One for the Girls

Yesterday's adventure took me on a river cruise of the Yarra River that runs through the city. There were two options: downstream that highlights the newer buildings and technological advances of the city... or upstream, which shows architecture and the history of the city. I chose upstream so I learned a lot of random facts about the history of Melbourne and some of the buildings along the way. The cruise was good, but that leaves me without a lot of exciting things to show here. I'll do my best though.

Fact 1: The Yarra river is saltwater on bottom and freshwater on top. I didn't even know that was possible. And it's brown in color not due to pollution, but it's from clay in the soil underneath. It's actually one of the top 5 cleanest rivers in the world.

Fact 2: There are 65 bridges that cross the river. One of them was built during/after WWII, when most of the male worker population was depleted. They needed a bridge built in a specific area, and reluctantly let women design and build the entire thing. They didn't expect it to last, it was more of a temporary solution until the big, strapping men returned. Turns out, to this day... it is the only bridge in Melbourne that is maintenance free every annual inspection. So, yay for us girls!