Cat and Sven headed to work and Pat, Angie, Jason and I spent the morning planning our trips in Tasmania the Great Barrier Reef. By noon we head into Melbourne where we ate lunch and wandered in the parks near the river. Early on our walk we encountered hundreds and hundreds of flying foxes, or fruit bats. They are BIG-over a foot high with large wings. There were tons of them hanging upside down in the trees, making a LOT of noise. They mostly seemed to fly around, mate, and scream. I'm not sure where they all get their food in Central Melbourne, but they're entertaining to watch.

After quite sometime with the bats we headed over to the Shrine of Remembrance for soldiers lost in WWI. It is a big pyramid shaped building, and at 11 AM on November 11th each year the light of the sun crosses a stone in the center of the building. There is some info inside and war paraphernalia. One placard said that many Aussie soldiers were sent to the front lines of the Western Front and had the highest mortality rate of any of the battalions in WWI. You have to wonder how much the British valued Aussie lives. From the top of the building is a good view of downtown Melbourne and a glimpse of the ocean.

We then headed to the Royal Botanic Gardens. They are trying to rid the area of flying foxes by using sonar and other methods, which seem to be working. There are many small sections of the gardens and we saw the fern valley, gymnosperms and a not-so-rainforesty (despite its signs). We see sulfur crested cockatoos, black swans (with red beaks and legs), coots, and many other birds, all of which Jason and Pat stop to look at. It was a relaxing place and we spent our time dilly dallying around.

We met Catherine at her work and joind her for a beer and good food at a nearby pub with outdoor seating. The beer was Boag's Premium, from Tasmania, and was the best we had in all of Australia (and the only beer that I actually liked at all). We talked some about work and Catherine told us about how people in Australia put their families and weekend time as more of a priority in their lives than in the U.S. We then met up with Sven to eat out at the Veggie Bar-a good vegetarian restaurant. The whole neighborhood is quite hip with lost of fun shops and restaurants everywhere. In Australia there is no tipping for service and wait staff is paid pretty well, which is how I prefer it.