on the van when it lands in Melbourne ( so we expect to be returning to Temora )- these were just a few weather related things we could not do before we left Canada. My god, that now seems so incredibly long ago ! Little did we know that Temora had an unexpected surprise in store for us – and if you’re an aviation buff it does not get better than this.
Sign outside Temora promoting its aviation museum.
Sometimes your timing works and sometimes not but on the day we arrived the gods were really smiling on us. I’m an avid WW2 aviation fan and it just so happened that many WW2 planes ( from the Temora Aviation Museum ), would actually be in the air on the day we arrived. Apparently pilot accreditation dictates certain minimum flying hours be done in these classics – and today was the day. We’d visited the air museum on an earlier trip so knew they had some pretty special planes, a couple of flying Spitfires among them. To say we were all entranced as the Spitfire did some climbs, rolls and low altitude passes would be an understatement ! Simply incredible, especially the throaty sound of that Rolls Royce V12 Merlin powering what I consider to be the most iconic of WW2 planes, through the sky. Just priceless to see and listen to it doing its moves right above their house. And, not even a crowd – Temora folks are quite un-fazed by it all, this is a regular occurrence and quite routine for the locals. While the two pictures below were shot with just an iPhone at great distance ( apologies for the grainy quality ), the unmistakable shape of the Spitfire is clear, as are its markings.
Close up shot of a Spitfire in the Temora Aviation Museum, cowling removed showing the V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engine.Spitfire in the air over Temora on the day we visited.Who could mistake that unique wing design !
As beautiful as the plane was to watch, I could have stood blindfolded and enjoyed it as much – it was all about the unmistakable roar of the V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engine for me. Managed to capture a bit of it on the same iPhone…….you’ll hear the plane coming before you see it ( crank up the volume on your speakers now and look above the middle of the roof in the short video below ):
Spitfire over Temora.
Certainly hard to top that for excitement and nothing on the 5 1/2 hour drive to Melbourne did though it was a pleasant drive through countryside we had not visited in a very long time. Quaint, historic towns, some of Australia’s richest agricultural land and crossing the mighty Murray River ( which divides New South Wales from Victoria ) were some of the highlights. One thing, though, did stand out, and it has since we started driving in Oz – the national campaign against speeding. I don’t think we have ever seen as many signs, as many cameras, nor ( thankfully ) have I ever noticed so many people obeying the speed limit !!! Back in the day there was always a crazy speeder or two that would pass you – we noticed none in 6 hours on the road. They have been in for quite a while now and most drivers are simply used to them, but I found the omnipresent speed cameras rather nerve-wracking, constantly wondering if I might have been just a few kms over the limit as I drove by. We are used to the the police still having to catch you and ticket you ( now seems almost old fashioned ! ) but here you simply get your infraction notice/fine in the mail ( with the attendant demerit points ). Many, myself included, don’t like it – but it’s certainly effective.
Welcome to Victoria !Once we crossed into Victoria it was a 4 lane highway all the way to Melbourne.One of the many, many speed warning signs.
Rental car returned to Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport, it was straight in to the city for the first few days where we’d booked a great little AirBnB right in the heart of a Melbourne – directly opposite Flinders Street station in fact ! A great location from which to explore all downtown Melbourne’s sights, we were kept busy wandering it’s beautiful parks, legendary laneways, the Yarra River, museums, classic old buildings and simply soaking up the ambience that radiates from what must be Australia’s most multicultural city. There is so much to do here !
Melbourne streetcars (trams). Free to ride all over the downtown area – very tourist friendly !Flinders Street station, the heart of Melbourne.View from our Airbnb.Rowers, out in force on the Yarra River.One of Melbourne’s many legendary downtown “laneways”. Great open air restaurants and superb coffee everywhere ! The city has a very European feel which sprang from post-war waves of immigration, largely from Southern Europe. Now immigrants come from all corners of the globe.If not cafes and restaurants, murals and vegetation bring the laneways to life !The first picture we took after crossing to the South side of the Yarra River. We had lamented how overcast it was, then barely 10 minutes later the weather improved. It’s often said “If you don’t like the weather in Melbourne, wait 5 minutes and it will change !” It would appear to be true.It lightened up for this shot ( on the other side of the bridge )….then look what happened just minutes later ( below ):Queen Victoria GardensA Melbourne fountain, near the Queen Victoria Gardens.The Marquis of Linlithgow, Australia’s first Governor General.Botanical GardensShrine of Remembrance, a very impressive exhibition of Australia’s military sacrifices.The phone company ( Telstra ) is very kind to people who don’t carry mobile phones..!As is the City of Melbourne – downtown core tram rides are all free in the zone marked by the grey line. It’s a very easy city to get around, and very tourist friendly.The revitalized Docklands area was impressive.While walking to the Docklands area we could see ships in port. Here, a Wallenius car carrier, just like the Talisman. Sadly it was one of her identical sister ships.
An important step in Melbourne ( before our vehicle was offloaded at the port ) was to have our Carnet reviewed and processed – that’s where the ABF ( Australian Border Force ) approve the “legal” aspect of the vehicle’s temporary entry to Australia. It involved a long haul back out to the ABF building near Tullamarine airport but the officer was super friendly and had it all done in about 40 minutes. While that was a critical step in the importation process out of the way, it is the next step that is the challenging one – getting the vehicle through the port and the quarantine inspection. More details on that in the latest shipping update in the blog postscript below ( honestly, it’s a skip unless you are intrigued by the machinations of Melbourne’s port – that’s why I always put it at the end 🙂 )
Just follow the signs, see the officer, hand over all the documents and you are done ! This part of the process was refreshingly fast and easy.
We were not entirely surprised to see the port unloading process delayed ( quite seriously ) so opted to spend the rest of the week out by the beach. A second AirBnB was found, right by Aspendale beach, so for the rest of the week it was time to relax and enjoy some swimming, long beach walks and beautiful sunsets over Port Philip Bay.
If you are going to be stuck in Melbourne you might as well enjoy what it has to offer !
Our beachside AirBnB- owned by a wonderful couple originally from New Zealand, the front part of the house is a self-contained AirBnB unit.Looking towards Frankston on the Mornington Peninsula.Aspendale beach.Water was warm but I could not drag Lois in.Lois on the beach.Locals fishing at nearby Mordialloc pier.Billy Souvlaki Bar, Mordialloc – a favourite local sidewalk eatery which we liked.Local kids being taught surf life-saving in the great Aussie tradition, Aspendale beach.Colorful beach sheds on Aspendale beach.
Postscript: Shipping Update
Many years ago a children’s song became popular – you know the one, “The Song That Never Ends ( It Just Goes On And On And On !)”. I think of it every time I look at the unloading schedule on the Port of Melbourne website – our ship delayed again and again and again, it just goes on and on and on !!! It truly is beyond frustrating. January 27th initially, then pushed back almost 2 full weeks to February 7, then again to the 9th, then the 11th and now February 13th ( meaning it will likely be the 15th at best before we see it and that’s if, and only if, further cleaning is not required by the Quarantine folks ). Fingers crossed we get lucky on that !
The Talisman, whose unloading is now delayed through to Monday next week.
“Post” Postscript – Further Shipping Update:
Just prior to posting this blog I took one last look at the Port of Melbourne unloading schedule – the “Talisman” ( in a particularly cruel irony, the name means ‘good fortune’ ) has beeneven further delayed, now not expected to finish unloading until Friday, Feb 17, meaning the earliest we’d get our van would be the following week. The original unload date was January 27… 🙁
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
