August 13th, Australia Day 173

I took these photos on my 4th day in Melbourne.

This was the game between the Canada Northwind (red, white and black) and the South Africa Buffaloes (yellow and green). It was played at Optus Oval, home of the Carlton Blues. 

After the game, the Canadian and South African players got together into a huddle and had a song and dance. 

During breaks in play in the match between the Spain Bulls and the Japan Samurais, this man would play what I figure are Spanish bagpipes. There is only one long pipe and the instrument is shriller than Scottish Highland Pipes. 

This shot gives you a better idea of the hook turn procedure. The blue car, as well as those behind it, are turning right, which is to the left side of the photo. They line up across the intersection and as soon as the light changes, they make their turns. 

This old building is the Victorian Supreme Court and houses the Court of Appeal as well. Melbourne has a legal district where there are several courts dealing with various laws. This was the first one and was built in the 19th Century. 

This is the County Court for whichever county Melbourne finds itself the capital of. 

This is the Municipal Court of Melbourne. 

This is the old mint in Melbourne, which is now a museum. 

This is the Commonwealth Court building in Melbourne. The Commonwealth Court has a similar function to the federal courts in Canada, dealing with taxes and other federal laws. 

This is Flagstaff Hill, so named because a flag pole once stood there. It was here that the new state of Victoria was proclaimed to the people of Melbourne in 1850. 

This, and the next 2 photos, show the Melbourne Cricket Ground's AFL field. 

Photo 2 

Photo 3 

This was the International Cup Grand Final match between the New Zealand Falcons (gray and black) and the Papua New Guinea Mosquitoes (red, yellow and black). 

This being Round 20 of the AFL season, it was given the title of "Heritage Round" and so teams and umpires wore traditional colours and dress. This outfit is what goal umpires wore until about 2 years ago. 

After the International Cup, this game was played between the Carlton Blues (dark navy blue) and the Collingwod Magpies (black and white stripes). This is one of the classic rivalries in the AFL and as I recall, Carlton won this encounter. Unfortunately for them, they finished last in the AFL earning the "wooden spoon".