New Smyrna Beach, Florida to Melbourne, Florida

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Traveling On The ICW

Man's Best Friend and Fishing Buddy

Playing On The Water

Island Hopper departed New Smyrna Beach Municipal Marina at 8:15 AM heading to Melbourne, Florida. Temperatures were in the 80's, winds 15 -20 gusting to 30, and seas are predicted 8 -12 on the outside, so Island Hopper will stay on the ICW with seas 1-2 and a moderate chop. Island Hopper arrived at Melbourne Harbor Marina at 2:00 PM traveling 70 miles. ( http://www.melbourneharbor.com/ )

Waiting For The Bridge To Open

Just One Of Many Bridges

Debbie & Kevin rode bikes into town and explored historic Melbourne. There were a lot of eclectic shops. For dinner they went to The Chart House Restaurant.

Menu Welcoming The Hopper Party!!!

All About Melbourne...

The City of Melbourne is located on east central Florida's Space Coast. Melbourne is about an hour's drive south of the Kennedy Space Center, and 1-1/2 hours due east of Disney World. While most of Melbourne is located on the Florida mainland, a small portion is located on a barrier island. The Indian River Lagoon separates the mainland from the island. The island is a narrow strip of land that separates the Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. (In prehistoric times the Lagoon was connected to the Ocean. Today, the only connection is by way of a handful of inlets, including the man made Sebastian Inlet at the southern end of Brevard County.) Spanning the Indian River Lagoon to connect the mainland to the barrier island are a pair of four-lane, high-rise bridges -- the Melbourne Causeway and the Eau Gallie Causeway

The contemporary City of Melbourne is the result of a merger of the separate communities of Melbourne and Eau Gallie. An election allowed the consolidation under a common charter on July 15, 1969. Today, the City is approximately 41 square miles in size, with about 75% of that land in use. The City of Melbourne population was 78,308 as of April 1, 2008, according to the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research. The population of Melbourne continues to grow at a modest rate. Melbourne is located at the the center of a much larger urban area. Melbourne served as an official host city for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay. The Olympic flame was carried across the nation before reaching Atlanta and the Olympic Centennial Games. Thousands of area residents enjoyed seeing the Torch Relay, which symbolized the competitive and unifying spirit of the Olympic Games.