A Glimpse Into An Australian Adventure: A Captivating Excerpt From A Thrilling Book

"Do you think we'll see a kangaroo?" Neil asked, staring at a stuffed version of the animal in a gift shop at Tullamarine Airport.

Ten-year-old Neil and his twelve-year-old sister Tara had just arrived in Melbourne. They were tagging along on a business trip with their parents and couldn't wait to start exploring the city.

"Probably only in a zoo," Tara said. "Although I'd rather see a koala, to be honest."

"Are you kidding me?" Neil exclaimed. All they do is sit around, sleep, and eat leaves. Kangaroos jump and kick like crazy. I reckon they'd make great footballers."

"Aww, look at Neil," Tara teased, ruffling his hair. "Thinks animals can play sports."

From behind them, their golden Labrador Sumo barked indignantly.

"Well obviously, youre an exception," Tara told him soothingly. "Nobody plays fetch better than you."

"Bet you'll be proven wrong the moment you see one," Neil scoffed and turned to look for their parents, who were lagging. Papa was busy sketching diagrams in the air with his forefinger, as he shook his head from side to side in annoyance. An exhausted Mama, dark circles under her eyes, shoulders drooping, and loaded down with bags, was struggling to keep up with him.

"Mamma!" Neil called.

She didn't even acknowledge him.

Tara sighed. Her parents had been this way the entire flight.

They had been this way for weeks! Her father engrossed in some important project wasn't anything new. He was a brilliant inventor and was always either traveling the world giving talks and presentations at various conferences or cooped up in his lab working on his next discovery.

But this time he looked particularly stressed. And Mamma, who could usually be counted on to keep a cool head and know everything that was going on around her, was equally distracted. Tara didnt know what her parents were working on, but the fact that her mother was assisting Papa meant it must be extremely important.

Watching her oblivious parents make their way through the airport, Tara wondered if she and Neil were the only sane ones left in the family.

"Mamma, do you think kangaroos can play football?" Neil called.

Tara shook her head. "Nope." She was definitely the only sane one in the family.

"Kangaroos can do whatever they put their minds to," Mama replied absently, staring blankly into the distance.

"See?" Neil said proudly, looking at Tara.

The sky was a bright blue as the Landers bundled into a taxi and left the airport. Tara tried to get a good look around as they pulled away, but airports tend to be quite the same in every city and all she could see were cars and buildings. So, she settled back, Sumo curled up on her lap and tried to ignore Neil, who was still chattering about kangaroos.

Slowly, the grey of the terminal building was replaced with huge billboards and grassy fields. Tara peered out the window. Doesn't look like much of a city, she thought.

Suddenly, the view changed. Taras's breath caught in her throat as the car neared a long, curving bridge that reminded her of an Apatosaurus neck. Beyond the bridge lay a stretch of water that she knew from the guidebook she had been reading. It had to be the Yarra River. And beyond were the towers of Melbourne, their shiny windows reflecting the waters below.

Mamma looked at Tara and smiled for what seemed like the first time in days. "Beautiful, right? Did you know that Melbourne has been voted the World's Most Livable City for several years in a row? It's an absolutely wonderful place to live in. Clean, well-cared for, and full of things to see and do. And of course, absolutely wonderful food!"

"Good food? That sounds like your kind of city, Mamma," Neil said, joining in the conversation.

Neil was right. If there was one thing Mamma knew, it was food. Amy Lander was an extremely popular chef and food influencer. Her cooking shows had millions of followers on social media, and she frequently traveled around the world to launch restaurants, run workshops, and judge cooking competitions. Between her work and Papa's travels, she had visited dozens of countries, and she never missed an opportunity to fully immerse herself in the city's cuisine.

Mama gave Neil a half-smile and changed the topic.

"There's Queen Victoria Market," she said, pointing to the left. "The largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere. It's packed with stalls that sell all sorts of interesting stuff. There's even a shop that only sells Tintin merchandise."

"Cool!" Neil said. "Can we stop and check it out?"

Mamma shook her head. "Maybe later. Right now, we're heading into the Melbourne CBD."

"A seedy bead?" Neil asked. "What's that?"

"C-B-D. Central Business District. It means the business center of the city, where all the main offices and shops are," Mamma said with a chuckle.

"Sounds boring."

"It's not. In fact, this whole city is pretty exciting. You'll see."

"Look!" Neil shouted, cutting Mamma off.

"It's the Eiffel Tower! I didnt know Melbourne had one, too."

"That's the Arts Centre," Mamma said as they drove towards the towering white spire lit up with flashing blues and greens. "They perform theatre and ballet shows there."

"But . . . why does it look like the Eiffel Tower?" Neil protested.

"Maybe we can ask them when we visit," Tara suggested.

Mamma was right about Melbourne. Looking out the window as the taxi zipped through the streets, Tara saw tons of sights to explore, and none of them seemed boring!

From the restaurants that seemed to come from every country on earth to the big university campus topped with green spots resembling spilled paint, something was exciting wherever her eyes turned.

"I can't wait to start exploring!" Tara exclaimed. "Can we go out right away?"

"Yeah! I want to go find some kangaroos!" Neil shouted. "Can we, Mamma? Please?"

Before Mamma could answer, the taxi pulled up to the towering hotel. "Come on, kids," a tired-looking Papa said. "It's been a long flight. Let us get inside and freshen up."

Neil and Tara raced into their room and dropped their bags on the floor. The two took a moment to clean themselves up from the flight and then pushed open the adjoining door to Mamma and Papa's room.

"We're ready!" Tara shouted. "Let's go see Melbourne."

Neil started and then stopped short. "Why are you dressed that way?"

Tara looked at her parents. Papa had changed out of his wrinkled pants into a slightly less wrinkled suit, and Mamma was putting on a business suit. "What's going on?"

Papa sighed and sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry about this, kids, but your Mamma and I are here to work. As much as we'd love to let you see the sights, I'm afraid the only place we're going on this trip is the Melbourne Museum. We need to get there right away, and that's where we will all be for the next few days."

"What do you mean, work?" Tara asked. "Like, you have one or two meetings, right? You aren't going to work, work, are you? And, jeez, a museum? Of all things, why a museum?"

Neil yelled, "You bring us to a whole new city and you're just going to stuff us in a museum?"

"Calm down, kids," Mamma said, trying to intervene. "It'll only be for a few days. Papa is working on a critical project, and he needs us to support him."

"But Mamma. It's not fair," Tara wailed. "I agree with Neil. I don't want to spend my days in a museum when there's so much out there to see. I mean, really. You were just telling us how wonderful Melbourne is! And now youre saying we can't see it? You have both been acting so strangely. You've been so busy that you haven't been able to spend any time with us. Papa even missed my annual concert. What's this critical project that's more important than us?"

Mamma and Papa looked at each other. Papa took a deep breath and started, "I'm sorry, kids. I know we have been a bit preoccupied. But, well . . . Okay, you know I've spent the past few months refining my Coffee Iron, my unique iron with a built-in coffee maker that generates enough heat to brew delicious coffee as you iron clothes. I know it will change the world. People can have their breakfast and get ready at the same time! Just think how much time that will save! The problem is, I'm having trouble finding investors who believe in it. And without money, I can't complete it." Mama leaned over and gently patted his hand.

Papa smiled at her and continued, "I was just about to give up on the project when I heard about a design contest being held by Ducati. You may have heard of them. They are a famous Italian motorbike manufacturer."

"Oh, yeah," Neil said. "Their bikes are cool, but they haven't been winning too many races lately. They used to be good. Not as much now."

"Exactly!" Papa cried. The technology of their motorbikes is, in fact, excellent. But their seats are not very streamlined or comfortable, and their riders are not happy. So Ducati launched a global contest, asking for new designs for their motorbike seats. The grand prize is a million euros. A million euros! Imagine, whoever's design gets selected! That will be more than enough to complete my research and begin my next invention!"

"But, if they're an Italian company, what are we doing in Melbourne?" Tara asked.

Papa smiled. "Well, the contest was too good an opportunity to pass up, and I dove straight in. But I couldn't come up with anything that would solve the problem. Then your genius Mamma came up with a fantastic idea. She suggested that rather than thinking about motorbikes, I should expand my vision and learn from other successful race winners, such as racehorses! Wasn't that brilliant?

"Sure," said Tara, winking at her blushing mother. But I still don't see what this has to do with Melbourne."

Papa paused to catch his breath and Mamma took the opportunity to jump in. "Well, kids, your Papa and I researched some of the most successful racehorses in history, and one name kept popping up: Phar Lap. He was an incredible racehorse. After a slow start to his career, he went on to win or place in most of the races he ran. We looked into him more and discovered that he is right here in Melbourne. So, we decided that maybe we should make a trip, and so here we are."

"Huh!" Neil said. "So, let me get this . . . a racehorse named Phar Lap is in Melbourne? And we're going to meet him?" he asked. That didn't sound as bad as being stuck in a museum.

"Well, yes and no," Mamma said. "Phar Lap raced back in the 1920s and 30s. He has been dead for a long while now, but his body and a lot of his other belongings are at the Melbourne Museum. Which is why we will be spending a lot of time there."

"I am so looking forward to taking a close look at my inspiration," Papa pitched in excitedly. "Of course, my main focus will be on analyzing the saddle seat his jockey sat on while racing Phar Lap to victory. I think by carefully studying the shape and design of the saddle, I'll be able to replicate some of the best ideas for motorbike seats. Just think. If it all comes together, your father will have helped design the world's fastest motorbike and won a million euros!"

"Okay", Tara said. "I get it. But what's the big rush? Why can't we go to the museum and explore the city?"

"I certainly wish we could have taken some time out to take you around," Mama said, "but the deadline to submit entries is next week. And Papa only has access to Phar Lap's saddle for two days. Then he still needs to fine-tune his designs and submit them. If he's going to get this done on time, he's going to need me around to assist him. I just don't think it will be possible for us to leave the museum."

"Try not to look so sad", Papa said. "I'll try to finish quickly. I promise. As long as Phar Lap and his saddle are available to me, there's nothing to worry about. And you'll have a wonderful time. It's an exciting and kid-friendly museum."

"I'm sure it is, but that doesn't mean it's the only place to see in Melbourne," Tara said wistfully. I do hope we'll get time to see something before we have to leave."

"We hope so too, kiddos. We hope so too," Mama said softly. Now, come on. Phar Lap awaits.