Adam G

Burke and Wills, the leader and second in command of the ill-fated expedition to cross the Australian continent, died on their return journey at Cooper's Creek in June 1861. Their bodies were exhumed and returned to Melbourne on 29 December 1862 and interned here on 21 January 1863 (Australia's first state funeral). Subsequently, in May 1866 the monument commemorating the explorers was erected over the grave site. This monument, a large Harcourt granite block, is twelve feet high by six feet square at the base and tapers to 5 feet square at the top. The block itself weighs nearly 30 tons and was the largest block ever quarried in Victoria and it was one of the most difficult undertakings ever effected in the colonies to get it from the quarry to the cemetery. The inscriptions on the four faces on the base were added in March 1873. This grave is one of the most visited in the cemetery.

This is a man-made beach constructed after the high-rise apartments which back it were built. Funny how they couldn't come up with a more imaginative name for it! It's a sandy beach however, it's fairly small; about 250-metre-long and up to 80-metre-wide. However, it's a nice and fairly quiet beach with relatively flat and calm water which makes this beach for kids to shallow paddle on a hot day.

Additional to the sand and beach, there's some great amenities and facilities including a the nearby Beacon Cove restaurants, D'lish Fish Fish & Chips shop and Foodstore, and in nearby Westport Reserve there's picnic tables, free electric BBQ facilities, water drinking tap and toilets, the Westport Reserve Playground (a small playground), and car parking.

I recall watching New Beach being constructed, first large boulders were brought in and then the complete area was filled with beach sand trucked in from other locations and spread by bulldozer. Apparently some 120,000 tonnes of sand was brought in to make the beach. This part of Port Melbourne has seen significant change from its maritime industrial past and now with direct access to this new beach, the apartments along the foreshore here have become a highly desirable place to live.

St Patrick's Cathedral Shop is not where you would expect it to be and in fact, it's near the Presbytery at the Lansdowne St end of the Cathedral precinct and thus some distance away from the Cathedral itself at the Gisborne St end. Fortunately, there are some A-frame boards with directions to the shop.

As you will readily see from my photos here, it's quite a small shop but nonetheless it does have a reasonable selection of beautiful Catholic/Christian items including gifts and gift wrapping paper, statues, crucifixes, paintings, books, brochures and cards. I found the staff to be super friendly are helpful.

This children's playground, in the Carlton Gardens and located just north of the Melbourne Museum, is rather unique when it comes to playgrounds. There are two tall tower structures, a big tunnel slide, smaller slides, musical instrument, monkey bars, fireman's pole, ladders and a climbing wall, as well as a sandpit all set in a hide-and-seek type maze of walls each having different sized holes cut into them making them fun for hiding and exploring. There are paths running through the maze, with a wooden deck in the middle that hides musical bells that chime when you walk on them.

Off to the side is a circular area with soft surface for toodlers with toddler swings and a cubby house with a slide, sandpit, climbing frame and spring seesaw. Next to this older kids is an another area with a number of monkey bars and climbing frames, a flying fox and horizontal bars plus two double swings. There's lots to keep kids of all ages entertained while burning off energy.

Being in the Carlton Gardens, this playground is set in lots of green space with beautiful well established trees including large Moreton Bay figs. It is certainly different and quite popular especially after school when the kids pour out from the primary school across Rathdowne Street.

If you're a beach volleyball player then what better place to train and/or play volleyball than at the courts right on South Melbourne Beach. There are rows of volleyball courts, ten in total, set-up on the beach and the nets are always up so it's the perfect place to practice/train or have a match (need to bring your own lines and ball).

VicBeach regularly run tournaments and events at the courts on South Melbourne Beach. If you're not a player yourself then come down and watch beach volleyball at it best. It's a great atmosphere.

There is some but limited on-street parking in the area of the beach and a tram might be a better option. The Route #1, East Coburg - South Melbourne Beach tram stops right at the corner of Beaconsfield Parade and Victoria Avenue.