Day Eleven - Botanic Gardens, Melbourne

Rain all day today in Melbourne with high temps and even higher humidity.  Not a lot you can do but pick a place, get on the tram and get soaked so with that we headed out to the Botanic Gardens via the #55 (without paying - bonus) from outside the hotel.

The verdict from the expert in these matters (Doug) is that Melbourne is infinitely better than Sydney and Canberra isn't even a player.  From my amateur perspective, I'd have to agree.  Melbourne is larger and more varied.  It's got a lot of different sections with a lawn which gives the impression of a series of gardens rather than just the one.  It's also got the King's Domain parkland area which makes it feel even larger.

We walked along the Southbank of the Yarra to an entrance on the riverside of the gardens.  This gave us a view of the city and the sports precinct with the Rod Laver tennis arena - the Australian Open starts next week - new AAMI Stadium and the imposing MCG in the background.  All nicely kept in one simple area, a 15 minute walk from the city.

As the rain finally became unbearable, we visited the Observatory Visitor Centre for a break before taking the #55 back into town.  It's still raining.