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Return: Daylight XPT to Sydney
I’m on my way home. If this train is one time then it is less than one and a half hours until I get off this daylight XPT service from Melbourne to Sydney. Only it’s not daylight any longer. There is nothing to see out the window but blackness. I should have flown, had tickets… Read more
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Sarawak laksa and bak kut teh
Travel is a series of quests for us. They give it structure and purpose even if the quests themselves are no more than a MacGuffin. The theme running through our Melbourne trip has been Malaysian food and, on our final day, I wanted to ensure we tried some more interesting dishes. For me it was… Read more
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Puff Piece
Melbourne is supposed to be a foodies’ paradise, but what would be open on Good Friday? We walk along the south bank of the Yarra from our hotel until the Princes Bridge. Past the casino and the celebrity chef restaurants that exist outside our price range. Crossing the Yarra, we head to Federation Square where… Read more
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City views
I gripped the steering wheel tightly and swore. “I told you I didn’t want to drive in the city, but you guys insisted!” I’ve just missed the turn to the hotel, after previously being stuck on parts of the motorway that the November 2021 GPS update doesn’t know and now I have to go on… Read more
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The Balance of the Force
“Anger, fear, aggression; the Dark Side of the Force are they. ” – Yoda Last night I just wanted a holiday from the holiday. Exhausted by the tension of the fires and the trips out into the dark dusty air to allow Kita to excuse himself, last night I needed sleep. I put Kita in… Read more
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The Return of the Jedi to Melbourne
Like so many others, I wish we had fast, frequent trains connecting the eastern capitals. At three hundred kilometres per hour I could go from Melbourne to Sydney and back, three hours each way. To Brisbane a little longer. No more messing about at the airport with an expensive ride just to get there. No… Read more
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Southern Cross to the Plenary
Made it to Melbourne. Walk up Bourke Street to Myer, windows shopped, ate Malaysian and hurried to the Convention Centre to the pre concert talk. The Empire Strikes Back! Read more
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Racing south to Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park. Performed live by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. I had to go. Fly? Too expensive for the three of us for such a short trip. Train? Schedules don’t work. Bus? Too horrible for that distance. That leaves driving. Back when B and I were first dating and she was in Albury and I in… Read more