An Unexpected Adventure

Yesterday, we headed to downtown Melbourne for two purposes only: to go to the State Library to see Ned Kelly's armor (Ben's current obsession), and to make a much-needed trip to Costco. Driving downtown, while not a truly difficult task, is still about as much fun as a poke in the eye. So we decided to take the free City Circle tram from the stop near Costco to get to the library. Now, this decision was made about three seconds before walking out the door, so not much thought and no research went into it.

When we finally got downtown (about a thirty-minute drive on surface streets since we're cheap and won't take the tollway) and found parking, there was just over an hour left until the library closed. Fine - our location was fairly close, so just hop on the tram, and get there, right?

Wrong.

See, you get on the tram going to proper way, and you can get to the library in about fifteen minutes. Get on the wrong-way tram, and it's a near one-hour ride. You can guess which one we got on.

Fortunately, we brought plenty of snacks and the kids were enthralled with the new experience - at least for the first thirty minutes or so. Once we were past Flinders Station, Federation Square, and the MCG, Abe was less than excited about this adventure. And since we weren't expecting it ourselves, it didn't even occur to us to take photos of the sights along the way - it really is the best way to see downtown Melbourne. We remembered the camera when the tram stopped right outside Parliament for a seven-minute break, and what was captured pretty much says it all:

He's only six. Oh dear.

As for the rest of the adventure, the library was closing as we got to the stop, so we just kept right on riding, completing the entire circle. Just over an hour, all the way around. Now we know. We made it to Costco before closing (why, why, WHY do they close at 6 on Saturday??) and once he had a couple pieces of pizza in his belly, Abe's attitude was considerably improved. All in all, I'd say the adventure was a success, especially since we're now a bit wiser about the public transport downtown. I think we'll be taking advantage a lot more often, and hopefully, we'll remember which line to catch next time.