On any day and at any time there is a steady flow of walkers of all ages and levels of fitness toiling steadily or racing single mindedly up the track from the picnic area to the start of the steps and then up to the top to rest before the descent to the bottom. Tall mountain ash and an understory of cool temperate messmate, grey box, stringybark, blanket bush, wattles, tree ferns, epiphytes and bracken, the intermittent calls of kookaburras, cockatoos, rosellas, bellbirds, currawongs in the fresh mountain air combine to create a pleasant and exhilarating exercise. We hear snatches of conversation as walkers approach and pass, admire the super fit and empathise with the strugglers, note the babies being carried in slings and back-packs, pause to rest and take in the surrounds and the view and glow with satisfaction when we reach our car for the trip home.

With our recently acquired bicycles we are discovering bike paths close to home and will eventually venture further afield - along The Esplanade to St Kilda and Middle Park, the Elwood Canal and some of our local park trails. Walks along the Yarra River and around Yarra Bend Park from Dights Falls in Abbotsford to the Studley Park Boatshed.Late winter and warmer weather brought signs of spring at Westgate Park, a regenerated area which was wasteland under the busy Westgate Bridge on the edge of the city.

A wander around old Port Melbourne, now used for cruise ships and our own Spirit of Tasmania, brought memories of this area as an integral hub of earlier shipping activity.

Winter in Melbourne can be most pleasant - on fine days with winter sun, flowers still bloom in gardens, deciduous trees are almost bare and although day have shortened, outdoors can be beautiful if there is little wind. Wind and rain though, are common and indoors can be best.

Autumn and Spring in Melbourne are beautiful. There are countless deciduous European trees in public and private gardens which bring autumn colour and spring blossoms. These seasons are mild and the sun shines, inviting outings and explorations.

Melbourne has BEACHES ... the heart and soul of Australia.