The overland tour (3)
Feb 20th
I passed the best wishes to the Mattiazzo couple (they would be married soon and have their honey moon in China at August) and then left Castlemaine by train at 12:01 p.m. Around 1:30 p.m. I arrived the Southern Cross Station -- the second time in 24 hours.
Okay, I arrived. Now the first thing is to look for an information center. In Australia, the towns and cities would have information center to provide free maps, information of places of interest, and other services for tourists. Quite convenient, but this time I took about an hour to reach one. A friendly lady (seems called "City Embassy"?) of there gave me maps and a lot of instructions that I have no places to put them in. According to the map, I complete nearly the whole Bourke Street and arrived the Parliament House on east.
Ashley had mentioned that there is a free tram service of Melbourne, called the "City Circle", which is operate for the tourists. After I arrived the Parliament House, I walk down-right to the Federation Square and caught a City Circle, and thus I visit nearly all the places of interest in the downtown area, include Treasury Gardens, Calton Gardens, Melbourne Library, Central, Flagstaff Gardens, Victoria Habour, and so on, but still too early to go to the railway station, so I walked for about an hour to reach a Tourist Shuttle stop (free as well) and visit the Southbank, old Melbourne Observatory, Park, Goverment, and MCG (a famous and large stadium). The shuttle terminated the Victoria Art Museum and I wish to have a rest (it was clear and the temperature went up to 35C that day and I carried ~15kg baggage you know), so I went inside and had a brief look.
Then I felt much better, so I went mad again and travel by tram to look at the University of Melbourne (a few kilometers north from downtown) and walk in the campus for about one hour. Still one hour from the Sydney train departure so I travel back to the downtown and visit the Observation Deck -- little bit similar to the Sydney Tower which offer you a nice bird view from 250 meters above the ground -- then time was up and I walk to the Southern Cross Station.
Train departed on time, many people there, included a very naughty boy, he kept walking around the cars and made his mother very annoyed and tired. I turned on my laptop and started writing something, but soon found I'm not fit at the moment. Sleep? No, that was too noisy outside and you cannot sleep. So I closed my eyes and thought about some dull things. At last I was too tired and lied my head on my bag.
Around 1 a.m. I woke up and found the train arrived somewhere. I look out of the window -- it was Wagga Wagga. The sign reminded me the moment when Ashley was on platform and shaking hands and saying goodbye to me, although I'm too tired to think about anything. The train started again in no time and I stared at the street lights and saw them off. Mobile phone rang and it was Ashley, "Just heard the train passed, are you in it? ..." Sorrow feeling flooded. Dunno when would we meet again. A face-to-face chat can never ever been completely replaced by Internet chats.
Junee, Gilbone, Cambelltown, and finally Strathfield at twilight. The overland tour ended here, I tidied my bag and walk towards Uncle John's car.
The overland tour (2)
Feb 19th
Wagga Wagga went out of the sight very quickly. After a few minutes from saying goodbye with Ashley, there is only grassland out of the window again -- classic look of Australian outbacks. I'll have another five hours to go until the train reach Melbourne Southern Cross Station -- the terminal.
I do not have much time to miss Ashley, although I intend to do so -- you cannot have no feelings when you and a long-lost friend were at a very tiny and beautifully-built railway station, and a noisy, old-style train was coming to pick you up, and you have to say goodbye to each other although you had only stay with each other for only a short while, it may reminds you the usual occasions in a 19th-century novel. All right, but I have a big challenge ahead of me: getting alone with westerners for quite some hours for the first time, could be a big game for me to play -- basically because of I have to speak foreign language.
The train speeded up and arrived Melbourne on time. It would be the southest city I have ever been for quite a long time, I think. Just like a smaller version of Sydney. I met Mike and his to-be-wife Angela in the station, and my language sense tensed -- I cannot use "excuse me" or "pardon" too much or it would be a big shame for a university student! Thanks god, such thing did not happen. "Your english is not too good, but is okay." Mike noted. He and Angela speak slowly, thus I can understand easily.
Mattiazzo couple drove me to the Southbank area of Melbourne (yeah, to the south of the Yarral River), then he asked if I am interest to try barbecue kangaroos. "What!?" I cried, "isn't that inlegal?" "Certainly not," Mike laughed, "I suggest you to have a try, barbecure kangaroos can only be served in Australia." Although I'm not in favour in eat, I was very curious about the taste kangaroo meats and I accepted Mike's offer. Well, not even as good as a decent chicken, it's "just kangaroo meats" and it costs $26 for one dish -- a considerable price.
After taking the kangaroo meat as dinner, Mike drove us to Castlemaine, a town more than a hundred kilometers from Melborne, where he and Angela lived. "You might see kangaroos along side on the road." Mike said, but we did not met one until we reach Castlemaine. Mike make a turn from the road and head the carlight directly at the kangaroos. "Here are they." I cannot believe my eyes: kangaroos do appear in the town? "Yeah," Mike said, "quite often." But the kangaroos have no interest at us at all, they fixed their eyes on the grass and jump away before I was able to take a clear image of them.
We arrived the house in no time, and the Mattiazzo couple introduced another member of their family -- Angela's cat Hedwig. He is very naughty, always lied in front of you and play with his tail. And then, Mike showed me his equipments and point his large binocular to the treasures of southern sky. "You should get up at about 4 a.m. after the moon had set, the sky would be much better." He suggested.
But I was already too excited to sleep even when the moon is up, simply because there are too many southern sky treasures to see.
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