By Joanne Niswander

Melbourne, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010

Greetings from Australia! My daughter Lee and I arrived in Melbourne at 6:00 a.m. Monday, Sept. 27, after too-many-hours-to-think-about in the air over the Pacific. Believe me, it was a long night.

We crossed not only the equator, but also the International Date Line. That means that somewhere during those hours in the air between Los Angeles (where we left on Saturday night) and Melbourne (where we arrived on Monday morning), we seem to have lost Sunday. But I've been assured that we'll pick that day up again on our return.

So here we are in Australia - for a month. It's part work and part vacation for Lee. It's all vacation for me. I'll try to keep you posted as to our whereabouts whenever I have the time, plus access to a computer.

So - first stop, Melbourne. Get out your atlas if you wish. You'll find Melbourne way down in the southeast corner of Australia. Being on the other side of the equator, it is now spring season here. Deciduous trees are just now beginning to show some signs of leafing out. There is a definite nip in the air. My fleece jacket feels good.

What surprised me most upon arriving at our downtown Melbourne hotel, was that I cannot get my head around the fact that I'm in Australia. Canada, perhaps, or even England. But not halfway around the world. It should look different and feel different here in Australia, my mind tells me.

But my eyes see freeways, tall buildings, cars and vans and trucks rushing down the expressways (albeit, they drive on the "other" side of the road). Signs are in English, of course, and the Australian accent, by and large, is understandable. All in all, this is definitely a familiar civilization. No exotic adventure so far.

According to those who live in this seacoast city, it is not unusual to have the sun shining brightly one minute, followed by a quick cloud cover and subsequent rain, then sunshine again. In fact, as I'm writing this at our hotel window on the 11th floor, I have been watching a rain shower approach.

The gray skies that were rolling in from the west are now overhead and rain is streaming down the window. On the near horizon there is blue sky and sunshine. It's rather like Ohio - "if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes."

So, these are my very first impressions of Melbourne, Australia, written before I've really had a chance to explore much. It won't be until this weekend that Lee and I will have a chance to travel out of central city. Then there may be much more to report.

But, for now, last night's long sleep has, it seems, taken care of any jet lag. Our continental breakfast here at the hotel was superb. My morning walk, although accompanied by a few sprinkles, was invigorating. It has been a good day.

All's right with this new world "Down Under."