Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

ENJOYING THE GREAT OUTDOORS 549
gully, camellia gardens, an herb garden, rainforests packed with fruit bats, and
ponds full of ducks and black swans. You can either discover the gardens by wandering
at your own pace, or you can take one of the free guided walks that leave
the National Herbarium Building, F Gate, Sunday through Friday at 11am and
noon. Bring snacks and your picnic blanket to “Shakespeare in the Park,” a popular
summer event. Performances are in January and February, and tickets cost
around A$30 (US$20). Call & 03/9252 2300 for details. The gardens are open
November through March from 7:30am to 8:30pm, in April, September, and
October from 7:30am to 6pm, and May through August from 7:30am to 5:30pm.
Admission is free. To get there, catch the tram on Route 8, traveling south, and get
off at Stop 21. Allow 2 to 4 hours.
Nearby, in King’s Domain, take a look at Victoria’s first Government House,
Latrobe’s Cottage (& 03/9654 5528). It was built in England and transported to
Australia brick by brick in 1836. Admission is A$2 (US$1.30) per person. The
cottage is open Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.
On the other side of Birdwood Avenue is the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial
to the servicemen lost in Australia’s wars. It’s designed so that at 11am on
Remembrance Day (Nov 11), a beam of sunlight hits the Stone of Remembrance
in the Inner Shrine. Note the eternal flame in the forecourt. King’s Domain is Stop
12 on the Route 15 tram traveling south along St. Kilda Road.
In Fitzroy Gardens, off Wellington Parade, is Cooks’ Cottage (& 03/9419
4677), which was moved to Melbourne from Great Ayton, in Yorkshire, England,
in 1934 to mark Victoria’s centenary. The cottage was built by the parents
of Captain Cook, and today provides the opportunity to learn about his voyages
of discovery around the world. Inside, it’s spartan and cramped, not unlike a
ship’s cabin. Admission is A$3.70 (US$2.40) for adults, A$1.80 (US$1.15) for
children 5 to 15, and A$8.80 (US$5.70) for families of two adults and up to
four children. It’s open daily from 9am to 5pm (until 5.30pm during summer).
Also east of the central business district are the Treasury Gardens. Look for the
memorial to John F. Kennedy near the lake. Treasury Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens
can be reached by tram no. 75 travelling east along Flinders Street. Get off
at Stop 14 for Treasury Gardens and Stop 14A for Fitzroy Gardens.
6 Enjoying the Great Outdoors or Catching an Aussie Rules
Football Match
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
BALLOONING Melbourne by Balloon, Balloon Sunrise Office, 41 Dover
St., Richmond (& 03/9427 7596; fax 03/9427 7597), offers flights over the
city plus a champagne breakfast once you’ve hit the ground again. Dawn flights
cost A$265 (US$146) for adults, and A$175 (US$101) for children under 12
(but if they’re under 1.2 meters [4 ft.] tall they won’t be able to see over the basket).
Advance reservations are essential.
BIKING Extensive bicycle paths wind through the city and suburbs. For details
on the 20 most popular routes, pick up a copy of Melbourne Bike Tours, published
by Bicycle Victoria (& 03/9328 3000; fax 03/9328 2288; www.bv.com.au),
available at most bookshops. Bicycle Victoria also runs several major cycling tours
throughout the state every year.
Bike Now, 320 Toorak Rd., South Yarra (& 03/9826 6870), rents bicycles
for A$15 (US$9.75) for 2 hours, A$20 (US$13) for 4 hours, A$30 (US$20) for
a full day, and A$70 (US$46) for a week. The shop is open Monday through