We spent the day in the country. Colin T. had invited Joe and I out to Hurstbridge and Eltham for lunch and to spend part of the day with him. Joe and I got our breakfast, shower, dressed and out the door by 9:45 this morning. I wanted to get to the Flinder’s Street Station a bit early to top off my MyKi card (the one you use to ride the public transportation in Melbourne and surrounding suburbs). I had a bit of a problem because my credit card requires a signature and the machine wouldn’t do it without a PIN. So Joe lent me 10.00 and I was able to get on the way.
We hopped on the train and Colin met us in Eltham where we boarded another train to Hurstbridge. Total train ride was about an hour, but there were a few stops along the way. We got to the sleepy town of Hurstbridge, where the sign said “Where Melbourne meets the Yarrow Valley”. It is and has the feel of a small country town, much like you have in the US. We walked along main street for a bit and decided to have some lunch. We stopped at Stoneground and we each got a sausage roll and a meat pie. They were very tasty.
From there we walked a bit more and saw 2 interesting trees. One was a large Eucapiptus and the second was an old one. The first was just interesting, the second was a bit historic. It had been used to warn and call the townspeople when there was a fire. They had hung a bell in the fork of the tree, which was rung when there was a fire. The locals preserved the tree and have a sign to tell visitors the history. I have included a picture of the sign if you want to read all about this tree. I decided I wanted dessert and a cup of coffee. We stopped at Coffex and I got a piece of carrot cake. It was good, but the used buttercream frosting and I was hoping for cream cheese. It was very pleasant to sit outside and visit for a bit before going to Eltham.
We caught the train to Eltham, Colin’s home town and walked to his house. He lives just 5 minutes from the station. It was a very nice visit. We stayed there about an hour and then had to catch the train back to Melbourne. We had made arrangements to meet Kevin at 5 ish for dinner. I had to give Colin my goodbye as I will probably not see him again, until I come back to Melbourne, or he comes to San Diego. I enjoyed spending the day with him. He is very proud of Melbourne and his home town. He grew up in the area and was a great guide and made the day very enjoyable for Joe and I. Joe will probably see him again before he goes back to San Diego on February 1st. I am coming back on Monday.
Joe and I rode the train to the Metro Central Station, which is where Kevin works. He was waiting for us at the Lion Hotel Pub, where Joe and I met him the first day I arrived in Melbourne. We had a couple of beers and were joined by his workmate, Colin (not the same Colin) and his girlfriend Sarena. We had a nice visit for about and hour.
Joe, Kevin and I went down to level 1 in the same building and grabbed a quick dinner. We wanted to try the Korean Fried Chicken at Uncle Jong’s. Kevin decided he didn’t want any, because it has bones. Joe got a plate of ‘nugget’ type chicken and I got the regular fried chicken. It was nothing special. We won’t be eating there again, but it was worth one visit.
From there Kevin walked home because he needed to stop at the market. Joe and I walked a couple blocks and caught the tram. We ended up meeting Kevin just as we arrived at the building. Kevin walks really fast. We came upstairs and I worked on the blog and Kevin started gaming with Colin, the same one from this evening at the Lion.
Tomorrow has nothing planned until evening when Kevin and I are going to friends of Kevin’s to play bridge.
