Orchid's VirtualTourist Home Page

I've been a member of Virtual Tourist for a couple of years now, but haven't got around to doing much page building. Rather a daunting task, but a good place to keep recollections of about 20 years of travelling. My idea is to add a location, then try to find pictures for it, then mine my old travel diaries for some local character as the fancy takes. We shall see where it goes anyhow.

I have had travel the bug for a long time now, and am lucky that my wonderful wife Minuk is tolerant, likes a challenge, and lets me plan things (with the proviso that she has final right of veto!)

We have lived in Melbourne for the past 20 years, now in the seaside suburb of Elwood. I was born here, but Minuk hails from Jogjakarta in Indonesia. We have no kids, but own (or are owned by?) a couple of cats and a dog.

Elwood is a pleasant place to live. It is well connected to the city of Melbourne by road, rail and bus. It is also only a short walk to the fleshpots of St Kilda to the north, and the pricy real estate of Brighton's Golden Mile to the south

Most of the streets around us are lined with grand old Plane trees - so big that their branches span the entire street.
This keeps us cool and shady on hot summer days, and lets the light in during the winter time. Of course, is autumn, this means there are LOTS of fallen leaves to collect!

Whilst I'm not the greatest fan of the beach (and there is a nice one just 5 minutes walk from home), I drive by the bay every day on the way to work. It is never the same from one day to the next, whether a southwesterly change has whipped up the waves (and sand across Beaconsfield Parade), or it's just the yachts flying their spinnakers in Hobson's Bay