Destinations

The Melbourne Botanic Gardens

Posted on March 28, 2010
Melbourne - Pioneer Women Sunken Garden

Today is my last day in Melbourne, and this afternoon I head to the airport to fly back to Brisbane. Although my flight is not until this evening, I still had it in the back of my mind the need to return to the hotel and get to the airport. Having this thought in mind did not help while I was trying to establish what to do with the day.

Before heading out this morning, I had to get my bag all packed and checked out of the hotel. The suitcase turned out to be a little heavier but not by much in the end. Once I was checked out, I decided to leave my bag at the hotel and collect it on the way to the airport later. Becuase, I had decided to make a visit to the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, and this involved plenty of walking.

Melbourne Botanical Gardens

The Melbourne Botanical Gardens are located to the south-east of the city on the opposite bank of the Yarra River. The one thing that I failed to do before heading out was to look at the map and find out just how big the gardens are. Taking a look back at the route I walked now on Google Maps I estimate I probably walked around 6 – 7 km at least. It does not seem like a lot, but the gardens are reasonably hilly so feels like more.

Melbourne - Botanic Gardens Map behind fence

Above is a picture of the map of the gardens. I had not thought to get a picture earlier, and this was the last one I found. Even though I did have to use these maps a couple of times to figure out where I was and where to head next.

Melbourne - Botanic Gardens Lake

The gardens have quite a lot of rather nice areas, and I must say are beautifully maintained. The gardens look great even considering the city is currently in drought. However, they are employing numerous techniques to reduce the water usage and using recycled water. They have combined this with planting, plants that have a lower water requirement where possible.

Melbourne - Pioneer Women Sunken Garden

Melbourne Floral Clock

While I had passed the Melbourne Floral Clock earlier in the week on a city tour, I wanted to stop by for a good photo. Although the clock is currently in need of replanting and is not looking it’s best.

Melbourne - Floral Clock

Eureka Skydeck

I made my last visit to Eureka Skydeck on the way back towards the CBD. Even from 88 floors up you could still hear the noise of the F1 cars racing around the track at Albert Park. It also turned out to be a rather clear day, so there was some good visibility.

I had a sort of plan for the rest of the day from here. I would get a bite to eat for lunch, before making a visit to St Pauls Cathedral. Below is a photo of St Pauls from Eureka Skydeck. For lunch, I stopped at a restaurant named Il Divo in the Australia on Collins Shopping Centre.

Melbourne - St Paul's Cathedral

St Pauls Cathedral

I had planned to visit St Pauls Cathedral earlier in the week. However, it seemed that every time I was in the area, there was a service underway. Today though I was able to take a walk through the church and it is rather beautiful.

There are many beautiful stained glass windows, along with some tiled and carved pieces that are exquisite. I wish I had more pictures, but with somewhat dim lighting and no flash photography allowed it was difficult.

Melbourne - St Paul's Cathedral Interior

All But Finished

It was still rather early in the afternoon, but I had very little left I wanted to do. There was one small souvenir I wanted to find, plus a present for someone at home. But soon enough I had found these and a book shop where I got a good book. Before grabbing a drink at Starbucks and spending an hour reading.

To The Airport

From here I headed back to the hotel to collect my luggage and onward to get the bus to the airport. I had some time to fill in at the airport where I got some more reading done and got this post mostly written.

The plane left Melbourne around 15 minutes late and except for a little turbulence was a rather good flight. The arrival into Brisbane still seemed to be pretty much on time. While I am glad to be back in Brisbane, I am going to miss the holiday atmosphere and the exploring somewhere new.

Thank You For Reading

While this might be the last post covering the day to day exploring of Melbourne, it won’t be my last post. I have some more information that I would like to share what I have learned along the way. I am looking to share a few different posts including what attractions to visit, eating on a budget, souvenir shopping and a little overall summary for the week. But I will get settled back in at home first and then share what come to mind. I would like to thank you for following the holiday and look forward to sharing my next holiday with you.

Destinations

Exploring The Churches of Melbourne

Posted on March 26, 2010
Melbourne - Eureka Building and Yarra River

After getting around to more than I expected over the last two days, I found myself with a relatively free day today. In some ways, this left me with a problem of just what to do today. However being that I am in Melbourne, this was soon solved as there is quite a lot to explore around the city.

Yarra River Cruise

Earlier in the week, I did a cruise on the Yarra River, that cruise went downstream towards the harbour and docks. The cruise this morning went upstream into some of the older areas of Melbourne. Many interesting places are going upstream, but not an awful lot to photograph. You pass through some of the more expensive suburbs where house prices can average between $1.9-$2.1 million. With some property peaking as high as $19 million.

The guide on the cruise also shared some interesting facts about the Yarra River. One such piece of information is that the river does not follow its natural course. The change of course for the river was made to try and prevent flooding of Melbourne itself. It was made wider and deeper to help flood waters flow more freely out to the bay.

Melbourne - Black Swan

Melbourne City Walk

I left the cruise and headed into the city, to explore a couple of the older arcades. There are some arcades throughout the city, but I found my way to the Block Arcade and Royal Arcade.

The Block Arcade

The Block Arcade is roughly in the shape of a disfigured T, with entrances on Elizabeth St, Collins St and Little Collins St. There are quite some beautiful little stores in the arcade and could easily lose a lot of time exploring them. I discovered what might be my favourite in a store called Haigh’s Chocolate, no prizes for guessing what they sell. I did have to buy something while here and do find it to be rather nice chocolate.

Royal Arcade

The second arcade I took some time to look through was the Royal Arcade. The architecture here is not quite as impressive as the Block Arcade, but the collection of stores is just as interesting. The arcades seem to be popular for small store sizes, but it works for their offerings. It is just a little like finding a little nook with some little treasures hidden inside.

Finally, I did find something to photograph that was not surrounded by people. I am not certain what it is meant to depict, but it was interesting either way.

Melbourne - Small Zen Sculpture

Dreifaltigkeits Kirche Lutheran Trinity Church

I had decided to head in the direction of Fitzroy Gardens to look at a couple of other features. However, along the way, I got distracted visiting a church by the name of Dreifaltigkeits Kirche Lutheran Trinity Church. The church is located on Parliament Place, just behind the Victoria Parliament Building.

Although they do not compared to some of the stained glass I saw earlier in the week, the windows are quite beautiful.

Melbourne - Dreifaltigkeitskirche Lutheran Trinity Church Stained Glass

Dreifaltigkeits Kirche Lutheran Trinity Church is an attractive building from the outside. It is not too large but does sit in the shadow of a much bigger church across the road.

Melbourne - Dreifaltigkeitskirche Lutheran Trinity Church

Fitzroy Gardens

I continued to make another visit to Fitzroy Gardens. I wanted to pass by and take a look at a couple of stops I had made earlier in the week a get a few more photos. But I had also discovered there were a couple of fountains in the gardens I had missed on my first visit. It turned out one was shut off for maintenance and looked like it needs it. However, the other one was quite nice.Melbourne - River Gods Fountain

St. Patricks Cathedral

I timed my initial arrival at St Patricks Cathedral rather poorly as there was a service currently taking place. So I filled in some time at Fitzroy Gardens and returned after the service was complete.

Melbourne - St Patricks Cathedral

Since the service was now over, I took some time to take a look around inside the church. I, unfortunately, do not have any photos from inside, as it was unclear if photography is allowed. I did attempt to see if anyone was around to ask, but it seems no one remained after the service. The interior is amazing with some stunning stained glass windows. With all of the features just appearing larger than any others that I have visited earlier in the week.

Melbourne - St Patricks Cathedral

 

Eating Out In Melbourne

It was time to head out to find something for dinner. Tonight I enjoyed a 1.4 of a Pizza and a bowl of Pasta for a total cost of $8.90. Which does bring me to thinking about the total cost of food over the past eight days. As a rough estimate, I believe that it is just under the $200 mark for all my food and drink. That is around 20 meals, drinks and snacks. I think that is quite a good overall cost, and probably highlights that I didn’t overdo the eating out too much.

Melbourne - Eureka Building and Yarra River

Last Night

I ended the last day in Melbourne the same as most of the others days with a visit to the Eureka Skydeck. It was another great evening to be up here, even with overcast skies the view over the city was amazing. Tomorrow will be my last morning in Melbourne, with an evening flight home to Brisbane. I am not entirely sure what I will get up to tomorrow, but I will be looking to head to the airport not long after lunch. Then it will be back into my normal routine around the home, but there will still be one more update to come for tomorrow.

Destinations

Exploring The Melbourne Zoo & Museum

Posted on March 25, 2010
Melbourne Zoo - Penguins

Today was a big day out with the main attraction being a visit to the Melbourne Zoo. With some other stops along the way including Queen Victoria Markets, Melbourne Museum, lunch, chocolate and sunset at Eureka Skydeck.

Melbourne Zoo

The day did not start out well as I missed the train I had planned to catch. Thankfully Melbourne Trams run quite frequently at 8.30 in the morning, and I was on my way just 10 minutes later. I arrived at the zoo and set my target at around 3 hours to see what I could see.

Melbourne Zoo - Meerkat

In the time I had at the zoo I managed to get around and see a lot of the different animals. Somehow managing to capture hundreds of photos and I do not even remember having the camera out that much. Sharing even a fraction of them is not possible but have a couple of the cute animals here.

 

Melbourne Zoo - Penguins

I ended up being a little surprised at just how many different animals they had. There were plenty that I was familiar with, but there were a few that I had never heard of let alone seen before. Also, a number that you hear well before you see them as well.

Melbourne Zoo - Small Turtle Melbourne Zoo - Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Queen Victoria Markets

Heading back towards the city from the Zoo I decided to get off the Tram at Queen Victoria Markets. I did not take the time to walk through every area here but soon realised it would not be the best use of my time. There was plenty of fruit and veg for sale. But also a wide selection of wallets, bags, t-shirts, belts, souvenirs, lollies and a lot of other stuff as well. The biggest thing that caught my eye was that much of it looked pretty cheap and junky. Rather different to the markets I have visited in the past, very big and a lot of range, just a pity about the quality.

Melbourne Museum

Melbourne - Museum

The next stop was the Melbourne Museum. It is something that seemed a little disappointing for me. Considering the amount of space they have available it could be better used. There is one whole wing dedicated to kids, 8-13 and another five major galleries and a few smaller gallery spaces. Two areas seemed to be done quite well. The living rainforest in the centre and the Insects and Bugs gallery. I spent more time in these two spaces than the rest of the museum combined.

Melbourne - Museum Rainforest Gallery

There is a chance that some of the lack of interest in other areas is that they are topics of little interest. However, at the same time, I could see it still being disappointing due to the lack of content that was on display. I very much doubt that I would return to the museum again.

In the same area as the Melbourne Museum is the Royal Exhibition Building. I am unsure if you can normally look through this building, but at the moment they are setting up for a show, so everything is fenced off.

Melbourne - Royal Exhibition Building

Afternoon Adventures

Since I did not take to long getting around the Museum, I was soon on my way back to the hotel. It was time to give myself a rest from carrying the camera around and swapped it out for my laptop before heading out to find a coffee shop. I stopped into one by the name of City Blend for a Hot Chocolate and to get some writing out of the way.

I decided to head off to Eureka Skydeck again for the sunset this afternoon and was not disappointed. It could be due to a smoke haze or something, but it was a very red sunset. Quite amazing actually and the photos could have been better if I was closer to the window. Either way great to see in person.

Melbourne - Eureka Skydeck Sunset

At this stage, I have covered most of the places that I had down as must visit. So tomorrow I have a pretty free day and will be looking to do a little research tonight on some options to fill the time. So check in again tomorrow to see what I have been up to in Melbourne.

Destinations

Old Melbourne Gaol And Mount Dandenong Tour

Posted on March 24, 2010
Melbourne - Crimson Rosella

Today turned out to be another beautiful day in Melbourne. I had a chance to visit the Old Melbourne Gaol and Scots Church before my afternoon tour. Even with visiting two great spots I had a lot of spare time before joining the tour in the afternoon. Which is the main thing I am finding it is tough to work out how much time to allow visiting different attractions.

Old Melbourne Gaol

The Old Melbourne Gaol opens for visitors at 9.30am and I made sure to be here on time. Throughout the Gaol, they have a lot of stories about different inmates that resided within these cells. Some of the stories detailed what different inmates did to be put in gaol, and many were minor offences.

The most famous, or maybe that is most infamous inmate though is Ned Kelly. With his offences being far from minor. He was housed within the Old Melbourne Gaol, and it is also the place of his hanging.

Seeing the Old Melbourne Gaol and comparing it to what they show as the goals these days there is no comparison. The small spaces within the cells, the limited rations and the poor bedding. It just left you knowing that it would not be something you would want to experience yourself.

Melbourne - Old Melbourne Gaol

The Old Melbourne Gaol was built in 1845, and it ‘s hard to connect how the conditions would have been. When you think of some of the changes since this time you just know this would not have been a nice place. Even today walking through the halls with the daylight coming in it was still dark. So you can only imagine what it might have been like in the evening. Then you think about things like heating and living with nothing but a steel or stone floor below you in winter.

Melbourne - Old Melbourne Gaol Hanings

In total, I spent about an hour looking around Old Melbourne Gaol. Honestly, I do not think that I would want to spend much more time in there either as a prisoner or a civilian. It is just not the sort of place that you would want to be.

The Scots Church

Even though my afternoon tour still had over two hours until it started, fI slowly made my way towards Federation Square. Along the way, I hope to find something to fill in some time, and thankfully I was not disappointed.

I found The Scots Church and thought it might be interesting to see what it was like on the inside. The Scots Church was the first Presbyterian Chuch in Victoria and was founded in 1838. It was quite impressive to see the inside, even though it is not the biggest church in Melbourne. There is a high level of detail especially in the panes of the stained glass windows. With many of the stained glass windows being close to if not over 100 years old.

The other feature that caught my attention was the organ. I am told it is a Rieger Organ and it does look rather impressive sitting here in the church.

Melbourne - Scots Church Organ Installed in 1999 into a casing from 1874

As you might be able to see the person at the organ is playing it. I very much enjoyed hearing the organ and did think that it is something I would like to hear again. It is just finding out the times when different churches might have a recital.

Melbourne - Scots Church

Dandenong Ranges Tour

The tour this afternoon started with a loop around the main points of interest in the city. For me, this was nothing new and very much the same route as the tour on Monday morning. The main benefit of this part of the tour was a couple of better photos of one or two points. For example, one of them is Melbourne’s Floral Clock which is pictured below, albeit not currently flowering.

Melbourne - Floral Clock

As the tour starts the outbound part of the trip there is little of interest. The bulk of the scenery is a mix of freeways and housing suburbs. However, it does improve once you pass the more populated area’s and leave the highway behind. There are some small villages and some nice countryside before crossing into the rainforest.

The first stop was at a picnic ground for afternoon tea, part way up Mount Dandenong. The tour guide provided some seed to hand fed the birds, which included Crimson Rosellas and King Parrots.

Melbourne - Crimson Rosella

It was soon onto the next stop which is the summit of Mount Dandenong. The day was far from perfect for visibility wish plenty of haze or smog around. But I am not sure you would get a perfect day around many of the capital cities these days. I still managed to get the image below where you can see the city, but not all that clear.

Melbourne - City Skyline from Mount Dandenong

The trip back to the city was not all that interesting either, and it also did not help as it got closer to peak hour.

Finding Dinner And Tomorrow

Once back in the city it was getting late, and I headed out to find some dinner. Melbourne is said to be one of the top destinations for it’s dining and I would have to agree. There are plenty of high-end restaurants, with a number I have seen starting above $100 a meal.

However, at the same time if you go looking there are plenty of great value options. Meals for those who either cannot afford the high-end dining or just want something more realistic. Although I all write another post on the topic specifically a little later, I believe it is possible to eat in Melbourne for less than $25 a day.

That about sums up my time in and around Melbourne today. Tomorrow, I have changed my plan a little and will be visiting the Melbourne Zoo. I will be aiming to arrive at the opening time of 9 am, to maximise my time before the crowds build up. For the afternoon I am looking to visit the Melbourne Museum. So all in all, it is looking like a busy day for tomorrow.

Destinations

Melbourne Cricket Ground Tour And Fitzroy Gardens

Posted on March 23, 2010
Melbourne - MCG Tour

I had a great start today in Melbourne, leaving the hotel with what I thought was a great plan for the day. It turns out I was a rather efficient tourist though and those plans for the day were all done before lunch. So the afternoon proved to be a little bit of improvising.

Melbourne Cricket Ground Tour

The first stop today was a little tour to visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sports Museum. The opening time is listed as 10 am so there was no rush to get moving this morning. I got moving around 9 am choosing to walk from the hotel to the MCG a nice 30-minute walk on an overcast morning.

Melbourne - MCG Tour

The first tour of the morning gets started at 10.15, so ensured that I was at the meeting point for this one. It was a great in depth tour showing some aspects of the Melbourne Cricket Ground the public may not normally get to see. From the very edge of the field up to the commentary box and through the dressing rooms. Even right up towards the higher points around the ground.

Melbourne - MCG Tour

Currently, the field is going through the change between the cricket season and the AFL season. The centre cricket pitch has been removed in preparation to put in a grass area. Even though it does time some time and effort, we are told it is not out of the question to change this back and forth. Of course, just when it is needed to suit a particular circumstance.

Melbourne - MCG Tour

There was some other area’s included on the tour as well. Some of the areas such as the member’s area and media area. It is very much an interesting and informative tour.

Australian Sports Museum

Following the tour of the MCG, I had some time to visit the Australian Spots Museum, which includes the Melbourne Cricket Club’s Gallery. The visit to the museum here is similar to the MCG tour and is included in the See Melbourne Card I have. I likely would have skipped the museum otherwise, since sport is not a big interest for me.

In saying that, there turned out to be a couple of exhibits that caught my attention, but not for long. There is holograms of Shane Warne and also an AFL player talking about different aspects of their sports. You also are given an audio commentary device to use as you work through the museum. In the end, I did not spend a lot of time here, maybe 30-40 minutes in total.

Fitzroy Gardens

After leaving the MCG, I headed towards Fitzroy Gardens, which is reasonably close. There are some spots that I wanted to visit in the gardens, including Cooks Cottage, the Fairy Tree and a Model Tudor Village.

Cooks Cottage

Cooks cottage is another attraction that in included with the See Melbourne Card, although admission is very reasonable anyway. It was rather interesting to see the small space in which they lived in comparison to houses today. The cottage was home to Captain Cook’s parents and nine children. Compared to some homes today, you would be hard pressed even calling it a two bedroom house. The second image below is of the study in Cooks Cottage. To get this photo my back is pressed against the wall behind me, the room is that small.

Melbourne - Cooks Cottage Melbourne - Cooks Cottage Study

The Fairies Tree

The Fairies Tree is the creation of Ola Cohn. Carved into the stump of one of the original Red Gum trees from Fitzroy Gardens which is well over 300 years old. It is a very popular attraction for children in the park.

Melbourne - Fitzroy Gardens Fairies Tree

Model Tudor Village

The Model Tudor Village is one of three such villages created by Mr Edgar Wilson of Norwood England. It was part of a hobby he had as a 77-year-old pensioner. The village was officially opened in May of 1948.

Melbourne - Fitzroy Gardens Replica Tudor Village

Walking And Exploring

Although I had covered everything I wanted to do today, it was barely lunch time. I set out for a walk through the city passing my the Old Parliament House, which is now the City Museum. It turns out it was only afterwards that I found this out and would have visited had I known at the time. Maybe it was the hunger that encouraged me to keep going and find some lunch and set a plan for the afternoon.

City Circle Tourist Tram

I decided to start out on the City Circle Tourist Tram and see what caught my attention. In the end, this turned out to be the Queen Victoria Markets, which I had heard plenty about. But alas my timing was not perfect, as many of the stalls had started to pack up for the day. I still got a little look around, but there was little that interested me.

Immigration Museum

The last stop I end up making today was quite close to the hotel at the Immigration Museum. I think I might have had some high hopes for this visit which did not get realised.

I did arrive not much before closing time, with only about half an hour to look around. But as it turned out I needed less than half of this time to see everything. There is a lot of space in the museum, but not a whole lot of content or displays. Additionally, photography was not allowed in the majority of the museum either.

Full Day Ahead

Today turned out to be a little less photography than I had anticipated. While I got some good photos at the MCG and Fitzroy Gardens, there were few photos for the rest of the day.

In some ways, this leaves me wondering what to do tomorrow, as I had planned to visit the Immigration Museum. However, as I found that would be no great loss. I am sure there will be something come up, and the afternoon I have a tour booked. The tour leaves the city and visits an area known as the Dandenong Ranges, which I am looking forward to.

Destinations

Seeing Melbourne With A City Sights Tour

Posted on March 22, 2010
Melbourne - MCG morning

I have only been in Melbourne a couple of days, but have already found a favourite spot. The Eureka Skydeck is very much a perfect spot to enjoy views over the city. Today I am here overlooking the MCG, Rod Laver Arena, National Gallery and Federation Square awaiting the sun to set. I am getting the inspiration to write this post and filling in the time until I can photograph the city by night.

But of course, I am getting ahead of myself because it is later in the day right now and I have so much to share from today. It was an early start this morning with a 6 am wake up to allow time to get ready and make my way to Federation Square. I had booked a tour included with the See Melbourne Card, called City Sights that had an early start. The below image of the Melbourne Cricket ground was one benefit of the early start.

Melbourne - MCG morning

City Sights Tour

I quite enjoyed the tour this morning it seemed to be quite comprehensive and included good commentary. There were two stops included on the tour, the first at Fitzroy Gardens and the second at The Shrine Of Remembrance.

Fitzroy Gardens

The stop in Fitzroy Gardens was not expected, but it was nice to get a little introduction to the gardens. The gardens are the location of Cooks Cottage, which is on my list to visit tomorrow. I spent a little time wandering the gardens just to see what is here.

Melbourne - Cooks Cottage Melbourne - Fitzroy Gardens

I had not previously thought of visiting the Shrine of Remembrance, ore so because I did not know about it. That is what tours can sometimes be good for, showing you new places. The visit was quite interesting and informative, it is much bigger than the Shrine in Brisbane. To give you some idea of size, there are 121 steps to reach the top balcony, which is worth a visit for the views.

Melbourne - Shrine of Remembrance

About half way up is the main room, which includes a plaque with the words “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN.” The design of the building is such that the word “LOVE” will be lit by a ray of sun on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It does not accurately happen though due to Day Light Savings Time. As such it is artificially recreated every half hour for everyone to see.

Melbourne - Shrine of Remembrance

Photos

Throughout the tour, it turns out I took nearly 300 photos. There are plenty that did not turn out due to the moving bus. However, by the end of the tour, I have worked out some settings to help alleviate this. I have just shared a few above and may share some more later once I have a better chance to look through them.

ANZ Banking Museum

After the tour, I was out for a walk through the city and came across the ANZ Banking Museum. It was free to enter so I decided to take a look and see what I could learn. The museum is located in the ANZ Branch on Collins Street. The building itself is rather interesting and has been named the Gothic Bank thanks to the architecture used.

Melbourne River Cruise

It turned out that I had some spare time this afternoon and decided to find where I could do a river cruise. A cruise on the Murray River is something that had been on my list, but not yet planned. I just had time this afternoon to take a down river cruise, leaving from Southbank and going down towards Docklands. It did not turn out to be quite as interesting as I had hoped, but still a good experience. I will look at doing the up river cruise later in the week, if time permits.

Melbourne - Pedestrian River Crossing Melbourne - Bolte Bridge

Eureka Skydeck

As mentioned at the beginning of the post I finished the day again at the Eureka Skydeck. I primarily wanted to visit tonight to get some pictures after the sunset of the city. Earlier in the day, I had managed to buy a small tripod to help out with getting steady photos.

The below photos include The Customs Museum, Flinders Street Station, Federation Square and The Melbourne Cricket Ground. They all do take on a little bit of a different look by the night time lights.

Melbourne - Immigration Museum Melbourne - Flinders Street Station Melbourne - Federation Square Melbourne - MCG by Night

That rounds out today in Melbourne for me. I hope that you have enjoyed this post and do look forward to sharing more tomorrow. I have a few interesting stops planned so hope you can stop back tomorrow.

Destinations

Melbourne City And Melbourne Aquarium

Posted on March 21, 2010
Melbourne - Aquarium Happy Little Turtle

I got started this morning seeing Melbourne with a visit to the Melbourne Aquarium. The visit had two purposes, the first was to collect the See Melbourne Smart Visit Card that I had ordered. The second reason was to see what is here as it was included with the See Melbourne Card.

Melbourne Aquarium

I spent around one and a half hours looking around the Aquarium. I took plenty of photos and glad that I made the choice to purchase a polarising filter for the camera. The filter very much so helped to capture some of the photos through the glass on the tanks. Below are a couple of the photos I got.

Melbourne - Aquarium Penguin Melbourne - Aquarium Can You Spot The Fish Melbourne - Aquarium Happy Little Turtle

Getting Around

The easiest way to get around in Melbourne is by tram. However, this is not a free thing to do and I am glad that included in the See Melbourne Card is a Metcard for seven days travel on public transport. To collect the card I had to visit Federation Square around a 1 km walk.

Of course, once I had the Metcard, I got to use it right away. I caught the tram down to where I can cross the river to visit DFO South Wharf. There was a need to find some new shoes and I figured this might be the best place to look. Thankfully it did not take too long and I had some new walking shoes that were much better than what I had.

Eureka Skydeck

One item that is included with the See Melbourne card that caught my interest is the ability to visit the Eureka Skydeck. The observation deck is located on the 88th floor of the Eureka Building on Melbourne’s Southbank.

The view from this far up is not bad at all and you get the full 360-degree view across Melbourne. You can see everything from the bay to the south, the mountains and the entire city just about. I am happy that I have a Digital SLR camera or I doubt the photos would have been quite as good.

The photos below include The Eureka Building, Federation Square and The Melbourne Cricket ground.

Melbourne - Eureka Building Melbourne - Federation Square Melbourne - Melbourne Cricket Ground

Planning and Problems

The rest of the afternoon did not go exactly as planned. My original plan involved visiting both the Arts Center and the National Gallery. However, both end up having some little problems and will need to be added to another day.

The first stop at the Arts Centre I could take a tour as part of the See Melbourne Card. But it turned out that my research was incorrect, and the tour only operates on Monday to Saturday. There is a different tour on Sunday’s that is not part of the See Melbourne Card. So it looks like I will have to get back here on another day during the week.

At the National Gallery, I ran into a little problem I had not anticipated. I could not take my backpack into the gallery with me, the only option is to check it into the cloakroom. Since I was not comfortable leaving my bag with laptop and two camera’s at the cloakroom, I will have to come back another day.

Dinner And A Punt

I headed back to the hotel and got ready to head out and find something for dinner. As things happened I found myself returning to Crown Casino for another look. For dinner, I found myself a nice place to eat near to the casino and enjoyed a Chicken Ceaser Salad.

After dinner, I decided to see if I could find myself winning anything in the casino. I took a walk through the gaming area I finished up with a short play on the poker machines and tried my luck at the roulette. After about 15 minutes and spending $15, I was no better off.

There might have been a couple of little problems today but I still enjoyed my first look at Melbourne. But now it is time to wrap up today’s post and get some sleep ready for another day exploring Melbourne tomorrow. So I hope to see you again tomorrow for more.

Destinations

Arriving Into The City Of Melbourne, Victoria

Posted on March 20, 2010
Melbourne - Yarra River

Today was not a short or easy day by any stretch of the imagination. It is the very first day I have travelled alone by flying interstate. It seems weird to be saying at 27 years old that I have not travelled by myself before. But it is just the result of different priorities and interests over the past few years.

Anyway, I was up around 5 am this morning to make the flight to Melbourne. I arrived in Melbourne city itself just around lunch time. The result of daylight savings, the flight and the bus transfer to the city. But that does not mean I let things go and estimate I probably walked around 10km this afternoon.

Melbourne Shopping

I know many people go to Melbourne for the shopping and thought I would just take a little look today. The shopping options in Melbourne are quite impressive. However at the same time, they can also be a little bit confusing.

While the stores like Myer and David Jones are much bigger, they are also spread between multi stores. It takes some time to figure out what is in which store. There does seem to be a wider range of products in the stores down here. But it could also be just a different target range that makes it appear this way.

Checking In

Even though I arrived at the hotel just before midday, I could not check in that early. So after a little look at the shopping options, it was time to go back and get settled into the hotel. I took a little while to look at the maps and what options there are for things to see before getting ready to head out again.

For the evening I decided to head across to Southbank and find something for dinner and take a look at the Casino. To be honest, the Casino here is more extensive than anything we have in Brisbane. There are so many different dining options, extensive shopping choices and of course plenty of gaming options.

I did not get around to a lot of interesting places today. However, did manage to capture a few photos while I will share below. I am sure there will be plenty more photos to come over the next week as I start to get in and explore Melbourne a little deeper.

Melbourne - Southbank Sculpture Melbourne - Yarra RiverMelbourne - Crown Casino Gas Brigades

Melbourne

Trip to Melbourne

Posted on March 16, 2010

Today is just a couple of days from my first real holiday by myself to Melbourne. At 26 you may wonder what I have been doing with my life, to be making this the first trip that I am taking by myself. Well, long story short working. While most of the time I have been working I have been permanent and accrued holiday leave, it is something that I have never taken except for the occasional sick day or time I have needed to do things. Yes, I have taken holidays with family, but this will be the first trip by myself.

So you may be asking, why Melbourne. But really why not. I have been to Sydney when I was much younger. Also late last year I went to Canberra. But have not been to Melbourne, so it was more a random choice than any logical thought out reason, other then it was the first place that came to mind.

Being my first trip away I think that this is going to teach me some valuable lessons, as it already has in the booking of both flights and accommodation. However these I will share soon in some other posts. But also it will help me learn some other valuable lessons for when you are travelling just about anywhere.

Navigating A Foreign City

When you are at home in a city you know sometimes it can be hard enough to find your way around at times. But when you go to a city you have never been to I am sure there will be some challenges in finding my way around. I am fairly confident that it will not cause me too many problems myself. However, you never know so just watch for the tweet “Lost in Melbourne, can anyone help?”

Choosing Just What To Do

I will only be visiting Melbourne for a week, which when you think about it is quite a short time. It often comes down to choosing just what you want to do with your time, and especially in a different city, this can be hard knowing what to do and what not to do. Again another good lesson, maybe not one that you can apply in every city, but at least something to keep with you the next time you visit that city.

Making The Most Of The Time

Just like choosing what you want to do, making the most of the time that you do have is essential, when you have limited time making use of every bit is essential I think, however, I imagine taking some time to rest will be important also.

I am sure that there will be many other lessons I will learn along the way as well, all or at least many of them that I will be hoping to share with you, along with the way. Not just this I will also be looking to share a whole heap of what I am doing and what I am doing along the way, including plenty of photos.

So be watching from the 20th March for updates on location from my trip. As well as for ongoing updates, about future trips, and the experiences I have booking and planning these trips.

You can connect with me on social media, just choose your favourite network from below.

Bookings

Booking Flights For Melbourne

Posted on March 14, 2010

When I decided to take a trip to Melbourne, I realised that I had no other option than booking flights down and back. I only have one week in which to get to Melbourne, spend my time and return to Brisbane. Just about any other transport would see me with probably at least two days of travel at each end of, which is not a big deal but I want to maximise my time in Melbourne itself.

Of course, there are plenty of other options to get between places, such as bus, train or car. However flying has the best combination of price to time spent travelling. There are some things to keep in mind when travelling and when booking flights.

General Tips For Booking Flights

  • Getting a price for a flight is very easy, just a quick visit to the top three local airlines will quickly give you a good idea what you are likely to pay and then you can make your decision which airline.
  • On the other hand comparing prices can be somewhat tricky at times. While one airline may price their fare including a meal and your checked luggage, another may charge extra for these. So a $10 saving on the airfare, where you need to end up paying $20 to check your bag and $8 for a meal, ends up not making it quite such a good deal.
  • Booking with an airline just to get points or miles is not always the best idea. Again it comes down to what you are paying for the fair. A cheap airfare often will come with a much lower point/mile earn rate, compared to the full price airfare. Some low price specials can bring it as low as 25% of the full fare earn rate for points/miles. As such paying a little more just because you are a member of their program may not always translate to the best deal.

Booking Flights Online

Booking airfares now can be as easy as a few clicks online. However, there are some things even to watch out for here. Ways to save some money and also the consideration that online may not always be the best option.
  • One thing to be aware of is some airlines and other websites selling airfares do charge a credit card surcharge. The fee can vary from one airline to another and can add a decent chunk to a low-cost airfare.
  • Always take a look at the extra’s they are offering, with some airlines this can include prepaying your checked luggage, and sometimes this can be at a discount to what you will pay at the airport.

Watch Out For

Even though buying an airline ticket is so easy now, you also do need to be aware of what you are buying. The biggest consideration that you need to take is reading the fine print on the ticket you buy.

Especially when it comes to low-cost deals on airfares, the fine print can be a make or break unless you are 100% confident you will be travelling that day. If there is even any chance that things may change then, the airfare could be money down the drain. It can be a bit of a pain to read the main parts. However, it can be worth knowing what the cost to change the airfare could be. A cheap airfare could end up costing a lot more if there is a chance you need to change the date.

When All Else Fails

Sometimes booking your airfare online or via the call centre is just a little too much. The same prices are often available from a Travel Agent. While you may have to pay a booking fee, on some fares there can be benefits.

Just don’t let the booking process get you down to much. It is just a small hurdle to overcome on the journey to enjoying your holiday. Just do your due diligence, book the ticket, and enjoy your holiday.

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