Day 2 in Melbourne city!

12.01.2013

As our first night in Melbourne was a late one, our second day got off to a delayed start. When it did start, we hopped onto a bus to Flinders Street ready to explore the CBD. Whilst it was just a typical bus ride, we did find this heart-shaped gum on the back of the seat in front - a small glimpse of the artistic expression shown by Melburnians, which we would see much more of later. 

Before setting off, we stopped at Walkers Doughnuts for hot dogs which were amazing. You get the dog - accompanied by a drink - for just 6 bucks, so it's super tasty & super cheap. We were then obliged to try one of the name-sake doughnuts that this place is famed for, and were not disappointed either. It's so good we came back as soon as we returned to Melbourne after the trip.

We followed a CBD route recommended in our Lonely Planet Guide to Australia, starting out in the ultra modern Federation Square (or Fed Square) which is a central meeting hub in the city. The free wi-fi is a useful attraction for two Internet-deprived tourists and the area consists of two large squares for people to relax, under the gaze of a giant Plaza screen and circled by restaurants, bars and shops. There are also a number of top attractions here including the Melbourne Visitor Centre, The Edge Theatre & National Gallery of Victoria, as well as pop-up works of art like this wooden hut. The area only opened in 2002 but was slammed by critics for being ugly & expensive. Whilst the very modern architecture of the buildings may not be to every ones taste, I thought it was a great space for the community as well as a superb attraction for tourists - and with 10 million visits last year, I can't be alone!

                                           Pop-up art                                                                 Fed square style archiecture

We continued along, with the route taking us through narrow alleys and along cobbled streets, reminiscent of home. One such alley was Hosier Lane and whilst UK streets are no strangers to graffiti, this is just one example of the many in Melbourne which are literally covered in graffiti forming a massive work of art, including the trash cans. I loved seeing the originality & design expressed by the local residents, particularly the Heath Ledger cum Joker piece below, and I still enjoy passing the 'public art' across many locations, now I am based in the city.

The route has us pass some impressive architecture such as Parliament House - the seat of the government in Victoria - and the Princess Theatre, eventually leading us to Melbourne's Chinatown. It is one of the longest continuous Chinese settlements in the western world and we spent our time enjoying the countless colourful Chinese stores and buildings found in the area.

  

                                                                   Chinatown                                           Chinese arch

Having ventured on to Bourke Street Mall, we found a Daiso store where all the items (imported in from Japan) cost just $2.80 - essentially a Japanese equivalent of Pound Land! We desperately tried to find something for our trip, but had to settle with a can of Japanese soft drink. One of the best things about walking around Melbourne is the array of street art found sprawled around; not just the pop-up work and graffiti, but objects like the decorative street sign for Dame Edna Place, the hanging lanterns on Swanston Street or the giant purse-shaped bench. These are just a few of the many random things you find on a trip to the CBD.

Our walk ended back in Fed Square where we took advantage of free deck chairs to rest our tired legs & enjoy the view along Southbank; an area of the city occupied by high-rise offices, mingled with bars & cafes, sitting beside the banks of the Yarra. Southbank is also home to the Crown complex where we saw Ricki-lee the night before, the tall spiral of the Arts centre and the Eureka Tower which all make impressive additions to the city skyline, and this one of the main entertainment hubs of Melbourne.

Eureka Tower, at 297m (975 ft or 91 storeys) dominates the skyline and is one of the tallest residential buildings in the world. Named after a rebellion during the Victorian Gold Rush called the Eureka Stockade, the gold crown on it's top represents the gold rush and the red stripe represents the blood spilt during the revolt. More excitingly, floor #88 is a public observation deck which, at 285 metres, is the highest public vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere. For an extra cost, the bravest visitors can also walk in to the Edge; a glass cube which sits 3 metres outside of the building, 300 metres above the ground - the glass gradually becoming completely see-through! 

                     Free deckchairs in Fed Square, Eureka Tower and Arts Centre                

We successfully avoided the temptation of visiting the Mcdonalds here which is actually called Maccas (as it is more commonly called in Australia) and arrive at MoVida. Another Lonely Planet recommendation, this Spanish tapas bar sits next door to the graffiti-decorated Hosier Lane we visited earlier, and we enjoyed a cheeky drink with some amazing (if small) tapas dishes. This said, the staff were very friendly and the food was delicious - what more could you ask for!

Enjoying the tapas, with the graffiti in the background

After some spicy food, the logical place to visit next was the Chill On Ice Lounge which cost just $60 for both of us and $15 for a souvenir snap. Entry includes an alcoholic cocktail (or mocktail for the kids) of your choice, with the chance to buy more if you like. Once you are tightly wrapped in a snug jacket & black Uggs (what else when down under), you walk into a giant ice room where temps hover around -10oC. You can play ice games, pose with ice statues for an icy picture or just enjoy the fresh yet bitterly cold air, sipping your drink. Once the 40 minutes are up, it's a relief to enter the warmth outside but this is one unforgettable experience which everybody should enjoy - a perfect way to refresh on a hot Ozzy day!

As well as the street art, you can't help but marvel at the many ways to get around here. Alongside the standard buses, trains & taxis found in any city in the world, Melbourne offers you bike hire with pick up/drop off stations spread across the city, bicycle taxis in the form of pedicabs, horse & cart journeys and of course, my favourite, the trams! There are 487 (both old-fashioned and super modern) trams operating on a gigantic 250 km (155 miles) of track with 30 routes & 1,763 tram stops, making it the largest urban tram network anywhere in the world. The trams are used by locals, commuters & tourists alike, but for a travel geek like me it was well worth squeezing on to one of the old trams still operating the number 35 city circle route. Not only is this tourist service completely free, it circles the entire CBD passing all worthwhile attractions whilst sitting on board an old fashioned, heritage tram. It's a superb - if packed - way to see the city.

                                                   Horse & Cart                                                          Bike hire 

Route 35 City Circle tram

It was a busy but amazing second day, ending with a spectacular sunset back in the park. We were already looking forward to checking out St. Kilda and its famous beach tomorrow. More in my next post!

Day 5. Arriving into Melbourne, and meeting Ricki-Lee at her concert!

11.01.2013

It took just an hour to reach Melbourne on Day 5 of the road trip, which started with an Aussie BBQ Brekky roll at McDonalds, or Macca's as they say in Oz. Unlike Canberra, Melbourne instantly reveals itself as more of what you expect in a city; much more Sydney-like where we spent our first 5 months in the country. On route to the caravan park, we drove across West Gate Bridge which spans the Yarra River (the centre of Melbourne city life) and spied the beautiful cityscape backdrop of the multiple high rise buildings along its banks. Over 4 million 'Melburnians' call the city home, and it is not only capital of the state of Victoria but referred to as the cultural capital of Australia too. Cram-packed with museums and history, it is the birthplace of Australian film, television, football, arts and dance, as well as the location of national events such as the Australian Open, Australian Grand Prix and a "race that stops a nation," the Melbourne Cup. All of this meant we were very excited to be in the nations second largest city! There really is so much to see & do here that 4 days just isn't enough. Luckily for us and unbeknownst to us at the time, we would be returning to Melbourne to base ourselves at the end of the trip to discover much more of this awesome destination.

It was scheduled to be yet another scorcher so we spent the day chillaxing at Ashley Gardens Holiday Village, as near to the refreshing pool as possible, whilst the thermometer nudged 39oC. A day in the sun was just what was needed before going to see Rick-Lee in concert later in the day. Whilst the park was great with a pool, BBQ area, helpful staff and all the facilities you might need - it was the most expensive caravan park of the trip at $52 a night(!!), but this was due to it being the closest one to Melbourne CBD with very little in the way of competition. That said, we did stay in equally nice parks for about half the cost across the rest of the trip.

We had bought 'goon' for pre-drinking before the gig, which - if you aren't aware - is cheap boxed wine found in Oz which (due to some of the ingredients added to it) gets you very drunk, very quickly and with a very bad hangover. Due to its low price - 4 litres is $11 - it is obviously popular with travellers as other alcohol is much more expensive than back home. For comparison, it sets you back $20 for a 6 pack of beer, $50 for a crate of lager or $40 for a bottle of spirit - this is at least double of what you pay in Europe. So after a couple of glasses (or 4) of goon, we were all dolled up and ready to head into the city to see the concert.

Ricki-Lee is an Australian singer who became famous after appearing on the second season of Australian Idol back in 2004, and we were already fans before leaving the UK. It is her catchy pop songs which make her popular (especially with the gay community, us included!) but she also sings slower, heart-felt songs which show off her amazing voice. It would be our second time seeing her in concert after going to a Sydney gig back in September - the day before my 24th birthday. Of course, we were very excited when we arrived at the impressive Crown complex where she was performing and began the evening sipping an aptly-named Crown lager, eagerly anticipating the start of the show.

Ricki-Lee gave yet another incredible performance, mixing old songs with the new, exactly what the crowd wanted. She has always been a true star, who is very down-to-earth and humorous on-stage, excitedly chatting between songs. She regularly interacts with her loyal fans through Facebook and Twitter and both of us have received tweets back from her. As such, it was an amazing moment for us when we were able to meet & chat with her after the concert. She loved our English accents and signed a poster & tickets for us, as well as posing for this photo; a cheesy, grin spread across all our faces!

The night proved to be a fantastic highlight of the trip and a great start to our stay in Melbourne. We couldn't wait to see what else this fabulous city would have to offer. See more in my next post!

Day 4. Paradise, and then Penguins, on the beach!

10.01.2013

Day 4 was spent on Paradise Beach and we made this using shells found on the beach

As we had arrived at Paradise Beach a day early, we had no choice but to make Day 4 a beach day at this fabulous destination. Free-camping may not be for everyone, but for others it is about going back to nature and just enjoying the best of what the planet has to offer. And this corner of the planet boasts more than its fair share of stunning locations to visit. There were very few people on the deserted beach, so it was an idyllic and peaceful place to spend the day in the sun. Of course, we slapped on  SPF 30 sun cream as UV levels in Australia are usually considerably higher than even Europe at summers peak, often 13 or 14. This is due mainly to Australia's close proximity to the hole in the ozone layer, caused by global warming. As the sea in this area can be rough with hidden currents, and there was no lifeguard on duty, it was not advisable to do any more than dip our feet into the cold ocean to cool off in the burning sun.

Sadly, we couldn't stay forever and set off mid afternoon to drive the 200 km to Phillip Island for the famous Penguin Parade. We arrived at the coast, south of Melbourne, and left the mainland for the first time to cross the 640m (2,100 ft) concrete bridge which led us to the 100 km² (39 sq mile) island. It costs just $22 per adult for a ticket, and the money raised is used towards the conservation of the hugely valuable & varied wildlife on the island, of which the penguins are the undoubted stars! Once inside, you can watch a short film about the wildlife, buy wildlife-themed goodies in the gift shop, grab a quick refreshment or learn more about the penguins and their habitat. You can even spy a nestling penguin sitting on her eggs through a number of viewing holes found on the edge of the building. 

Once the doors are open, you are guided along the walkway through the natural habitat of the island towards the location of the parade itself. There is even time to spy the local Wallabies on the way down to the specially designed seating area on the beach. Amidst the excited whisperings of the crowd, we spied people of all races & ages whose murmurings increase as dusk (and with it, the penguins) approaches. Once seated, you are given an introduction of the island and it's penguin inhabitants. Penguins are not an animal, unlike the Wallaby, commonly associated with Oz and the species here are a warm water cousin to the ones found 7,014 km (or 4,359 miles) further south in Antarctica. They are the smallest variety of the species at an average of just 33cm high and 43cm in length, and after spending the entire day fishing & swimming in the ocean, they return to their nests on the shore just after sunset - safe from the predators who may otherwise do them harm. 

For the sake of the penguins, you are prohibited from taking photography at the parade - which is fiercely enforced by the on duty rangers - but this is the only disappointment in what is a very magical experience. As dusk encroaches,  you see the tiny heads of the first penguins popping up in the waters' edge. Eventually, and very hesitantly, a few of the brave ones land on the beach but the slightest movement (from the sea gulls) sends them hurtling back into the sea and raises chuckles amongst the crowd. Slowly but surely, one group at a time, the penguins waddle up the beach returning to their nests. After spending around 20 minutes on the shore watching pockets of them arrive home, we ventured back towards the centre to watch the penguins return to the nests. They are very social and often stay outside amongst their peers for a while. The nests can be found all over the island and you have to be careful leaving the car park, as rogue penguins can be found under and around the parked cars.

After he disappointment of not seeing a Platypus, it was made up for by being privileged enough to stroll along the walk boards and be amongst the wildlife on the island first hand. Whilst it's not possible to take any photo's of the experience, this does avoid the distraction of trying to take the perfect shot and so you just enjoy being there gaining incredible memories to cherish forever.

It was late & very dark by the time we left Phillip Island, and so we free-camped in a rest area on the way towards Melbourne. Despite being so tired, we did catch this amazing shot of the stars in the night sky whilst standing by the free way in the middle of the Victorian countryside. But this amazing day caught up with us and we were soon fast asleep, dreaming about our next stop (Melbourne) and the fun we would have there. Check out more in my next post!