This was our last full Sunday in Melbourne and we made the most of it! We were like the locals when we went out for brekky and read the Sunday paper! It was a perfect morning to sit outside the cafe and read all the footy news and eat a delicious meal.
Sunshine, a cup of tea and the sports pages!
Fresh-squeezed OJ, eggs and bacon~alas, no baked beans!
We also took our last weekend bike ride and the great weather continued. I became aware of something called the Royal Melbourne Show happening somewhere in the city but I didn’t really know what it was or where. So I did a little research and gathered that this show was like a state fair, which sounded like it could be fun. When I figured out where the show grounds were I realized that we could ride our bikes there, so that is what we did. The 9 mile route to the show was mostly on bike trails, some of which were new to us. We biked along the Maribyrnong River, which flows into the Yarra from the west.
Indeed the Royal Melbourne Show had a familiar feel to the New York State Fair, minus the butter sculpture! We enjoyed our time walking around the grounds seeing the sights and doing some people-watching! Here a some photos from our time at the show:
Our route took us past the Melbourne docks.
Waiting to buy our $32 entry tickets! Yikes, and that was a general admission ticket, no rides included!
The roller-coaster rose over our heads as we went through the entry gates. Not sure why there is an American Flag flying.
Royal Melbourne Show sights.
In one of the Ag buildings.
Lots of local olive oil to taste.
Toasted Cheese sandwiches and only $2.00 each!
Lunch!
Replica of the famous Royal Flying Doctors plane.
Thinking of Alison as we watched the horse jumping!
Beautiful cakes in the Home/Life building.
Yarn-bombing!
Local crocheters teaching the skill.
Spinners doing their thing and answering questions.
Prize-winning knitting entries.
Lace skirt and top~as a lace knitter, I was most impressed! Sorry about the flash reflection on the glass case.
Sweet treat awards.
The Livestock building!
A beautiful Merino ram.
Cow judging.
Love the striped cows!
Car and trailer that were yarn bombed. Not really my thing, but impressive none-the-less!
Cotton Candy is called Fairy Floss in Australia!
Cheering for the lumberjacks during the springboard chop competition.
One of our favorite activities to watch was the speed and agility course for dogs.
In addition to jumping over barriers the dogs had to run through tunnels and weave their way through these wands. It was fun to watch it made us think of Ophie!
Our ride home along the bike path by the docks.
Approaching Melbourne from the west.
So that was our day. Hope you had a good day too!
Happy Anniversary to Tucker and Alison!
Cheers!
Southern Crossings 2013 
Will so miss your pictures when you are done! I started my puppy in agility training so I enjoyed the pictures from your Australian fair. I also see stripped cows every year on my way to Maine – they are so different.