Day 11: Melbourne Farewell

Our last day in Melbourne began with workout and thesis which was much needed. We left at noon for a construction project at RMIT Village in downtown Melbourne, and took a tour with the project manager. The project we toured was very intricate and complex with regard to sequencing, architectural design, and the tying-in to two existing buildings. The construction processes, safety procedures and standards, along with code requirements were starkly different than in the States, so this perspective was amazing. For one, electrical wire does not have to be run in any sort of conduit. The electrical systems looked as if we were touring a residential wood-framed house. Workers wore shorts, many lacked hard hats and safety glasses, and we passed at least 10 work radios blaring the latest hits or 90's throwback songs.

Later, we held our second Leadership and Entrepreneurship course which was once again intriguing and thought provoking. We were asked to identify three issues in construction that we can improve upon in the previous week, and this week we refined our ideas and were asked to graphically present our problem as simply as possible, so that anyone looking at our example could identify the core issues. This proved to be challenging... We exuberantly finished class, packed for Sydney, then headed downtown for some amazing chicken Pho, then a couple of bars we had in mind. We dropped by The Mill House, my favorite bar, gathered a game plan, then headed to Pony Island, a bar around a bridge pier on the river. This small bar was a lively atmosphere, with plenty of Australians mixing with our conversations, cracking jokes, and offering life advice for those of us who stuck around. I have to say, I will miss Melbourne, I honestly don't see another city beating this experience...