Southern Cross railway station - Melbourne

This blog is primarily for those who might be using this station.

In Melbourne the interstate and regional trains arrive and depart from Southern Cross Station. It was formerly known as Spencer Street Station after its location on Spencer Street on the western side of the central business district. 

 The unusual wavy roof is quite distinctive.

 Arrival and departures for interstate and in state trains. Suburban trains also use the station but use the higher numbered platforms.

 Underneath a set of escalators and beside platform 2 is this office which houses Country Link. For questions about using the XPT to Sydney and Brisbane, this is the office you want.

I had reserved several sleepers on the Queensland trains and needed to pay for them. I was able to do this here, but the bloke behind the counter needed to call QRail in Brisbane to do it. He was friendly and helpful.

When I arrived from Adelaide on the Overland at 7:30pm, one of the train staff took me to this office. However the single person on duty asked me to come back at 9:00 the next morning when things were less busy. The night train to Sydney was about to depart and he needed to deal with passengers for that train which was about to leave. A quite reasonable request.

 A few steps away is a place to leave your luggage.

 A few more steps and there is a place to by V Line train tickets for Victorian in state trains. My Ausrail pass was not valid for these trrains but was valid for the XPT from Melbourne to Sydney. Further along (walking north) is the bus terminal including the bus to Melbourne Airport.

 Some of the luggage lockers are quite large. ($12 for 24 hours).

 V Line in state trains.

These passengers are walking past one of the wonders of the world. Some may have visited it but few would want to make a repeat visit. I am referring to the men's toilet that lurks next to the waiting room.

The smell in that toilet comes straight from Satan's bottom and bladder. I've been in a bunch of odoriferous places over the years and nothing has come close to the revolting pong of that lavatory. Somehow it manages to smell really old, concentrated and complex. If it were a desirable  bouquet such as in a grand old red wine it would be magnificent but as an appalling odour it is truly horrible.

How all this happens, I am not sure. The toilet area and wash basins are relatively clean. Maybe Satan did visit that day and I was just unlucky.

There is another major station in downtown Melbourne on the south side. This is Flinders Street Station and it  is the primary station for suburban trains.

The State Library of Victoria - Melbourne

When ever I am in Melbourne, I usually try to visit this library because I love to see the old reading room.

 The main entrance. It was used to great effect in the 1959 Stanley Kramer film about the end of the world, 'On the Beach'. If you get the chance, see the film. As well as being a great story, it shows the Melbourne of 1959 which apparently did not impress Ava Gardner. She thought it dull and boring. I think she would have a different impression these days.

 It really helps to read the Wikipedia article from the above link since the history of the reading room is interesting. The dome roof was covered with copper sheets in 1959 so the reading room I remember became a dark mysterious place with glowing reading lights amongst the gloom.

 In 1999, a refurbishment took place and the room was reopened in 2003 with the copper removed and the natural lighting restored. What a transformation!

 The green shaded reading lights that so intrigued me when the roof was covered.

 Going up one level. The room was modeled after the Library of Congress.

 Looking down from close to the dome.

 Stained glass of the Bard.

The dome, up close.

 On an upper floor, close to the dome, Ned Kelly's armor is on display. Ned was Australia's most famous bushranger and he was captured while wearing this home made armor. It worked for a while but eventually the Police aimed at his upper legs which were unprotected except for the boots.

 One of the boots.

 Up close view of the helmet. One of Australia's most famous painters, Sydney Nolan, used the armored figure in a series of iconic paintings. The subject has also inspired some films including one where Ned was play by Mick Jagger!

 View from the back.

Description of the initial effect of the armor.

 Ned was tried and hung at Old Melbourne Gaol in 1880. This is his death mask. What was claimed for many years to be his skull was displayed at the Gaol. I remember visiting the gaol back in the 70's and seeing the skull as well as the cell where the condemned spent their last night before being hanged through the trap door right outside the cell. The skull was stolen in 1978 and has since been recovered but there is still ongoing investigation as to whether it is actually Kelly's skull.

An early Melbourne Cup from 1865 won by Torybory. This horse race is the most prominent in Australia and is held on the first Tuesday of each November. I believe that day is significant in US politics but it is much more important in Australia. The whole country comes to a standstill to watch the race on TV or listen to it on the radio. My mother was not a betting woman, but I would make sure she had a horse in a sweep each year.

The library also has a few very old books on display, dating back to the 13th century.

The library reading room seems to have become a curiosity with very few people actually using it. Most activity is now directly below it where rows of computer terminals are lined up. You can get 15 minutes of free internet time to check your email.

Melbourne - rowing on the Yarra River

Back in 1973 I was part of a small group of friends in Melbourne that decided we would take up rowing. No particular reason, we just decided to try it out.

We drove down to the rowing sheds near Flinders Street Station and asked around.

By chance somebody at the Banks Rowing Club took notice of us and the next thing we were getting some lessons. Most of the old club houses have been upgraded or replaced over the past 40 years.

 The first thing you are taught is how to carry the boat. They are quite unwieldy and back then, probably heavier than they are now.

 Next comes placing the boat into the water. There is a strict routine to follow. On this particular Saturday morning, quite a few girls were being taught. It was virtually an all male sport forty years ago.

 In front of the Banks Rowing Club.

 Casting off with the city skyline in the background. It really is a fabulous place to row first because of the views and secondly because the water is usually pretty calm with not too much current.

We only kept it up for a few months and basically we were pretty hopeless. Still, it was fun to try for a while. I never really liked the racing part, but I really did enjoy the paddling around bit when you were practicing.