Though everyone in Melbourne will no doubt already be aware of this, it bares repeating in print for everyone to hear: Day for it.
The easing of lockdown restrictions in Melbourne has coincided with two absolute pearlers as far as the weather goes, providing the ultimate backdrop for normality’s gradual return.
And to that end, the city has already welcomed back numerous tiny quirks that were otherwise on ice throughout the extended lockdown period.
We’ve already seen the Montague St Bridge roar back to life, but a much more pleasant and wholesome element of Melbourne has returned to the streets today: Carrot Man.
The beloved character who roams the streets of the Melbourne CBD carrying a giant carrot for no reason other than to spread joy was spotted out and about this afternoon, according to posts on social media.
Is there a better omen in Melbourne than seeing Carrot Man? pic.twitter.com/I6xT8Tsq7S
— emily ulman (@millylala) October 29, 2020
The man only known as Nathan was spotted wandering down Lonsdale St earlier this morning, with his trademark giant carrot in tow.
Carrot Man sightings are a fixture among local Melburnians, with his carrot a source of confusion, curiosity, and sheer wonderment.
When Melbourne first emerged from lockdown in late May, Lord Mayor Sally Capp marked the occasion by posting Carrot Man’s re-emergence to her social media feeds.
Nathan, our local carrot man, is back on the streets of #Melbourne 🥕 Say hi if you see him! pic.twitter.com/knidvvMBfJ
— Sally Capp (@sallycapp) May 28, 2020
In a post by the Humans of Melbourne Facebook page in July of last year, Nathan revealed his pure-as-hell reasoning for carrying the carrot around town.
“To make people smile,” he said. “You see, one day I went to an op shop and I bought a giant turnip. I was carrying it home and noticed how much it made people smile. That made me feel really good! So I decided to try carrying other giant things around. I carried a giant octopus and a giant squid… then I made the giant carrot and carried it around town and I noticed a big difference. The diversity of people smiling and the number of people smiling was much greater. So I just kept carrying the carrot around because it was the most successful thing at making people smile.”
Carrot Man out and about. Sun shining even though it’s probably gonna rain in a bit. A truly beautiful day to be in Melbourne.
