Melbourne Australia - Its all about me! .. in Melbourne

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Melbourne - A travel report by tara

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Melbourne, Australia - Victoria	6306 readers		quikflikchiq's travel reports
Its all about me! .. in Melbourne	12 votes		Page: 1 2

Melbourne (pronounced /ˈmel.bən/) is the second largest city in Australia and I am here for the third time for work. It feels a lot like Wellington to me and I think this is why I could definitely move here. Melbourne for work is still Melbourne




	fawkner park is one of my favourite places to walk. also easy way to get back to st kilda from toora

Melbourne is an amazingly cultural and vibrant city. As the capital city of the state of Victoria, it was it is very well laid out and has a lot of parks and wide streets which make it very hard to imagine exactly how large it is! When it was settled in the 1830's, it was decided that wide streets and the mews and lawns and trees would be advantageous to the health of the people of Victoria.

During the day everything hustles and bustles and at night the city comes alive with lights and fire towers and music pouring out of a lot of the buildings. It is very theatrical and musical and there is always something going on.

This trip, they are preparing for the Australian grand prix and the world swimming championships. Melbourne seems to have a purpose built arena or stadium for just about every kind of sporting occasion you could imagine. Melbourne is sports mad! They say that Melbournians would bet on flies racing up a wall if they could.

I come to Melbourne mainly for work at the moment. This is my third time in less than six months. It means I don’t really get a holiday but I get to explore the city at nights and on weekends.

Favourite spots:




	block arcade

When I come to Melbourne for work - I stay in St Kilda as it is near one of our offices. I love the buildings in St Kilda and the huge wide streets. St Kilda road is one of the most famous streets in this city and its wide tree lined streets stretch into the city. St Kilda is quite a diverse suburb and I think that’s why I really like it - open and wide to the city and in the other way to the beach. St Kilda beach is where Luna Park is.

Block arcade runs between Collins Street and Little Collins Street. I like its tight cafe section. Brown Sugar Cafe is my favourite coffee house in all of Melbourne. And they also serve a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc!

Southbank is gorgeous for two reasons. The dining and the view over the river to the city; and its especially good at night.

Queen Victoria markets are one of my new favourite spots and when I come back for my next trip, I am going to head up there for some fresh meat and vegetables and cheese for my hotel room!

What's really great:




	fruits on display in the food hall at queen victoria market

My most favourite thing to do in Melbourne - is shop.

I know I am probably missing out on the best Melbourne has to offer - but to me, its miles ahead of New Zealand in fashion. And it’s a lot less expensive.

I love to spend a day on Chapel Street.
Chapel Street has 4 kilometres to travel over 2 of those there are 1000 stores. And it’s not all fashion stores. There are bazaars, fruit and vegetable stores, cafes with the most wonderful coffee and small restaurants where you can find yummy titbits.
Chapel Street works its way through South Yarra, Prahan, St Kilda and Windsor. it changes slightly in architecture from suburb to suburb and there are some wonderful buildings in the Victorian style.

During my latest trip, I finally made my way to the Queen Victoria markets at the top of Elizabeth street. The markets are basically open air - except for the delicatessens inside. Again there are about 1000 stalls. Lots of rugs and t shirts but also great veges, meats and cheeses. yum!

Sights:




	camels at the queen victoria markets

I find myself doing double takes quite often. Something I wouldn't expect to see quite often happens!

Melbourne celebrates its Victorian heritage with monuments, architecture and horse drawn carriages taking people through the city.
Another good way to get around the city and to have a look at quite a few of the famous/important/well known buildings is via the City Circle tram. The tram travels in a square around Flinders Street, Harbour Esplanade (past the Aquarium, Batman Park and the Telstra Dome) then along Latrobe street (past the Flagstaff Gardens, State Library, Old Gaol) and onto Spring Street (past Parliament, Hard Rock Cafe and Treasury Gardens).
When you get back on to Flinders, you end up at Federation Square. Its apparently "where Melbourne meets" - but its very cool. Lots going on with busker's and bands and shows and tons of people to sit in the Transport Bar or the cafe and people watch.

Accommodations:




	eureka tower

Before you decide to travel to Melbourne, make sure you check and see how many events are on in the city that weekend. For example this weekend, there is the Moomba Festival (celebration of the Yarra River for recreational use), the F1 Grand Prix and the World Swimming Championships.

I have heard several times that there is no accommodation available in Melbourne and they may have to move the rugby!

The Eureka Tower is an apartment building that is nearly completion. The exterior is complete and a lot of the floors are done. I have a bit of a fascination with these huge buildings - which is strange as I never go up to the top floors being over slightly scared of heights! It is now the worlds tallest residential building (so I have to change details on my photo of the tower in Surfers Paradise).
Eureka is 92 stories high. Someone told me that there is the equivalent of 28 swimming pools of water on top of the building acting as a ballast. The observation level is on 88.

Nightlife:




	the arts centre spire by night

The most beautiful thing in the city at night - apart from the girls in their party dresses - are the lights. The buildings take on a new life with their lighting reflecting off things like the river and other buildings.

Along Southbank, near the Crown Casio, are firetowers. They have a spectacular display at 9pm each night. They also go off in what seemed a smaller display at 10pm. If only i could upload a video!

www.melbournepubs.com is a really good site if there is a particular type of place you are looking for. Drinking in Melbourne is comparable to anywhere with prices the same as in New Zealand.

Dining out in Melbourne is fabulous! The food is extra special - not too large and not too small. You can pay up to $80 for a steak but it would probably be Wagyu Beef.
We went to Cervo (Italian) on Southbank and had wonderful steak, Melbourne Vietnamese Noodle House on Swanston, Topolinos on Fitzroy and my favourite - Toorak Thai on Toorak road.

Other recommendations:




	sculptures and art are spread all over the city - mixed with monuments to great melburnians

I'm always so impressed with this city.

In my opinion - Melbourne has transport sorted! The trams are always on time and you can travel to just about any part of the city using them. When you get further out of the city, your Metcard will allow you to also use the buses and the trains.
www.metlink.com.au has a really good journey planner on its site.

I love the art and sculptures around the city. It seems to me that Melburnians are so proud of their city that they dress it up. Art appears in unexpected corners of the city such as behind the Art Centre.

There are also a lot of beautiful churches in Melbourne. I love a good church. They seem serene yet controlled. Standing strong against the years and providing a shelter for those who need a little spirituality. My favourite church is St Pauls Cathedral. I think the Anglicans build gorgeous churches and this one is under reconstruction - it is on the corner of Swanston and Flinders.

Published on Sunday March 11th, 2007