©
cwilding: It's a beautiful day in Melbourne - time for some Moomba action! We headed out on the Labour Day long weekend holiday to see the parade.
©
cwilding: Yep, that would be the Magic Pudding.
©
cwilding: OK, so that's a circus performer in a giant cappuccino machine. OK, this is going to get complicated. You really have to be a Melbournian to understand all this.
©
cwilding: The "town crier" announces the King and Queen of Moomba.
©
cwilding: Yes, it's the King and Queen of Moomba, soccer superstar Harry Kewell and ex-Roage Traders singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte! Pity Molly Meldrum wasn't up to it… I saw Denise Drysdale in the parade...
©
cwilding: One of the King and Queen's attendants.
©
cwilding: A little more of that giant cappuccino machine.
©
cwilding: Gotta have some Koori blood in there somewhere. Nice to see the Aboriginal flag flying high.
©
cwilding: That's one tasty liquorice allsort.
©
cwilding: One day I'll be up there!
©
cwilding: NatBas looking reaaaaly happy to be here.
©
cwilding: Parade over! The crowds flood St Kilda Road.
©
cwilding: Hmmm, that fountain looks tempting on this beautiful sunny day in Melbourne.
©
cwilding: Checking the temps.
©
cwilding: Then we're off to the riverside carnival. Looking hot and dusty in there.
©
cwilding: But we bypassed the carnival to check out finals of the waterskiing competition on the Yarra.
©
cwilding: The crowds are impressed that ANYONE is game enough to get in that murky water.
©
cwilding: Ahh, the mighty Yarra, being carved up by a mighty young waterskiier.
©
cwilding: Those girls can really carve up the river.
©
cwilding: You get points for the number of bouys you can round on the slalom in successive heats with an ever-shortening rope.
©
cwilding: Oops, the rope got a little short for her.
©
cwilding: Rounding another bouy.
©
cwilding: Then we head back home, stopping in at the Victoria Barracks, where Laurie notices the gun outside is actually a Howitzer captured in France in World War 1. More research for our trip next month. Can't wait!
©
cwilding: Moomba fireworks!
©
cwilding: We got to the Ponyfish Island bridge on the Yarra juuuust in time for the start of the fireworks. People packed the next bridge, but ours was not busy at all!
©
cwilding: Love this city.