Melbourne

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In April, while Kate was working with colleagues in Perth, Western Australia, she was invited and presented at a Club Health conference in Melbourne, Victoria. We stayed in the city for a week.

Melbourne is a very large city (only Sydney is bigger and the two cities debate which is the better). It's on the Yarra River which dumps out in to Port Phillip Bay which then drains into the Tasmanian Sea (or the Southern Ocean). I guess it's the Tasmanian Sea because Tasmania is pretty much due south from here.

We stayed in the city centre at the historic Duxton Hotel overlooking the Yarra. We were very near Flinders Station and Federation Square. Kate's conference was a short walk away at the Crowne Plaza Hotel across from Batman Park (isn't that a silly name) and very near the Southern Cross Railway Station.

There's lots to explore along the river bank -- there's a huge casino complex, lots of shopping restaurants and bars along the Southbank. Just a little further south past the Southbank is the National Gallery of Victoria which I really enjoyed. Just north of the river, in the old city, there's ton of interesting covered laneways and arcades (and some alley ways) to explore. Shops, restaurants and lots of people. A great way to explore the city on a rainy day. One day we went to the highest building in the city on the north side of the river to get a bird's eye view of things. You could see across the river that they were building yet another, even taller, high rise near the Southbank.

It's autumn in April that side of the equator and trees were turning color. We did bike along the river a bit with our folding bikes that we had brought with us. But also, because it's autumn, it's time for the grape harvest and there are several important regions within easy striking distance, e.g. the Yarra Valley is well known. We rented a car and explored the Mornington Peninsula on the south east side of Port Phillip Bay. The area is famous for "cool climate" wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It's not a "cool climate" like back home in Ontario but they do get cool breezes from the Southern Ocean/Tasmanian Sea. It's a "cool climate" by Australian standards.

We liked Melbourne a lot and have been back several times since this our first visit. There's lots to see and explore, it's a modern, hip city well worth a visit.

If your are interested here's a photo album of our adventures.

Maurice Quinton at 90

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Maurice Watson Quinton, my Dad, had his 90th birthday on April 19, 2004. David and Gail had the family over to celebrate the occasion. Kate and I were in Perth, WA, Australia at the time and phoned in at 2:00am our time (2:00pm their time) to send our greetings.

The photo at left shows Dad, proudly surrounded by some of his many grandchildren: Natalia Roy to his right (middle daughter of Larry and Lori), Alison Quinton to his left (middle child of David & Gail). At the back: Leslie Quinton (eldest of Larry & Lori), Noelle Hunt (daughter of Ellen & Wayne), Darren Quinton behind (youngest child of Dave & Gail), Ken Edmonstone (eldest of Ellen & Wayne), and Bridget Levac (eldest of Dave and Gail).

Hilda Puddicombe, Dad's sister, attended. She would have been 94 (born 1910) at the party. Dad's girlfriend June was there as well. They were a pretty serious couple and had some fun together.

At the time Dad was still driving and lived independently in Owen Sound.

2020/10/26 - these scanned photos are from an album prepared by David & Gail.

Long Drive

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In 2004 Kate and I were in Australia for several months -- our winter their summer. One of the most memorable adventures was what we call the Long Drive (almost two weeks) from Brisbane in Queensland, through the Red Centre, across the Nullarbor Plain to the Pemberton and Margaret River Wine regions and finally to Perth in Western Australia where Kate worked with colleagues. The photo at left is a sunset at Balladonia -- a very small rest stop at the edge of the Nullarbor in Western Australia where we stayed over night.

We met Cindy in Alice Springs -- she flew in (of course). She travelled with us until we reached Perth. Our car was packed with our two travel bikes on the trunk. We ended up sending a couple of bags by bus so there would be room for Cindy. One ended up going clockwise around Australia, the other counter clockwise and delayed for a bit.

I have posted some photos from the Long Drive for those who are interested.