Arrived in a Melbourne safe and sound via the Skybus. If you ever get a chance to visit this city then this is the best way to get from the airport into town, it even provides a free hotel shuttle bus which includes hostel drop offs as well! That night I caught up with Rachel (friend of Charlotte's). As always it was great to see her and she was a superb guide. Rach has been living in Melbourne for 6 months so knew all the best places to go including a great rooftop bar where we had cocktails and dinner in Chinatown at a cheap dumpling restaurant. $14 for dinner and cocktails is pretty cheap for Aus. I've already noticed how much cheaper food is here in comparison to Perth or Sydney. Restaurants midweek are packed with locals which is a great sight to see. I even managed to get a free Krispy Kreme on my way back to my hostel. I think it's safe to say that I will enjoy my stay in Melbourne...
26 February
It's easy to see why Melbourne is #2 most desirable city to live in; great food, great people, great atmosphere but not so great weather. It's true what they say, you can often see 4 seasons in one day in Melbs. This certainly was the case on my first day. I opted to do the free walking tour which is run by the same company as the one I did in Sydney. The tour encompassed the main city sights including:
- State Library
- Old Gaol
- State Building
- China Town
- Royal Arcade
- Centre Place
- Laneways - street art
- Flinders Station
- Southbank
My personal highlights were Centre Place which is an alley at the back of Royal Arcade, a fairly upmarket shopping precinct. Centre Place is filled with little coffee shops and the unlikely setting of business meetings. Yes that's right, it's filled with men in suits sitting on beer crates. Quite bizarre. Another highlight was the large number of alleyways that are decorated in street art. One that stood out is called Laneways which is funded by the state government meaning that street artists have a place to express themselves but in a controlled environment.
In the evening, I visited "The Rooftop Bar" which is just above 'desserts' on Swanston Street. It's a great bar, reasonably priced and has a wicked atmosphere. I then headed up to the Queen Victoria Market for their late night opening. This is the one day of the week where the market opens up at night and becomes a flea market serving worldwide cuisine. I opted for South American lamb which was sublime but the coolest part about it was watching 'Masterchef' being filmed.
27 February
One of Nick and Cheryl's recommendations was to visit Brunswick Street, Smith Street and the surrounding area of Fitzroy. The area reminded me a little bit of Shoreditch/Farrington with its rugged buildings and hippy vibe. Take Tram 112 up Brunswick Street then walk back down stopping off at one of the nearby cafés.
In the afternoon, I took another tram down to St Kilda stopping off at the famous F1 circuit in Albert Park. Unfortunately for me they weren't allowing anyone on the circuit but I was still able to see the grandstand and the straight. It was then time to head down to St Kilda via Luna Park and Acland Street. As per Cheryl's recommendation, I stopped at one of the local bakeries for afternoon tea which was delicious before attempting to burn off some of the calories with a walk down the famous St Kilda. beach.
No comments:
Post a Comment