Those arriving on the designated Road Scholar flight will be met and transferred to our hotel to drop off baggage. Any participants who arrived earlier will then join us for a city orientation excursion via motorcoach en route to lunch. Hotel check-in from 2:00 p.m.
Welcome to Melbourne! Australia’s second-largest city is the capital of Victoria, a state in the south-eastern corner of Australia. During the gold era Melbourne possessed great wealth and many of the city’s fine buildings were built during this period of prosperity. Its magnificent streetscapes and extensive parks and gardens provide an ideal setting for its many elegant buildings. In the past Melbourne was a larger business centre and city than Sydney and today the two cities continue a friendly rivalry. Both are cosmopolitan and multi-cultural and Melbourne has many strong ethnic communities from three major periods of migration including: Chinese and German (after the gold rushes), Italian, Greek, southern European (post-World War II), and, more recently, Asian. Melbourne is reputed to have the largest Greek population of any city outside Athens.
At a café set in the Royal Botanic Gardens, we will have platters of sandwiches and beverage choices of coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.
Next, we will visit the Shrine of Remembrance, a National War Memorial. During our field trip, our Site Coordinator will provide an overview of Melbourne and the State of Victoria. We will then head up to the Eureka Skydeck 88 on the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower for an amazing view of the city’s layout. We will transfer to our hotel and check in, then have our Orientation session. This program will be staffed with a Group Leader as well as a local Site Coordinator at most study sites providing information and leading field trips. The Group Leader and Site Coordinator will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. This is an “at your pace” program. Please refer to the activity notes for information specific to each day. Ground travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. Some meals will be buffets, others will be plated and served; some we will order in advance. Beverages typically include coffee, tea, water, with other beverages available for purchase depending on location. Everyone will be given an aluminium water bottle and a backpack to use throughout the program. These items are yours to keep. Free time is reserved for your personal independent exploration. Evenings at leisure offer opportunities to make the program more meaningful and memorable through personal independent exploration, attending performances or other events on your own, or simply relaxing and making new friends among fellow Road Scholars. The Group Leader will always be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local conditions/circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
At the hotel. We will have “Welcome to Australia” wine with dinner tonight.
At leisure. We have an early night tonight to rest up following our long flight.