Melbourne Museum

I enjoyed a rare day off with my beautiful wife, Caroline, and took advantage of this by visiting the Melbourne Museum. I'm embarrassed to say that after 7 years in Melbourne, this is the first time I've been to the museum (I went once before for the Tutankhamun exhibition, but didn't go round the main part of the museum). For me, the joy of walking around a museum is being educated and inspired in whatever subjects the museum might specialise in. What I was really looking forward to was discovering Australian and Victorian history and the Melbourne Museum doesn't disappoint. The Melbourne Gallery has interesting displays charting the history of the city. To me it is most amazing how quickly Melbourne has grown. It was only around 100 years ago that new immigrants had to make new with a camp city on the banks of the Yarra River when they arrived.

Camp City

While Australia doesn't have the same historical depth as Europe, I still find primary evidence and artifacts the most inspiring details, and seeing photo's of a changing Melbourne through the ages is a powerful tool.

Melbourne in the 1950's

The natural history part of the Museum is also fascinating with dinosaur skeletons and bug and animal displays. But I was particularly interested in the geological exhibition which went a long way to explaining the formation of our continent. It is a subject I remember studying at school, but I don't recall much about it. I am inspired to look into this subject more. I also found the exhibition on the mind very interesting. Of course, this might have something to do with Caroline's work in the mental health sphere, though thought, emotion and the workings of the brain are subjects which I find fascinating anyway.

Situated in Carlton Gardens on the site of the 1880 Melbourne Exhibition the Museum is a stone's throw from Lygon Street with it's famous strip of Italian restaurants and cafes. This is where we went after the Museum, for a coffee and cake at Brunetti's. Like all big cities, the art and history in Melbourne is not limited to the galleries and museums. Melbourne Zoo has situated 50 fibreglass elephants around the city to celebrate its 150th anniversary. Of course, Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant, Mali, is a star attraction.

 Mali in Carlton

Caroline and Mali

This was one of the most interesting things I saw, a medal given to a seaman on the Carpathia for rescuing survivors of the Titanic