Melbourne Australia - Melbourne, shopping, food and fun.

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Melbourne - A travel report by DeAnne

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Melbourne, Australia - Victoria	3070 readers		nzcuriouskat's travel reports
Melbourne, shopping, food and fun.	14 votes

I love Melbourne. It is a vibrant and easy to navigate city with wonderful sites and excellent public transport. There is even a free city circle tram!

Melbourne is hustling and bustling without strung out feeling of Sydney. It is a dynamic city with lots of fantastic sites. We have been to Melbourne five times now and never get sick of it. The people are interesting and friendly and we now have regular haunts that we love to go to. Go to the Victoria Market and buy Swords Muscat and other wines!

Favourite spots:
For shopping: I recommend making the train and bus trip out to Direct Factory Outlets near the Moorabin Airport (ask at your hotel/hostel how to get there). There are labels like Jag, Charlie Brown, Table Eight and lots of shoe and lingerie shops. You can also buy Sheridan Manchest there. In addition go to Chadstone, the biggest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere -it is huge and has all the stores you would want. There is a bus which costs about $18 which picks you up from your hotel. Lygon Street! A must is D'Mattina's - it is gorgeous Italian food... order a pasta platter and select 3 of their wonderful pastas to share with a friend. I recommend the Pumpkin Gnocci (yum). Go up Chapel Street and Swan Street for factory shopping. Chappel is more upmarket and while you are there check out Kush - they make the most incredible Honey Chicken Risotto. Cheap Food: The Casino is open 24 hrs houses some really nice restaurants which are not too pricey. $11 Buffett Dinner!

What's really great:
A must do is the Tram Car Restaurant - you get picked up outside the Casino and dropped back there. The Tram Car Restaurant does a 3 or 5 course meal option. You cruise down to St Kilda - the food is cooked onboard... your wine glass is never empty (in fact we had trouble alighting from the Tram for that very reason!). When you have finished your meal make your way to the Casino and sit on the steps inside and watch the Water Fountains and Lights which are choreographed to music. Then wander along Southgate (outside the casino on the river bank) and watch the fire throwers. Sit at a cafe and sip wine and people watch or watch the pigeons get fried by the fire throwers. FINALLY go on a day trip to Daylesford - buy some lavendar chocolates and chilli chocolate... go to the Mineral Spa - $30AUS but worth it - that includes thermal pool, sauna, massage table, salt floatation pool, and hydro massage chairs. Also worthwhile is a trip into the wine region the Yarra Valley.

Sights:
St Kilda Markets - every Sunday the artists and artisans come out on the waterfront at St Kilda to peddle their wares... Catch the tram out there and have lunch in a hip cafe. Go along Ackland Street and gaze at (and buy)the yummy cakes.

Accommodations:
We have stayed at the Kingsgate (budget hotel) which was close to town and the Casino - great for the budget budget traveller - they do a good breakfast which is not too expensive. The best hotel we have stayed in was Hotel Ibis Little Burke... it is walking distance to Spencer Street Station. The Skybus takes off and drops you off just around the corner. And if you walk straight down Little Burke you end up at the Myer Centre Food Court.

Nightlife:
Night Cat in Brunswick... a hip and funky 1950's inspired club for cool cats. The Purple Emerald -for eating giant jelly beans on bean bags and listening to live Jazz.

Hangouts:
The Pub at the Casino... good cheap meals and the beer is not dear either.

Published on Sunday May 1th, 2005

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