Australia - The Shrine And The Royal Botanic Gardens

Hello there!

Having completed my earlier travel posts on several interesting countries and regions, including Japan, Maldives, Indonesia, US, Europe and the latest one being New Zealand, it's time to fly over to Australia!

Australia is a country that I have been to twice in my life. The first time was to Sydney in 2009, and the second time was to Melbourne in 2011. And I realised that's 14 years since I was last there! Anyway, time to relive those moments as I share the sights and sounds of my experience!

Here are the posts so far:

• Sydney
  Australia - The Amazing Views At Sydney Harbour Bridge
  Australia - Admiring The Sydney Opera House
  Australia - Exploring The Sydney Beaches
  Australia - Story Books Come Alive At The Hunter Valley Gardens
  Australia - Big Skyscrapers And Small Koalas In Sydney
• Melbourne
  Australia - Catching Rainbows On Top Of Eureka Skydeck At Melbourne
  Australia - Travelling Back In Time At Melbourne Museum
  Australia - Nature Therapy Within St Kilda Botanical Gardens

A new day and a fresh adventure awaits! For this post, I took a trip on the Melbourne City tourist shuttle - did you see the big FREE word on the board? - to one of the stops called The Shrine and Royal Botanic Gardens. Having to travel on a tighter budget during my younger days, it's always nice to have free shuttle services around the city.

Had an interesting sight when I reached my destination. There's a horse carriage!

Got a good view of the city landscape from the Shrine as well!

The Shrine of Remembrance is a war memorial in Melbourne and it was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, but now functions as a memorial to all Australians who have served in any war. The architecture of the shrine does look very grand.

From the front of the Shrine, there were also paved ways and greenery in the surroundings, which complemented well with the city skyline in the background.

A closer look!

A final photo of The Shrine of Remembrance before we moved on to the next destination.

And we were back at the nature spaces again! This time, it's the Royal Botanic Gardens!

Compared to the one at St Kilda, I thought this one was much bigger, and it's no surprise it's named with a "Royal".

A royal worthy gate welcomed us!

They had a herbarium inside too!

And now it's time to slow our pace down, take some deep breaths, and enjoy the fresh air in the gardens!

I particularly loved this sight, blue skies, a calm and peaceful lake, some greenery, all blended into one mesmerising sight.

Of course, when there is nature, there is wildlife as well.

Another photo of the peaceful lake as we soaked into all the calming vibes.

We chanced upon this prominent feature before we left, and it's called the Temple of the Winds.

And our morning came to an end, a pretty chilling day spent reflecting on some history at The Shrine of Remembrance, and then enjoying the nature at the Royal Botanic Gardens, both just beside each other.

And that's all I have today! Have you been to Melbourne or Australia? Let me know in the comments below!

Finally, thanks for reading my post in the community under World Map Pin!