Today in a nutshell:
Next we headed by tram into the city to explore Southgate. Southgate is one of Melbourne’s main entertainment destinations and has many bars, restaurants and Australia’s largest casino, the Crown. I have included a couple of photos here so you can have an idea of what we’ve been seeing.
We took the Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle for a few stops and decided to walk a couple of Melbourne’s suggested walking tours. Our first was in East Melbourne – one of the most historic and affluent areas in town. The tour included 33 highlights and countless examples of Victorian era ironwork, columns and verandas. One of the houses we saw had just been sold in 2003 for a mere $7M. I did include one photo here of a converted church (Cairns Memorial Presbyterian) on Hotham Street that is now apartments after a 1980s fire. Again, this walk reminds us of just how absolutely artistic this entire town is and how much we love that.
We have to head back west to get to the main part of the city again, so we cut through the Fitzroy Gardens. We stop to photograph some beautiful flowers, and a lorikeet. Lorikeets are these absolutely stunning little parrots that can be found all over Australia. They seem to be happiest traveling in bunches and congregating in trees throughout the city. You have never heard birds truly sing until you’ve had 100 of these little buggers sitting outside your hostel window at dusk in one tree screaming their heads off talking about the day’s activities. It is so loud you literally can’t hear anything else for quite some distance. (Pretty to look at, not as pretty to hear in person.)
After this walk, we’re ready for some dinner and grab a bite in the theatre district at Pellegrini’s on Bourke Street per a local’s suggestion. The food here is outstanding and the waiters are authentic – only Italian. We share a great plate of gnocchi and a scrumptious raspberry pie with cream and ice cream per the waiter’s suggestion.
Properly refueled, we head out once again to explore the laneways (alleys), arcades (open air malls) and cosmopolitan vibe of Melbourne. There are two additional walking tour devoted entirely to these areas and they prove to be equally as entertaining. In general, everything in Melbourne is extremely clean and well tended. The laneways prove to be no different with their bustling cafes, small shops and neat pubs. We strolled along these and the arcades for quite some time and then had to take another break at a pub we’d discovered along the way. We stop to catch some local music from a small group of street (or should I say “lane”) musicians who were set up next to an outdoor café. (This is really a great city!)
After this, we decide to see a couple of art exhibits that have been set up in the lanes. The most interesting is a brick wall installation that literally makes the wall appear to be breathing, or pregnant, or suffering from some sort of gastrointestinal dysfunction. Call it what you want people – it is really quite outstanding to see in the flesh. We were fortunate enough to pick up a flyer in the pub or we never would have seen this thing, tucked back away off the alley 15 feet above our heads. As I’ve said before, art is absolutely everywhere here.
We finally make it back to the trams and head home. We’ve been out all day and have now officially logged over 230,000 steps on our trip. Our dogs are barking and we’re giving them a much deserved rest before we head out for our final day in Melbourne. Cheers
- Trams / Southgate
- Walking Tours
- Laneways and Arcades
We started off this morning with breakfast (Breky in Australian) at il Farnaio in St. Kilda. If you ever find yourself in Melbourne, I recommend this joint due to the friendly service and ample menu.
Next we headed by tram into the city to explore Southgate. Southgate is one of Melbourne’s main entertainment destinations and has many bars, restaurants and Australia’s largest casino, the Crown. I have included a couple of photos here so you can have an idea of what we’ve been seeing.
We took the Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle for a few stops and decided to walk a couple of Melbourne’s suggested walking tours. Our first was in East Melbourne – one of the most historic and affluent areas in town. The tour included 33 highlights and countless examples of Victorian era ironwork, columns and verandas. One of the houses we saw had just been sold in 2003 for a mere $7M. I did include one photo here of a converted church (Cairns Memorial Presbyterian) on Hotham Street that is now apartments after a 1980s fire. Again, this walk reminds us of just how absolutely artistic this entire town is and how much we love that.
We have to head back west to get to the main part of the city again, so we cut through the Fitzroy Gardens. We stop to photograph some beautiful flowers, and a lorikeet. Lorikeets are these absolutely stunning little parrots that can be found all over Australia. They seem to be happiest traveling in bunches and congregating in trees throughout the city. You have never heard birds truly sing until you’ve had 100 of these little buggers sitting outside your hostel window at dusk in one tree screaming their heads off talking about the day’s activities. It is so loud you literally can’t hear anything else for quite some distance. (Pretty to look at, not as pretty to hear in person.)
After this walk, we’re ready for some dinner and grab a bite in the theatre district at Pellegrini’s on Bourke Street per a local’s suggestion. The food here is outstanding and the waiters are authentic – only Italian. We share a great plate of gnocchi and a scrumptious raspberry pie with cream and ice cream per the waiter’s suggestion.
Properly refueled, we head out once again to explore the laneways (alleys), arcades (open air malls) and cosmopolitan vibe of Melbourne. There are two additional walking tour devoted entirely to these areas and they prove to be equally as entertaining. In general, everything in Melbourne is extremely clean and well tended. The laneways prove to be no different with their bustling cafes, small shops and neat pubs. We strolled along these and the arcades for quite some time and then had to take another break at a pub we’d discovered along the way. We stop to catch some local music from a small group of street (or should I say “lane”) musicians who were set up next to an outdoor café. (This is really a great city!)
After this, we decide to see a couple of art exhibits that have been set up in the lanes. The most interesting is a brick wall installation that literally makes the wall appear to be breathing, or pregnant, or suffering from some sort of gastrointestinal dysfunction. Call it what you want people – it is really quite outstanding to see in the flesh. We were fortunate enough to pick up a flyer in the pub or we never would have seen this thing, tucked back away off the alley 15 feet above our heads. As I’ve said before, art is absolutely everywhere here.
We finally make it back to the trams and head home. We’ve been out all day and have now officially logged over 230,000 steps on our trip. Our dogs are barking and we’re giving them a much deserved rest before we head out for our final day in Melbourne. Cheers
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