Saturday, April 19, 2008

albert park in melbourne
































albert park is home to the australian leg of the formula 1 race. it is held in march and the first race in the formula 1 yearly calendar. that's how i come to know about albert park.

to get to albert park, i took the train to armadale station. walked about 120m to the tram stop. took tram no:6 towards melbourne university. stopped at tram stop 27, which is at the end of high street. walked along lorne street to queen street. was not aware that there is such a large lake so near to the city.

there are a number of walks around the 4.8km lake edge and the lake is home to over 120 different species of birds including swans, ducks, coots, cormorants, herons, grebes, ibis and the occasional visits by pelicans. there were at least 50 black swans in the lake. they feed by plunging their long necks into the water, with their backsides showing above the water. black swans are vegetarians, so they feed on algae and other aquatic plants.

there is a public golf course within the park. the driving range is at another part of the park.

watched weekend cyclists, fitness freaks, paraplegics on specially modified bikes, roller bladders and some on a family outing having fun going around the circuit. a big flock of pigeons feeding nearby was so affected by the racing mood that, once in awhile, they would stop eating to have a race of their own.

the park seems a nice place for wholesome fun. there are free bbq pits, playgrounds for children and grassy patches by the lake for picnics.

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