My Queensland Open Tennis long weekend in Melbourne
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008The night before we left and much to our dismay, Roger Federer was beaten in the semi-finals by Novak Djokovic. My mother couldn’t even bear to watch the match and retired early when she ’sensed’ that Roger was not in top form - it has been her dream to see him play live. I chose to watch the match on TV and had to break the news to my mother of Roger’s defeat on the morning of our flight to Melbourne. It was not going to be the same but what could we do but still enjoy the experience without Roger.
We arrived in Melbourne on Saturday morning at around 10am and when we got to our hotel we noticed that the roads had been blocked off and police presence was everywhere. As more and more people gathered in “costume” and loud music was playing with an announcer’s voice booming out from a loud speaker somewhere in Swanston Street, it suddenly dawned on us that it was an “Australia Day” parade. People were everywere and we were tired and a bit weary after our very early morning flight but we quickly got caught up in the atmosphere of the occasion.
Some colourful street entertainers on the “Australian Day” Parade in Swanston Stree, Melbourne
After watching the parade for a while and grabbing a quick bite to eat, we hopped on our very first tram in Melbourne which took us to the Rod Laver Arena. We had trams in Glasgow (before I was born) and my parents still talk about them and they are fun to travel on but not on this particular occasion. We had to stand and everyone was packed in like sardines - as they let more and more people on to the tram, I thought that I was going to be crushed at one stage or fall on top of a seated passenger’s lap. A gorgeous Indian fellow graciously got up and let my mother sit in his seat - I was touched by this gesture.
Melbourne Tram & Arriving at the Rod Laver Arena (my mother is the lady in lavender on the left-hand side)
Before we walked through the turnstyles, my camera created a lot of attention from the security guards who questioned the size of my telephoto lens - the maximum zoom allowed is 200mm and I just made it! The atmosphere inside the arena was buzzing and the place was packed. Even although our seats were quite far back , on the top tier, we were impressed with the view and the court was closer than we imagined. Whew! We had arrived and awaited the Australia Day Ceremony before the match where there was a surprise in store - Pat Rafter was a guest at the ceremony as he was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame and there was an unveiling of his statue.
Pat Rafter stands next to his statue for the Tennis Hall of Fame and Ana Ivanovic playing in the final
Maria Sharapova about to serve in the ladies final which she eventually wins. Ana and Maria with their trophies
It was a fantastic match and the crowd was on Ana’s side and she played exceptionally well but she lost due to Maria’s power in the end.
The next day, feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep, mum and I went sight-seeing on Sunday as we had the whole day to put in before the men’s twilight final. We took in Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, South Gate & South Bank (where we wandered round the fantastic Sunday market stalls) and I was impressed at the standard of arts and crafts. A few local artists and photographers were selling their works and I bought a hand-made necklace for myself from a local jeweller. It made me seriously think about setting up a stall at the markets in South Bank in Brisbane with my photographic works.
Flinders Street Station, Southbank & Federation Square
Tired after a lot of walking and a final meal in Federation Square, we headed over to the Rod Laver Arena for the Men’s Final and the atmosphere was even more electric than the women’s final - there were people everywhere - talking on mobile phones, having a pre-match nibble or beverage, buying last minute souvenirs from the gift shop where the queues were very long on the last evening as they had a half price sale. I purchased a couple of T-Shirts and skip hats. We sat in the same seats, next to the same people who had become our “tennis buddies” and waited for the players to arrive on court.
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Novak Djokovic playing in the men’s final
The crowd were in favour of Tsonga who is the new “hero” in men’s tennis and he had a blistering start, winning the first set but Djokovic’s sheer determination and powerful play finally won him the tournament but Tsonga played incredibly well and was close to winning. Argubly, this will be the best tennis match my mother and I will ever see “live” and the standard of play from both players was exceptional.
Tsonga and Djokovic with their trophies
On the last day of our tennis weekend, the holiday Monday, my mother & I set off early to Melbourne Zoo after a yummy croissant and cup of coffee in Starbucks. I managed to get a few very good animal shots but the Zoo got very busy as it was a holiday and lots of little kids were there who got in the way of my camera lens and the wildlife! My favourtie animals of the day would have to be the orangutans, monkeys, meercats and red pandas and one of the monkeys had a little baby who created a lot of attention from the visitors.
Orangutan, Meercat (with attitude) and Monkey with baby at Melbourne Zoo
I could live in Melbourne and the city has a wonderful “vibe”, friendly people, healthy interest in the arts, fantastic shops and restaurants and a lovely mixture of old and new architecture. We totally enjoyed our stay there and we have lots of good memories - if you have never been - GO!
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Leave a Reply
