R.M.S. Morea
Deep Sea
Sunday Oct 22nd
Dear Folk.
The last time of writing was I think the day before I left Sydney, since then we have covered a good many miles by sea but have not left Australia behind us yet. As I said we left Sydney at noon on the Saturday and after having a good trip landed in Melbourne on Monday morning. Here we again had leave from nine o’clock and of course made for the city. The port is a few miles from the city itself and is only a common place after Sydney, nothing but the wharf, but there is any amount of room to further extend and build conveniences. On first appearances Melbourne reminds one very much of ChCh being built in squares in fact I am told that Ch was modelled after Melbourne. The difference is that here there are some fairly steep
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hills whereas ChCh is flat. The first morning we Kirk, Wilson & I went up to P.O. then out to East M to the printing offices of Henry Stead of the Review of Reviews we were shown all over the works which was most interesting then afterwards Mr Stead entertained us at lunch at one of the restaurants. “What do you think of that”? Of course this all came about by Kirk having had some business to transact with him so as we were all together were all treated accordingly. In the afternoon we took a tram car at town hall and had a sixteen mile ride round the city for the huge sum of nine pence, quite a fine trip too, gave us a good idea of the size of the place & we saw the different sides of city life also got a glimpse of a very pretty landscape. A most peculiar thing about Melbourne is that all the tram service in the city is cable & the electric cars all outside, it makes one think there is something wrong somewhere. In the evening we
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took a tram to the pictures then returned to the boat for the night. Again on the boat still being in port until the afternoon we also returned to do a little more sightseeing. This time we had quite a selection took cable car for some distance then changed onto the old horse car and eventually arrived at Zoological gardens, fine they are also the Botanical, but they are in another part of the city, did not have much time to have a good look around them. We went aboard in the afternoon & left early. On the whole I liked Melbourne better than Sydney people more like our own & everything seems to be more solid. By the way I nearly forgot to say but the Hospital Ship Marama came into port the morning of the day we left but as we were not allowed on the wharf I did not wait about so saw no one until coming back after dinner saw some N.Z’s then but none of them I knew. I presume she was calling here on her way home had some A’s aboard.
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Another night a day and a second night brought us alongside the wharf at Adelaide in the early hours of the morning, when I say early it was just when we were at breakfast at seven. This is so far the place of the trip. Had we had the time here that we had in the other places it would have been decent but that was hardly to be expected. From the port into the city is a run of some fourteen miles by rail mostly near the sea so cannot jude the country by that, at any rate it was nearly all sand. The City when one gets to it is beautifully clean and well laid out wide streets etc. Took a run along main St for some distance, then looked up the Tourist Bereau and got tips for several trips however they were deemed to far away so we chose the Gardens Bot. Here we spent all our time a rare treat it was could have spent any length of time there. Any amount of flowers, shrubs, greenery of all sorts in endless variety. Easily the finest place I have seen in Aus.
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Would very much like to have taken the trip to Lofty Ranges but time would not permit. We left for the boat at three & were on board again a little after four. However there was still a lot of loading to be done & when we turned in early in the night were still alongside. So far the voyage has been a good one very little sickness and nothing to do. So far I have enjoyed it fine & have managed to cheat the fishes. If all goes well we should be in Fremantle tomorrow morning. The mails have to be in by four this afternoon to be passed by the censor. It is now just a little before twelve & I am ready for dinner. So far as this is concerned I don’t think there is anything that needs cutting out. Must stop as I am in the way. Hoping all are as well as I.
Your Affect. Brother
Charlie
