«Josh: Hey, Shirley. You’re from Australia, right?

«Shirley: Yeah, that’s right. From Down Under .»

Josh: Okay. Are you f rom Sydney?

«Shirley: No. I’m not f rom Sydney. Actually, I’m from Melbourne.»

Josh: Melbourne?

Shirley: Hmm.

Josh: Okay. So are there any nice parts in Melbourne?

«Shirley: Well, you know Josh, Melbourne is a great city. And one of the reasons is because there

are lots of parks. There’s a really big park right in the center of the city.

Josh: Is it beautiful?

Shirley: It’s gorgeous. It’s called the Botanical «Gardens». And they have plants from many diffe-

rent places around the world. And there’s a lake, a small lake in the center. But what I really love

about that park is at one time of the year, they have lots of big fruit bats that fly into the park and

they hang upside down f rom the trees. They are really huge. like big sacks. It’s very cool.

Josh: That sounds beautiful.

Shirley: Yeah. «Josh: So is there good shopping in your city?

Shirley: Oh, there’s great shopping in Melbourne. You know, Melbourne has people from many

different countries. So we have a great variety of things; and clothing, cars, coffee shops, foods
from many different countries. So it’s a great place to shop.

Josh: Wonderful. What about housing? Is there cheap housing or is it really expensive?

«Shirley: Well, it’s not cheap but it’s not as expensive as Sydney. Sydney is the biggest city in

Australia. It’s very expensive to live. But in Melbourne, hmm, the housing is so-so.»

Josh: How do you get around in Melbourne? Do you take the bus?

Shirley: You can take the bus but Melbourne has something very special that no other city in

Australia has. We have a tram system. I think they’re called trolley cars in America, maybe.»

«Josh: Yeah, that sounds familiar.»

«Shirley: Yeah. Well, Melbourne has a really big tram system so you can go lots of places in the

city by tram. It’s really good fun.»

Josh: What about the tram? Is it expensive?

Shirley: Not so expensive; cheaper than the bus. Maybe about the same as the train. Cheaper

than a car. Probably, one of the cheapest ways to travel in the city.»

Josh: What about schools in Melbourne. Is there a big university?

«Shirley: Melbourne has three or four really big universities and some smaller universities, too.

Also, they have some very good private high schools and some very good public high schools.»

Josh: Great. That sounds like a great place to go to school.

Shirley: It’s a pretty great place to live.