Finally - proof that we're actually in Australia
... and not just hiding out in South Beach :)


Koala!!
These first pictures are by far the highlight of our time here so far. We visited an animal sanctuary, about an hour outside the city. This koala was raised there, and is used to being handled. He climbed on the keeper as she was walking by, so she brought him over for us to pet.

Noel and koala:

Pete and koala:

Us and koala:

He was actually very soft, and smelled a bit like eucalyptus.

Footy!
(Australian Rules Football)

Our apartment is adjacent to the Telstra Dome, one of the 2 major footy stadiums in the city - they love sports here. AFL is played throughout the country, but mostly in Melbourne. There are 12 teams in the city alone, one for each suburb. At the recommendation of a co-worker, we attended the St. Kilda Saints vs. Collingwood Magpies game. The crowd was very spirited, and we learned a lot about the game from their colourful commentary ;)

We decided that we liked the Saints so much, that Pete got the official scarf (or maybe it was just b/c it was very chilly). They won by a landslide. Unfortunately, our allegiance is somewhat fickle; we went to another footy match this past Friday and barracked (we would say "rooted" - but that has a very dirty connotation in Australia) for the Melbourne Demons, they were also victorious and we'd like to think we're good luck!

Pete - the Saints fan:

The view from our seats. Those are the goal posts, and different amounts of points are awarded depending on which set of posts the ball is kicked through.

Fans leaving the game, also, the view from our balcony :)

Art
The Melbournians love art, modern art mostly. There are more public displays of art here than I've seen anywhere else. Actually, as they would say ... "the most public art in the southern hemisphere!"

This past weekend was a modern design celebration week, which included a "ready-made" show on Sunday. We went to see the cool stuff from young designers, hoping to pick up some funky stuff to decorate with ... Unfortunately, they are serious designers, and a bit pricey - but it was fun nonetheless. Here's a picture Pete took of me shopping for elephant outlines printed on various pieces of fabric. If the surrounding looks a bit dodgy, that's b/c the exhibition was held in the car park (parking garage) ... strange, but it worked:

And for the finale ... Pete's favourite public display of art thus far - performance art nonetheless ... the one and only:

Sonic Manipulator!!

Yeah - Pete loves this guy. He's dressed in a "space suit" and "raps" about the "martians that are coming to drink all our beer". He appears on weekends, on busy street corners. He has an album, which can be purchased through his website - you can google it yourself, if you're really that interested ;) Melbourne, while a large city for Australia - isn't that big. You see the same street performers every weekend, sometimes they move around, but there are only 6 or 7 ... so, this guy stands out!

That's all for now, the next blog will feature some of the "small, but noticeable" differences b/w here and the US ... it's the little things that count ... Also ... more photos of public art, including "Cow Up a Tree", Noel's local favourite!