John and Sue in Melbourne

where I'll be working when I work--Melbourne Uni

sue at melbourne uni

Our Friend Ray King, the Kings were in Minnesota with us years ago on our first sabbatical, he now works for Dairy Australia.

these are not Australian cows.

What's wrong with this picture? She'll never criticise my driving again!

September 27, 2009

Well we are settled in Melbourne at the Victoria Hotel, right in the middle of downtown, close to the Uni and Dairy Australia offices. the last several days have been a party here as the Aussie Rules Football grand Final (super bowl) was yesterday. Cold and wet, as football should be.

Had a great meeting in Camden, near Sydney with several dairy farmers and scientists. Then went to Canberra to the CSIRO (Cooperative States Industry and Research Organization) to meet with scientists there and get some of the material I'll be working on. We escaped the duststorm just barely, leaving Canberra (the capital, about 200 km SW of Sydney) just as it was getting dusty. drove down the east coast into Victoria, East and South Gippsland, where the beautiful pastures are and most of the dairy cows (about 1 million in Victoria). Got here Wednesday and have been pretty much sightseeing, resting and such since.

Work starts in earnest for me this week, but it is still only parttime. I'll be working on mathematical computer models that describe the metabolism of cows on pasture, how the genetics, nutrition and reproduction interact for the most efficient animals.

But plenty of time to look around. Today we go out to the last day of the Royal Melbourne Show. Missed the dairy contest last weekend. Today is all pets (ferret judging anyone?), so we get to see some active dog contests.

here are a few pics.