The Melbourne Central Clock

First of all, let me apologise to all my readers (all one of me!) for not updating sooner. Time flies when you're...spending a rediculous amount of time writing pointless essays for a pointless course. Anyway. Onto the fun stuff.

I'm sure everyone has seen the abomination that is the clock in the middle of Melbourne Central. You know, the one that every hour opens up and sings "Waltzing Matilda" and scary animatronic animals move around? I thought that in the latest series of renovations, they would get rid of the clock forever. Obviously I was mistaken. But I was also mistaken in thinking it was a hideous disgusting thing with no appeal to anyone at all. This is very surprising!

I have noticed, while running to the train at 5pm, or arriving in the city at 4pm, that there are people poised with cameras to catch the clock. Not just one person. Several people. All with state of the art cameras, and new shiny guidebooks. In short - Tourists! They can't actually think it's good, do they? I keep expecting them to walk off in disgust, once again let down by those wacky people at Lonely Planet, or Fodder's, or Let's Go. But no! They stay until the end, videotaping the whole thing.

I guess I'm just giving the tourists (and the general public) much more credit than they deserve. I was a tourist myself recently, and I certainly would not have stopped for the equivalent of the Melbourne Central Clock. It was ugly when they first put it up (I don't even remember when that was) and it is bizarrely out of place in the refurbished Melbourne Central. I guess, though, if the tourists keep staring at it, they'll keep it up. Maybe even start charging to see it. I just hope they're all staring in horror.