Melbourne - The Worlds Cross-roads

Wandering around Paris, you feel France
Floating around Venice, you feel Italy
Whizzing around Delhi, you feel India 
Hopping around Melbourne, you feel a little bit of Australia. But in the 21st century what is Australian?

Wandering through the royal parks in Melbourne offer a fantastic opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle and lose yourself in the birdsong. That is if you can avoid the rain and hail storms. In the first of what I feel may be many opportunities to disprove Australian stereotypes, it's certainly not always  sunshine, sun burn and drought. Melbourne has permanent and strict water codes but I got a free shower in the park today. 

At the centre of the park is the visitor centre and tea rooms proudly advertised as fully air conditioned, completely unnecessary in today's climate. The cashier was incredibly helpful and described many places worth visiting whilst in Melbourne before I could pay and finally munch on my scones. The helpful gene is a thread running through every Australian I meet, from the lady at the rail ticket desk to the driver on the free tourist bus to the fed square army of red coat helpers. 

As soon as the storms arrive they disappear leaving a blustery but clear sky tempting you to venture out and get wet again. Here's hoping the weather improves later in the week.