Werribee Zoo

Today we've been to another Zoo just outside of Melbourne at Werribee. It's an open range 'Safari' style place so you can go around in a bus and get up (very) close to Rhino's, Giraffes, Bison etc etc. Ethan has a whale of a time while Aidan ignored the animals completely and paid attention to eating all the way around the place. The pictures from today can be seen at : Werribee Zoo. We also ventured back to Albert Park before the Grand Prix stuff had all been removed to do another 'lap' of the circuit. A few pictures are included, the last one showing how close the Cadbury building is to the track. In other news, Maxine has secured a new job with her company out in Melbourne as a permanent move. I've also signed on the dotted line for a permanent Oz role so it looks like the foreseeable future is in Melbourne!

Melbourne in Autumn

It's been a busy week this week with a lot going on. Maxine has been for two interviews internally with her company so that she can transfer to Oz fully. Sounds like it's going to be a positive outcome so the Champer's is on ice. Aidan has been on anti-biotics all week as he's got a chest infection (as well as a heavy cold) but he's just about come through that now. Nursery has got a lot to answer for.

It's also been Grand Prix week. My office (which is literally on the corner of the Albert Park track) has been abuzz with F1 car's screaming past in practice. It's quite surreal that its just touching distance. We drove the track about 5 days before practice started - all the bollards and grandstands were up etc. Shame we did it in a Holden Commodore rather than something a bit more exotic! Beggars can't be choosers. It was good all the same. The race has been on today and we could hear it loud and clear from our back garden..... and we live about 15 Km's away from the track ! Shows you how damn loud they are. Kimi Raikkonen won it for Ferrari at a stroll - leading from the off. There's talk of this being the last day time race in Melbourne as they want to host a night race for the viewing public in Europe. F1 cars will look odd with headlights ;-)

We didn't go to the Grand Prix as you might tell. We went to the St.Kilda botantic gardens instead (!) Thats showing our age. Another beautiful park in Melbourne. The kids had a great time playing and running before we all went to St.Kilda for lunch in the Autumn sunshine. The pictures as usual have been loaded on Picassa. See them at St.Kilda Botanic Gardens.

Williamstown

Yesterday we went to Williamstown which is just on the other side of the city, about a 30 minute drive away. Its amazing we'd not ventured there before but I suppose we've been

busy looking after a baby for the last 12 months. Williamstown is a seaside port, populated in the 1830's and now overlooks the Melbourne city skyline. No sooner had we got there and the link back to
England was found. This gun in the picture was made by Armstrong's in ... Newcastle Upon Tyne. You can probably see the engraving on the picture. Weird. The town itself is definately worth a visit and there seem to be some decent resturants & pubs although we didn't sample any on this occasion. We walked over to the pier and there is a maritime trust boat called the H.M.A.S. Castlemaine, a 1942 Australian Minesweeper (see the second picture of me & Ethan aboard!). Ethan had a great time running around and asking loads of questions (his constant shout is 'What does this say !?'). We were by the seaside so of course we then had to sample the local Chippie and then back home, driving past a potential suicide jumper on the Westgate bridge ! .... (but thats another story).

See more photo's from today at: Williamstown

The Hiscocks in Aus

We've had some visitors over from blighty ! Hurraahh ! Helen, David & Owen have been on their grand tour of Australia and Asia and stopped in at Melbourne for a few days. So far they've managed to get around Singapore, Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne and are about to head off to Hong Kong on Monday for a few days on the way home to England. Not a bad effort for 3 weeks away! I worked with Helen when we were both at Dixons and we did a lot of catching up on whos gone where and done what.... We spent yesterday at the Botanical Gardens in the city and then headed to Beaumauris and the beach at Ricketts point. Ethan loved having Owen to play with all day and the pair of them ran themselves ragged.

See more pictures from today at : Hiscocks Visit
Most of our pictures we now upload for family & friends on Picassa. You can see them all at : Our Web Album