Melbourne: Gardens and Seaside Towns

Melbourne is a wonderful city to explore on foot (or by tram), I spent four days wandering around taking in the city - ending up with sore feet, but it was worth it.

I got my bearings at the top of the Eureka Skydeck, which is on the 88th floor and is the highest viewing deck in the Southern Hemisphere.

The views were incredible. 

I wandered through the Alexandra Gardens and the Botanical Gardens stopping at the Shrine of Rememberence - which was very moving as I was there exactly one week before Anzac Day.

Flinders Street Station is the home of a famous Melbourne meeting place - "under the clocks".

The Royal Exhibition Building is beautiful from the outside and I enjoyed looking at the Melbourne Museum, which Is just behind it.

The Yarra River runs through the city - the Yarra Valley is of course famous for its beautiful wine.

I also visited two seaside towns, which were less than thirty minutes from the city centre.

St Kilda, with its old pier and Luna Park.

And Williamstown, which was a step back in time.

I loved Melbourne and cannot wait to return.

Melbourne: Aussie Rules

Melbourne is the home of Aussie Rules Football and I had to make sure I paid the G (the MCG - Melbourne Cricket Ground) a visit during my stay.  The footy has been played at the G since 1859 and half of the teams in the league are from Melbourne, which is where the sport was invented.

I got tickets to see the Melbourne Demons play the Gold Coast Suns. I had been following the Demons for a few weeks before to ensure I knew who to cheer for and although they may not be the best team in the league they had a fair chance of winning this match.

The ground is huge - probably the largest stadium I've been to with a capacity of just over 100,000. It is also (obviously) a cricket ground in the summer months and home to the famous Boxing Day Test. I managed to put the heartache of the recent Ashes Tour to the back of my mind as I settled in for the match.

I apologise to any Australian readers, but for my European/American friends who haven't had the pleasure in watching the footy, I will attempt to explain.... The ground is huge and there are are 22 players on each team. It is very like Gaelic Football, with players kicking and running with a ball like a rugby ball. They are awarded either 6 or 1 points for a goal, depending on how it is scored.  The score lines are typically close to a hundred for at least one of the teams involved. The athletes are very fit, as they cover a huge amount of ground during the match. They can sometimes get violent during tackles or altercations on the pitch.  They also have to wear very short shorts and a little vest.

The Dees may not have won, but I have a wonderful time and am looking forward to going back again to see another match.

Melbourne: Laneways and Arcades

I decided to make the most of my first Austrailian long weekend and took a last minute trip to Melbourne for the Easter break. Although a bit cooler than tropical Darwin I had a wonderful time in the city expolring the infamous laneways, art galleries and immersing myself in a weekend of proper Aussie sport.

Melbourne is often described as the most European or British of the Australian cities. There are many narrow laneways that interconnect the larger sweeping main roads that cross-cross across the city.

These smaller lanes are filled with cafés and trendy hipster shops and are also lined with street art, for which Melbourne is renowned.

There are also beautiful arcades which link the main roads, the Royal Arcade, the Block Arcade and the Manchester Unity Arcade are some of the more famous ones.

Emerging onto the main roads the buildings are equally impressive - even H&M looked magnificent!

I loved the city of Melbourne, although it actually reminded me more of lower Manhatten than Europe. Perhaps it was the grid system, the speed at which the city had developed (during the gold rush) or the laid back super trendy inhabitants - I loved it nonetheless.

 More to follow....