Melbourne, Australia (again)

After a sea day we were in Melbourne. Different guide, so some different information.

Our guide came to Melbourne in 1976, being invited to come and teach in the area. The country had a great need for teachers because of the influx of people and the boom of children after these new people arrived. All children wear uniforms at schools, both public and private. High schools are called secondary colleges.

Australia has no automobile industry. All cars are imported and Melbourne has a huge area for car imports. The most popular brands are Chinese.

Melbourne has a huge coffee culture. 90% of their coffee drinks are made with milk and not water. For this reason, Starbucks did not make it in Australia and in Melbourne in particular. There are some Starbucks but they are near the university areas.

You can get your drivers license when you are 17, learners permit. The regular license is issued at 18, but you have it as a temporary license until you are 21.

My excursion was to the Werribee Zoo. It is a conservation zoo, where they are trying to breed endangered animal species. It is situated on over 80 acres. There is a “safari” ride, through natural habitats where the animals live free. There is also an area to walk through that has traditional Australian animals, koalas, kangaroos, wallabys and rare birds.

Fortunately the weather was sunny and in the 70s. We avoided another really hot day.

It was nice, but not Africa.