With
Australia in the grip of devastating forest fires, I wasn’t too sure what would
be waiting for me having arrived in Melbourne on a flight from Perth. Other
than a slightly acrid smell in the air on arrival, and an intermittent smog it
was business as usual – some torrential rain on the 2nd day, whilst
uncharacteristic for the season was much needed for those fires. A free walking
tour was a fantastic way to see around the City, as
our guide Tom took us through the streets and alleyways of the city –
interspersing historical and cultural insights with tourist tips. As we
explored the lane ways, we took in the street art of Melbourne – and learnt the
etiquette that means that it can only be painted over if the quality will be
better!
Tour
complete, we knew the sites to go back and explore further – and it’s always a
good day when you go to visit somewhere and it takes you by surprise by what
lies behind the doors. The reading
room of the State Library was stunning – and almost made me want to be a
student again!
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| Reading Room, State Library |
Heading off to the Shrine of Remembrance I naively thought that
it would be like a war memorial in the UK. How wrong I was?! Originally built
to commemorate the men and women of Victoria who had served in WW1, it now
serves to commemorate all Australians who have served in any War. It forms an
iconic landmark and it is impossible not to be moved walking through the
various galleries of remembrance and taking in the views across the City.
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| Shrine of Remembrance |
Speaking
of views, standing on the South Bank and looking out over the Swan River is one
of the picture postcard views of the City!
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| Swan River |
Melbourne
has is known for its coffee and foodie culture – and there was no shortage of
eateries to enjoy.
Rice Paper
Scissors and Mamasita
were two restaurant recommendations which I thoroughly enjoyed – it was just a
shame I wasn’t there longer to enjoy more of the food scene. Like Adelaide, and
Fremantle, Queen Victoria Food market didn’t disappoint and a foodie tour ensured we got to sample the
very best.
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| Sampling cheese in Queen Victoria Market |
A highlight on the food scene was stumbling across a live shoot of MasterChef
Australia and finding ourselves on the front row of filming!
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| MasterChef Australia |
One
of the ‘must do’ day trips away from Melbourne is the Great Ocean Road Tour – a
very long day but the views of ‘The Apostles’ (impressive rock stacks off the
coast) were stunning – albeit incredibly windy!
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| The 12 Apostles |
Melbourne
will stick in my memory for being the place that I completed my personal Grand
Slam of the tennis circuit, at the Australian Open – two days of tennis,
together with an evening session continuing to midnight and almost later into
the night – I was in my happy place!
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| The Grand Slam complete! |
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