Postcards from the Road - Melbourne

Luxury. Culture. Cafes. Modern. Old. Good Chocolate. These are the words I would use to sum up Melbourne. There is a lot of rivalry between Australia's city dwellers - each believes their city is THE place to be, where you will experience true urban Australia. Melbourne fancies itself as the cultural centre - representing art, music, cafes, food and many ethnic groups - a sensory feast.

We liked Melbourne. Maybe it was the luxurious (anything would have felt luxurious after a few nights of wet camping) city centre apartment. We were in walking distance of great food, shopping, beautiful architecture, museums and parks. But for those times we didn't feel like using our feet to get us where we needed to go we could hop on the famous Melbourne City Circle Tram.

We caught the tram to Queen Victoria Market. A great place to look for trinkets, cheap clothing, "Australiana" and of course yummy food. But on the walk there we passed by an alley covered in graffiti, we just had to stop to take a look. We spent some time looking at each painting, trying to decide which one we liked best.
After this brief detour we were back on our path to the Market. We spent a couple of hours looking through the rows and rows of knick knacks, Australian-made boots and clothes from China, stalls of Australian tourist trinkets, breathing in the smells of coffee brewing and donuts frying, listening to vendors shout out the deal of the day and jostling our way through the crowds. This is what I like about cities, the crowds, sounds and smells. I like it in bursts. Fill my city cup.

After browsing, lunching and watching the passers-by while drinking a flat white, it was time to move on to our next destination - the Melbourne Gaol. It is a 19th century prison, a place sure to discourage any deep desire to enter the criminal world. After opening its doors in 1842, the Melbourne Gaol saw 136 hangings including one of Australia's most infamous characters, Ned Kelly.
It is a great tourist sight, one I would recommend anyone do when they are in Melbourne. In each of the cells they have displays on the individuals who 'did time' there, you can get 'arrested' and locked up at the city watch house, and walking through the dimly lit corridors and stepping into the cells gives you a sense of the misery you would have known to be locked up here. Gemma and Ruben had a special role in the watch house arrest, they were chosen to be the guard's deputies.

Melbourne is a city of two worlds - the modern and old, the 'European' and Australian. Having only spent two days in the city, I have only a cursory sense of what Melbourne is like. But as you walk through the different neighbourhoods you get a sense of the influences that have helped to shape what Melbourne is today. A blend of the past and the contemporary, many ethnic groups, arts and sports.


Having once lived in a city, I am always contemplating if I could do it again, is this the city I would like to move to. Melbourne has me tempted. It has a good vibe. It also doesn't hurt that Lygon Street has three cafes dedicated to all things chocolate - I could live in Melbourne just to be close to that!

The road trip must continue, we are off to Wilson's Promontory.

love H, D, R and G