Early 2020 AD. Danny and I embark on a 21st century Odyssey. On the Majestic Princess from Sydney to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji. Back to Sydney, then to Melbourne and flying back home.

After a thorough visit of the Melbourne CBD and a drag bingo night in Footscray, it was time to explore some suburban Melbourne.

We started the Shrine of Remembrance. It’s a huge, Greco-Egyptian style temple. Not only does it honour the Australian participants of World War I, World War II and more recent conflicts, there’s also an exhibition area downstairs.

Volunteer Judy gave us extensive explanations about the place. The Shrine doesn’t honour the dead but the participants. There’s an important nuance. It aso doesn’t mention rank, titles or positions. Everyone equal in the misery. 

Chapel Street

After the Shrine we took a tram to Chapel Street in Prahran. Danny isn’t much of a shopper or a stroller. We don’t drink coffee and we didn’t stop for cake. So after walking a few blocks we took two trams to…

St Kilda Beach

… St Kilda Beach, where we walked on the Esplanade, the embankment and the pier.

Albert Park

Next up was Albert Park for the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. The Australian Grand Prix took place on 15 March was cancelled at the 11th hour. I couldn’t resist taking some photos.

Trams

We did this tour in four hours, including a long stop at the Shrine. We were impressed by the tram connections. We only had one journey with a change. 

Most interesting was the numbering of tram stops. Names changed but the numbers don’t. The numbers also help you to calculate where you are. 

De Lijn in Flanders can learn a few things from Yarra Trams. The ease of use is stunning, certainly for outsiders. And the stops are further apart so the tram moves quicker.