Australia - Melbourne

Yesterday we left Sydney at 7.30 am and headed to Melbourne by the intercity train which took us just over 11 hours. We booked economy which when we checked out the first class carriage later in the journey we found there was little difference so it was the right choice and saved us money.

Along the way we go through some beautiful countryside which changes from mountains to rolling green fields.

We have bought some snacks for the trip and also have lunch from the buffet car on the train.

By the time we get to Southern Cross which is the intercity station in Melbourne it is dark. From here we get a taxi to our apartment.

We check in and go up to our room and on first impressions its good with one small bedroom with two single beds.

Its not till we go out on the balcony and notice the balcony stretches across in front on another window that we realise that in the lounge there is a sliding door which at first we thought was a connecting door to another apartment.

We open it and discover it is double bedroom with a separate ensuite which is all part of our apartment, fab.

Now we are settled in we set off for a walk to get our bearings and get some dinner.

We walk towards the City Centre as it's not far from where we are staying. The city skyline looks interesting from what we can see, many of the building are lit up.

We find it difficult to find a restaurant that is serving food, it seems that restaurants stop doing food around 9pm so tonight we have a fast food burger and head to a nice bar over looking the river for a beer.

Then it's back to our apartment and time for bed as it's been a long day we look forward to exploring Melbourne properly tomorrow.

Day 1

After a good night's sleep it's time to go exploring so we head back to the city centre and decide to use the visitors shuttle bus service which costs $10.00 for a two day pass.

The bus takes you round the main sites of the city and you can hop on and off as you want.

Our first stop is at the Melbourne Cricket Club which can hold 100,000 people in its stadium.

From here we walk to Fitzroy Gardens which is a large park, within the park is a house that has been reconstructed as it once stood in Yorkshire England and was the home of the parents of Captain Cook.

You can go inside to get a feel of what life would have been like at the time.

From here we continue through the park and go into the old conservatory which has a lovely display of Orchids, ferns , tropical plants etc.

Then we head up to Carlton Gardens where the Melbourne Museum and the Royal Exhibition Building is and onto an area called Fitzroy.

Fitzroy is the old original town with many beautiful old period properties so we walk around this area for a while taking in the street scene and atmosphere and find a nice place for a cup of coffee and a cake.

We then get back on the visitors tour bus and head to the Docklands area to see what is there, unfortunately it is very quiet. There is a lot of building works going on but there are also lots of empty units which is a shame as it's a great location being on the water front and could be a very vibrant place.

From here we go on one of the old city trams that run throughout the city which are free within the central city zone.

We get off the tram at Flinders Street Station which was once the original main station for all trains coming into Melbourne, it's a pretty impressive building. We head across the road to Young and Jackson Hotel which is one of Melbourne's iconic old pubs and enjoy a local pint and some food.

When we come out of the pub and across the street we notice a large crowd of people gathering in Federation Square.

The local Gay community is holding an event to show solidarity to those in Orlando Florida after the awful events that have happened there resulting in 49 people losing their lives. Its a very moving moment.

Well it's time to head back to our apartment and take it easy and recharge our batteries ready for tomorrow and more exploring.

Day 2

Today we decide to have a lie in and a late breakfast before setting off to view some of the art galleries and museums in the city. Its raining here today so some inside activities are on the cards.

We first head to the National Gallery of Victoria which displays classic and contemporary art and currently has an exhibition on Whistler's Mother.

In the lobby area is a sculpture call Sphere which has been created from a Volkswagen Beetle which is quite interesting and clever and probably my favourite piece there. In one of the rooms is a large circular pool of water with dishes floating on it, as they hit each other they make a sound which rings much like the sound you get from a wind chime.

From here we catch the bus back to the Royal Exhibition Building and Melbourne Museum.

We first have a walk round the outside of the Royal Exhibition Building which was built in 1880 and later used for the 1888 Commonwealth Exhibition.

The building is very impressive and set in a beautiful park. In front of the building is a ornate fountain said to be the largest fountain in Melbourne.

We then head across into the Melbourne Museum and not sure what we will find. The museum explores natural history and science. The place is amazing telling you about the planet and evolution, its minerals and how they are formed, the sea and what lives there, a brilliant section on the wildlife of Australia which has these interactive screens on tripods that you swivel round and point at the animal you want to know about, tap on the screen and it gives you all the info, a section on the human body which has real body parts that have been plasterised and displayed to explain how the human body works, and displays and artifacts all about the history of Melbourne.

At 5pm the museum shuts, there is so much here and so interesting that one day is not enough to enjoy it and take it all in, we may have to come back for another visit if we have time. We walk back to the city and try a few pubs along the way, it's Friday evening and they are quite busy. People seem to go out here straight from work then home.

We end up going back to a nice bar overlooking the river for a drink and something to eat before heading back to our apartment and finishing the day.

Day 3

Today the weather has improved so we decide to go for a walk through one of the main parks and head to The Shrine of Remembrance.

It was built to commemorate the First World War and Australia's involvement.

The building on first impression looks like it's just a monument that you can walk all the way round but as we get up close we can see that you can go inside.

You first enter into a central room with a corridor running around the outer wall. This part of the building has all the names of the people that served in the forces during the war.

From here you can go into the crypt which has a statue of a father and son in the middle and all the flags from the regiments of the Australian forces.

Further on down in the building the next level has an amazing exhibition that tells you all about WW1, WW2, Vietnam, and conflicts up to the present day which have all involved Australians.

Its a brilliant and very informative exhibition and so much to take in. We then head back up to the top of the building where you can go out on the balcony and see the beautiful views across the park. The monument is at one end of a long avenue and you can see right down into the City.

Around the building are four gardens of Remembrance which are sunk into the ground.

From here we head into Melbourne's Botanical Gardens which is beautiful with its vast collection of plants set around large lakes. Some areas have been planted up to encourage different types of wildlife habitat. We stop by one of the lakes for coffee and a piece of cake and it's not long before we are joined by some birds, one is so cheeky that it eventually hops onto the table and helps itself to the crumbs on the plate.

Well on we go walking through the gardens and eventually back to the river which we walk along all the way back into the city and passed where we have been before and onto another Wharf which has been redeveloped with shop, restaurants, bars and a marina. On the way we see a great little bar which has been built on an island under one of the bridges, it is very busy.

We end up at a very nice micro brewery pub along the waterside and go in to try a couple.

Its now getting dark so we head back and on the way find a lovely Greek restaurant to have dinner. Its nice to have some different food with some greens for a change.

As it's Saturday night and we haven't been out late yet in a major city we decide to give it a go and head for the bright lights. We have a great time visiting a few of the bars and clubs which are very busy and there is a great atmosphere.

Well it's a late night but we have had a great day, lie in tomorrow as it's sunday. If it's nice we may go to the beach.

Day 4

After a lazy morning and a nice lay in we get the tram from Melbourne City Centre and head to Melbourne Beach where we have a walk along the sea front of Port Phillip bay.

We stop half way along the promanade for a coffee and sit outside overlooking the beach. From here we head to West Beach and walk up St Kilda Pier which has a lovely old pavilion at the end of it which is now a restaurant.

A rocky breakwater spit has been built out from here to form a harbour and part of this has been fenced off as penguins have moved in creating their own habitat in the crevices. A walk way has been installed along one side so you can get up close in places and hopefully see them.

From here we continue our walk into St Kilda and go past the old Luna Park amusement park that has been there since the 1900's.

We end up in the high street and stop at a great pub called Abbey Road. They are serving Sunday Roast so I have a roast chicken dinner with vegetables and roast potatoes which I have missed. Andrew has Saganaki prawns which are prawns in a spicy tomato sauce with garlic feta cheese served with a green side salad. Everything is yummy.

We then head back to Melbourne via the tram and back to our apartment. Its our last evening here so it's time to pack and have an early night as we need to be up and away by 4am to get a transfer to the airport for the next flight which will take us to New Zealand.