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We arrived back in Melbourne late on Saturday (8th) then went out to lunch on Sunday with Tom and Sarah and Laura( who we stayed with in Sydney and who was in Melbourne for a couple of days for her work). After a lovely lunch in Docklands area we all decided to experience the 'Melbourne Star' - a huge Ferris wheel like the London Eye. It is situated in the Docklands area and is a bit of a joke with the residents of Melbourne as it opened a few years ago and only operated for about 3 weeks before being closed due to a problem with the metal structure distorting. It finally reopened earlier this year but is not as popular as the London Eye. However it turned out to be better than expected and we all appreciated the 360 degree views of Melbourne and it's environs.
This morning David and I once again borrowed Tom's car and this time headed east out of Melbourne to spend a couple of days in the Dandelong range of hills just an hour's drive from the city centre . This is the closest the outback gets to the city and is renown for its tall eucolypts which grow up to 100 feet tall. We had booked a B&B after consulting 'Trip Advisor' which turned out to be a gem. We have our own little cottage with living room, bedroom and bathroom with spa bath but best of all we also get a games room which is huge and contains a table tennis table. The views from this place are allegedly spectacular as we are nearly 1000 metres above sea level but due to bush fires north of Melbourne which are still burning, the smoke has drifted over the Dandelongs and reduced visibility to about 200 yards. This area is on 'red alert ' which is not the highest but means fires could potentially break out. Olinda and the area is very touristy with restaurants, souvenir shops and little tea places everywhere. The scenery is beautiful but with over 100 B & B's as well as the eateries it seems more like a huge theme park. However, there are plenty of bush walks to go on to get away from the tourist spots. We took a walk to Olinda Falls through the forest, accompanied by the screeching of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos high up in the tree canopy.
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