I am back from Australia and truly suffering from jet lag, but it was worth it. I’m going to break my recap into several posts and start by telling you where I went running in Melborune.
They did not #Respectthebird!
We arrived November 7 and they were putting up decorations all over town. I loved the decorations on the bridges and made it a mission to run over them later in the week.
Running In Melbourne
Our first few days in Melbourne were rainy, so I kept up my Peloton streak in the hotel gym. By Sunday night I was committed to running in the morning, no matter the weather—luckily it was dry. Google told me “The Tan Track” around the Botanical Gardens was a popular 4K route, and I figured it would be a perfect +5K-ish route from my hotel.
Apparently I ran it the “easy” way, running down the Anderson St. hill, but since I did the full loop I still climbed the same elevation overall.
I took a detour to visit the Shrine of Remembrance,
including this memorial with an eternal flame.
As I turned to head back to the path, hot air balloons caught my eye.
And yes, that is an image of a man on that apartment building!
The Australian-Turkish Friendship Memorial also caught my eye.
I think those are “seeds of friendship”.
The Tan Track is a dirt/gravel path marked with km markers. They have several of these posts that show the fastest times around the track, with separate listings for men and women.
I recognized a few of the names—Linden Hall is #3.
I did the same loop again on Wednesday, with a detour to run across a bridge decorated with a giant neon star.
Yes, I ran it the “easy”way again.
Mission accomplished!
I loved this entrance to the botanical gardens. Even though it was closed, I could see—and smell—the different plants through the open fencing.
By Saturday we had changed hotels, and I chose a different route—to the Docklands area. Due to a Garmin fail, I don’t have a map, but as you might guess it was a sort-of industrial area along the water.
I ran across a cool pedestrian bridge.
And past Marvel Stadium.
The Cow Up a Tree is a whimsical sculpture with a serious back-story.
Sunday was my birthday and Peloton had a treat for me—a new 45 minute multi-instructor running class that was perfect for my run along the Yarra River.
Another Garmin fail—I should have been more patient waiting for a signal—but it was an out-and-back along the multi-use trail that follows the river.
I think that’s the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the distance
Art on the dock?
View of the city at my turn-around point—
the trail was actually quite busy for most of my run.
After my run on Sunday, we checked out of our hotel in Melbourne and headed for Sydney. I’ll share my runs in Sydney in my next post. Yes, there will be photos of the Opera House. 😊
A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.
How do you recover from jetlag?
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Oh, nice, now we’re getting a guided tour in Australia!
Melbourne looks like a great place to run. Of course, I had to read what the Cow Up a Tree was all about – a clever way to combine two interesting stories!
But two Garmin fails on one trip… brutal. I hope the connection sorted itself out before it drove you mad.
Can’t wait to see what Sydney had in store for you!
I think it was more user error than Garmin’s fault — I was eager to head out!
Ooh how fun! So glad you were able to find time on your trip for yourself to get out and enjoy. I love running in other countries and my Garmin never works right but who cares!
Yeah, my Garmin data didn’t matter, but I wish I had the maps of my routes.
Thanks for the running tour of Melbourne! How very cool to spend your birthday “down under”! Hope you got your Garmin sorted out once you got home.
It was a really nice birthday.
Wow- you really saw some interesting places on your runs! On trips like these aren’t you glad you can run? Think of all the cool places you were able to see on foot. Looking forward to the Sydney adventures!
I really enjoyed all the reconnaissance I could do on my runs. There were other areas I couldn’t get to—maybe next time! 😉
What an incredible trip! You got to see so many cool things to see on your running route, which makes me so happy for you! I hope the jet lag passes soon!
I’ve never been so thanks for the tour and I’m glad you were able to get all that running done… the best way to see a new place IMO.
Thank you for sharing that link to the cow in a tree! It looks so clean there. What a fun place to run. Maybe there were some issues with Garmin last week, since i had that weird incident as well? Or maybe it was just a coincidence? I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip down under!! Curious if you saw any take on the US situation while you were there?
Oh, yes, lots of people with questions about “the US situation”. 😉 I mostly rolled my eyes and tried to move the conversation on since I wanted to enjoy my time there!
Melbourne was pretty clean, now that you mention it!
I love all the sculptures and public art you’ve been seeing on your runs! That man in the apartment building is spectacular but so is the one of the cow in the tree with that backstory. Enjoy your trip to Sydney! Happy belated birthday too.
I love seeing all the public art too!
What a beautiful place to visit, and a scenic place to run! Thanks for all the pics! And, it sounds like you had a great birthday celebration, via Peloton as well 😉
Yes, it was quite a treat to see that run when I opened up the app — decision made on what class to take!
What a fun trip — happy birthday!! I love the cow sculpture – that’s so fun. Love the pics and all the fun places to run!
Wow, such a cool place to be! How nice that you had so many areas to explore and things to see. It looks really pretty and clean there. Happy birthday!