Today started off bleak and windy. Far from perfect but not unpleasant enough for us to change our plans for a day in the city. We caught the tram from St Kilda to the Melbourne Museum where we had an enjoyable few hours browsing. The highlight for John was undoubtedly seeing Phar Lap in all his glory. John remembered seeing Phar Lap as a child on a visit with his mum so this brought back fond memories.
Also on display was a cross-section cut from Kauri Pine which had a diameter of almost 2m and growth rings showing it to be over 800 years old. very impressive!
Adjoining the Museum is the Royal Exhibition Building - a grand old building from a bygone era. It was completed in 1880, it's the world's only surviving Great Hall constructed as an exhibition space and still used for that purpose. it was also the site of Australia's first Parliament in 1901.
A short walk away was the magnificent St Patrick's Cathedral. Truly breathtaking in its architecture and artifacts and definitely worth a visit regardless of your religious inclinations. The gardens were in full bloom, with statues and sculptures intermingling with roses, cherry trees and gardens full of flowers.
From here we wandered through the beautiful Fitzroy Gardens to Captain Cook's Cottage. Although there is some conjecture as to whether Cook actually lived in the cottage, it is certainly a quaint stone house. It was built in Yorkshire in 1755 by Cook's parents. It was dismantled, transported and rebuilt brick by brick in 1934 and is now a major tourist draw card.
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