Melbourne

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We spent nearly two weeks in Melbourne in March. The photo at left is a street artist working on a piece on the South Bank near the Crown Casino. Kate had meetings and a conference much of the time but we got to see a lot together, being recently retired I got to see even more.

We stayed at Quest (Royal Gardens) serviced apartments near the Carlton Gardens (Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building) which are just a little to the NE east of the CBD and the circle tram route. The area is called Fitzroy -- sort of a Queen Street East, Toronto kind of area.

We took a bus tour out to explore wineries in the nearby Yarra Valley. We took a tram and visited the nearby St Kilda Beach (closest to the CBD and port of Melbourne) and were able to go swimming.

At the National Gallery of Victoria I attended an exhibit of huge life like statues by Ron Mueck. I can't describe how life like these were -- it's positively scarey. In the permanent collection, here and at the Ian Potter Center at Federation Square, there's a great collection of art well worth the visit.

The Melbourne trams are famous. You can get just about anywhere on them, or jump off and take the underground and rail system to go further afield. Within the CBD riding the trams is free as is the circle tram that goes around the CBD and out to the docklands. You can also take a restaurant/dinner tram from the South Bank near the Crown Casino (reservations are required). We did one day for lunch and it was great fun. The tram explored all over the city while we enjoyed a sumptuous lunch with lots to drink. Our server was funny, friendly and helped to make a great time even better. If you get a chance to try this, do go, it's worth it.

I went for a tour of the Melbourne Jail (Goal) which is just outside the CBD and circle tram route on the north end. There are some pretty horrible stories from years ago but you can buy a cute cuddly doll of Ned Kelly for your grandkids if you want to ignore it. Cells were awfully small, and records show children (ie. very young toddlers) being locked up on ships in the harbor for causing a disturbance.

I did a tour of the state legislature (Parliament House) on the east edge of the CBD and not too far from our aparment. We had our folding travel bikes so getting around within the CBD was easy enough. I was surprised to discover that although Queen Victoria (we're in the state of Victoria) is prominently represented the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is not. I guess Australia is veering towards a republic and shaking off the chains of the Commonwealth.

The Eurkea Tower on the south bank of the Yarra River is the highest place in town and has great views of the city and surrounding area. You can easily see out to Port Phillip Bay and St Kilda Beach. It's a great way to orientate yourself in a city where a meandering river can make directions confusing. Beware: you need to be prepared for lines to ride up to the viewing area.

Melbourne has it's famous arcades and alleys to explore. Arcades for shops, alleys like Hoosier and Rutledge Lanes for the street art/graffiti. There's the Flinders Street Station and nearby Federation Square often has something on -- like the ladies modelling swim suits on a run way the one day I was there (there were a lot there that day!). Exploring along the Yarra River by foot or bike is a good way to while away an afternoon -- there's the Web Bridge, the Polly Woodside ship, and recent developments in the docklands. Visiting the Fitzroy Gardens to seek out the Cook's Cottage (painfully moved here from England to escape demolition) and the Fairy Tree. And the Melbourne Museum was just a short walk from our apartment. There was so much to see and do.

Melbourne is one of our favorite places to visit in Australia -- we like it much better than Sydney. It's a vibrant city we thoroughly enjoyed. Visiting both Brisbane and Melbourne was a real treat for us.

Here's a photo album of our adventures.