Autumn in Melbourne is spectacular.  At this time of year the nights are starting to get a lot colder but some days are still beautiful – yesterday was!  And if you take a drive in the hills you’ll be met with the most beautiful views of Autumn colours.

Here in Selby we have our own display in our garden but I love to drive up the country roads and periodically stop to get out of my car and take a photo – my camera is always with me.

These photos are just a small sample of what our garden looks like now. This is in the area we call ‘The Park’.

And this is a driveway of a place I drive by whenever going to visit our eldest daughter – I couldn’t resist stopping to take photos.  Isn’t it gorgeous?

You don’t have to be a visitor to be wanting to do something different in Melbourne. You may even be a resident, or someone who is here fairly regularly for business or other purposes.

Recently I learnt about andrenalin.com.au which lists a number of things you can do in Melbourne. Some of them look pretty radical to me and I think I’m happy to do something more tame.  But for the more adventurous it may be just what they’re looking for.

I would be keen to do the Hot Air Balloon or the helicopter scenic flight. Haven’t been on either of those yet and as a keen photographer I know I’d get some awesome shots!

Note, too, that you can purchase gift vouchers, so if you’re looking for something different to give, that might be worth exploring too.

If you’ve been on one of these adventures, why not share about it on the comments section here so others can read about it?

If you’re looking for something special just outside of the city of Melbourne, why not come to the Dandenongs and go for a ride on the Puffing Billy.  Probably Australia’s most famous steam train ride, the train leaves from Belgrave and travels through many of the small towns in the Dandenong Ranges.  A great ride, fantastic scenery and lots of fun.  I love that we now live near where this train travels daily and love hearing the whistle blow throughout the day.

Crossing the famous trestlebridge

Return trip on the trestle bridge

This is my favourite time of year. Still some warm days, but cooler nights, the leaves are turning colour and everything looks lovely. We have green, yellow, gold, orange, red, brown and many other variations in between.

Today, 25th April, is ANZAC Day and it’s celebrated the country wide. Here in Australia (and worldwide where there are Australians) we remember the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

ANZAC is the acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces became known as ANZACs, and that name still holds a lot of meaning today.

People go on parade marches around the country, attend breakfasts and also visit special places of remembrance where many of our people died.

I recently set up a new service through my VA business that provides the sending of cards to those you care about.  If you want to let someone know you were thinking of them at this special time you can design your own card with a photo or drawing, or some kind of image and even include your own photo on the inside.  Or simply choose one of the many thousands of cards already available at that site.  You can even send a card free on me to try the service out.

Photo from The Age