Melbourne’s Moomba parade provides fun for festival-goers of all ages
UPDATE: THE characters of Melbourne’s big parade delivered the goods today, but the best balancing acts of the city spectacle were spotted off the main boulevard.
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THE characters of Melbourne’s big parade delivered the goods today, but the best balancing acts of the city spectacle were spotted off the main boulevard.
It was the frenzied kids and frazzled parents who stole the show; the real magic of Moomba.
Slapped with hats and slopped with sunscreen, children waved flags; parents waved camera phones.
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Thousands perched themselves on the grassy slopes as the Victoria State Brass Band laid down the soundtrack to celebrate the length of St Kilda Rd.
There was a song to every float but no real rhyme or reason to such an eclectic mix.
Spanish dancers spun, kung fu fighters flung. There were nods to our emergency service men and women and a happy rendition from The Choir of Hard Knocks, trucked in especially.
Stand up, walk proud, they sung; lift your head up to the clouds.
But for the moment, Melbourne didn’t deliver any.
Ella, 9, of Moonee Ponds said she loved every moment of her first Moomba. “The first float was really cool and I loved all the streamers,” she said.
Mum Lisa McRae also at the parade for the first time, summed it up: “It’s a wonderful celebration of everything that’s Melbourne, a fantastic sense of community.’’
But the greatest accolades were reserved for the King and Queen, Bert Newton and Lucy Durack.
The royal couple sat on a diamond float, joined by Patti and two of the Newton grandchildren.
“I think that is what Moomba is about,” Newton said.
“I’ve always said that Melbourne, which has been my home city all my life, is a city of family tradition and family values and it’s great to be part of that.’’
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