Tram Rides around Melbourne CBD on 35mm Film

Mar 4

When the kids were smaller, I used to take them into the city just to ride the City Circle Tram.

Little N has loved trams for as long as I can remember. Somewhere along the way, that same excitement found its way into little S too. So every now and then, we’d make a morning of it — no real plan, just hopping on and letting the tram carry us in its slow loop around Melbourne.

They’d sit by the window with maps clutched tightly in their hands, faces pressed against the glass. Every ding of the bell felt important. Every turn, an event.

I won’t pretend it wasn’t tiring. Two small bodies. Busy platforms. Constant headcounts. But their wonder had a way of softening everything. It slowed me down.

We’d hop off near Flinders Street and sit on the steps with a little lunchbox I’d packed — sometimes fruit, sometimes soft, fluffy mantou we’d tear apart with our hands. We’d eat quietly and watch the city rush past us.

Nothing big. Nothing extraordinary.
Just an ordinary weekday that didn’t feel ordinary at all.