Heavy rain had been forecast for the Melbourne metropolitan area this afternoon but when I left Ballarat this morning the skies were cloudless and blue. Lunchtime in Melbourne was very pleasant although a little warm. After a post-lunch visit to the Central Catholic Bookshop (I am never quite sure just what the 'Central' part of the title is claiming) I walked back to the main railway station wondering just when the 'cool change' was going to arrive.
Wisely I had abounded my summer raincoat and instead took my faithful Swaine Adeney Brigg umbrella - It is my favorite (and having just looked at the website via the link above to see what a replacement would cost I will not be offering to lend it out again in a hurry) and this proved to be a wise move as nothing but a Barbour or Dry-as-a-bone would have kept out the rain that came.
My train was delayed and then cancelled along with all of the others. An attempt to exist the station - whilst the announcer proclaimed "this is the result of very, very, very extreme weather" - was delayed due to flash-flooding outside of the station.
Fortunately the Bishop was also in Melbourne, attending a late-afternoon meeting with the Premier, and he had decided to drive in rather than take the train. So after meeting up with the Registrar's daughter (like me stranded in the Big Smoke) we left a note on the Bishop's windscreen and headed to the closet watering hole beside St Paul's Cathedral (Y&J's) and waited for the Bishop to finish his meeting. The drive home was much appreciated.
The pictures are of the flash-flooding in and around Southern Cross Station.
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