Norma told me a great deal, including the fact that most of the trees I'd seen in Australia so far were in fact Eucalyptus, or Gum Trees. (I hadn't realized this up to that point.) She also explained that people in Australia don't say "delicious" when talking about food. That explained some of the odd looks I'd received from the wait staff in restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne!

The Philippino group was very friendly and high-spirited. One of the older gentlemen asked me where I was from, and when I told him "Michigan", he immediately started rattling off the names of places in Michigan. He apparently had some of his family there, and he'd visited them several times over the years. He asked how things were going, and whether certain stores and restaurants were still there.

Norma explained that people don't say "downtown" in Australia. The downtown area is referred to either as the Central Business District (CBD) or the City Center. When giving a location to a cab driver, one says "the top of Collins" meaning the east end of Collins Street (or the North end), or "the bottom of Victoria". (The "bottom of Victoria"? Geez...)

Norma was particularly sensitive to Australian language, because Philippinos typically learn American English. When she moved to Melbourne, she had to adjust both to speaking English as a primary language, and to learning the Australian variations.

Several members of the group offered me snacks from their travel bags, which I politely declined. They were a very friendly bunch, and they seemed happy to have someone from outside the group to talk to. They were on their way to Mildura, where they would be spending a week or so of vacation together.

When we reached Bendigo, the group disembarked and set off in their bus for Mildura, offering me their best wishes for the rest of my trip.