Magnificent Melbs & Vibrant Victoria! - Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
After two and a half months of travel finally came one of the highlights of my trip. On Christmas Eve I flew from Cairns to Melbourne, where I was to spend the festive period with friends, Mark & Alex, originally from back home. They had kindly invited me to spend Christmas and New Year with them. On acceptance of their kind invitation, Mark exclaimed, "yay, another orphan for Christmas"! Alex collected me from the shed at Melbourne (Tigerair is Australia's equivalent to Ryanair - and their arrival terminal is currently a hanger with a baggage carousel and portakabin loos!). Setting off on the journey to the suburb of Elwood, Melbourne's scenery, from a distance, had much familiarity. I was last here in 2006/7 and fell in love with the city then. Seeing the skyline of the CBD gave me a buzz as we passed by. Heading along Port Melbourne and St Kilda, as we approached Elwood, Alex suggested stopping for a sunny outdoor drink (sorry Alex, but it's true, it was your suggestion!). This was to be the sign of things to come - reflecting back, I'm not sure that I had one dry day in my entire Melbourne/Victoria stay - and I'm not talking about the weather!! Alex and Mark's fantastic hospitality got off to an instant start and remained a consistent theme during my stay (thanks guys, you were absolutely fantastic). My first BBQ since arriving into Australia, the guys bought the most amazing steaks! And the 12 bottles of wine that I had sent over from New Zealand suffered their first casualty!! Christmas Day began with morning cocktails at Alex & Mark's friendly neighbours (Phil, Karen & Adam) and later the day was celebrated with Mark & Alex's friend Natalie who hosted lunch for family and friends (too many to name individually!). At home Christmas games would consist of board games in front of an open fire, but here it was ball games in the swimming pool, trying to avoid being burnt, and enjoying the contents of the floating bar! It was my first hot Christmas (Christmas 2006 in Mebourne saw freak weather, with snowfall and hail!!!) And an absolutely fantastic way to spend the day - thank you so much Natalie! We finished off the evening with a nighttime swim in the sea back at Elwood. Alex and Mark's location is such that the sea is at the end of the road, and a walk of about 60 seconds is all that stands between their door and a bay swim!! Boxing Day saw us have a fantastic brunch in Elwood (much more creative brunch menus here in Australia than back home) and enjoy a beach day, further along the bay and the continuation of fantastic weather in Melbs! The following day we were heading to Daylesford for a two night break with some of Alex & Mark's friends, Nigel & Dan. But before we did, we headed into the city centre for brunch. Whilst the view of the skyline brought back many memories, walking around the city seemed strangely unfamiliar. Key landmarks like the MCG, Federation Square, view from the waterfront I remembered well from 2006, but there has been a significant amount of change in the CBD with new construction and exciting buildings. It got me wondering just what I did in Melbourne on my previous visit, other than 5 days of the Ashes (nobody mention the 2013/14 series - surprisingly I've only been subject to ridicule about three times in my entire trip!). It was so nice to be in the city with friends who know places to go that are not necessarily on the tourist trail. Quaint alleyways lined with coffee shops and restaurants reinforce a European atmosphere and but with an added bohemian feel and evidently strong café culture. The Rooftop bar at Cookie (also home to one of Melbourne's outdoor summer cinemas), in the CBD, gave a fantastic view of the city whilst enjoying a cool drink in the warm Melbourne sun. Ironically here, there is a significant problem with vitamin D deficiency in Australia. Vitamin D is, of course, produced naturally by the body when exposed to sunlight. So you would think people would have plenty of vitamin D here. But use of sunscreen and sun avoidance is responsible for the deficiency. It's reassuring that people here take seriously the need to protect the skin from harmful amounts of UV rays at least. After a few hours in the CBD, we headed to Daylesford. A beautifully quaint town of Swiss-Italian heritage, and under two hours from Melbourne, Daylesford is filled with pretty weatherboard cottages, and stylish cafés, bars and boutiques. The guys had hired Juliet's Hideaway for the break. Described as a 'beautiful escape for friends' (as well as a 'romantic destination for lovers'!) on their website, the owners describe how they fell in love with each other, fell in love with Daylesford, the house, which has been very tastefully styled and is 'a symbole of their love', and now want to share that love with others. A couple of days of great company, much relaxing, great food, rather longer than the recommended 15 minutes in the hot tub, very warm climate, ambles around the town and a little bit to drink (Mark Hatherley....!). Even a children's portion of chicken nuggets and chips proved too much for a hangover meal the following lunchtime (the waiter comically offered a babycino with that!). It was the perfect way to relax and to spend the period that I like to call the "festivitweenies", between Christmas and New Year. Thanks for a great couple of days all, and it was great to meet you both, Nigel & Dan. A route back to Melbourne was developed, and as coincidence would have it, the route went via a microbrewery and a winery! OK, so it wasn't exactly coincidence! Being in Alex and Mark's company made this anything but a coincidence! With Alex and Mark both enjoying beers, and my drinks choices following a rather more girly style, I took over the wheel of their car on leaving the microbrewery, where they had been able to enjoy a 'taster paddle' of 10 beers, and drove us on to the next destination. The satnav strangely directed me to Sticks winery (nice work Hawker!), where we enjoyed an afternoon sat on the grass, listening to a band play, whilst looking out over the Yarra Valley, devouring a cheese platter and drinking a bottle of Sauv Blanc! Having refrained from the wine, Mark took control of the driving for the return to Melbourne. An absolutely fantastic afternoon, that will be remembered with great fondness. It's probably a bit inappropriate to write the story of our neighbouring winery guests and the banter between the women but for my own amusing memory, this prompt will be sufficient to make me chuckle in future!! Before returning to Elwood, we decided to take a detour to the iconic Brunetti in Lygon Street, for coffee & cake. Cake lovers be warned - I think it possible to visit BrunettI on a daily basis to try a different cake, and go 3 months without duplicating! It sounds like a perfect challenge to me, and one that my friend Kate Pollard would enjoy (although I envisage a challenge over a drastically shorter timescale!!). Unfortunately for Mark, the following day saw an abrupt end to the festive period, with his return to work. Alex and I felt very sorry for him, so with absolute compassion, empathy and restraint, Alex and I jumped in the car and zoomed off for a two day trip to the Great Ocean Road (sorry Mark!)!!! Going via Sorrento where we caught the ferry across to the other side of the bay. On the first day, we enjoyed the coastal trip that took us through Lorne (lunch stop here for fantastic Barramundi) and a detour to see koalas in the wild. We were privileged to see a couple of koalas at close range, one unusually mobile (these creatures sleep an average of 20 hours a day! Perfect life I hear you say?) and the other asleep with its head wedged in the delta of two tree branches! I am reminded of the facts about koalas that were shared by our tour guide in Cairns. Koalas do not drink, the survive only by eating eucalyptus and the very scant moisture contained within it. Eucalyptus contains a toxin which causes the animal (koalas are NOT bears, by the way, they are marsupials) to suffer its spaced out lethargic demeanour, but thanks to bacteria in its stomach the side effects are limited to this lethargy and drowsiness. You would think that it would cause the creature to consider alternative food sources, but no. The baby koala doesn't benefit from this bacteria naturally, so there is an interesting process that takes place. The mother makes sure that the baby koala develops the bacteria in its own stomach in a less than appealing way. For the first meal, Mummy Koala feeds her baby some of her poo, that way the bacteria enter the digestive system of the baby and develop its protection against its poisonous diet. Now I hear you reviewing the desire to be a koala in a future life!!!! Having left accommodation until pretty late, and with it be the festive season, we found only one low cost option - Seacroft near Apollo Bay. On arrival, we were presented with a former monastery site, which had Hi-de-hi style chalets (but less smart!!) as well as a communal kitchen, lounge and former chapel ("there's 3 boys in the chapel so I should stay away from there" being the owners advice!). The place had an eerie secret past kind of feel to it, and what was with these boys in the chapel as well!?! It was easy to imagine this as the site of a former religious cult and pact, such as Waco in Texas. But Alex and I decided we should stop talking about such incidents and potential axe murderers in the interest of getting some sleep that night! It was, in fact, a very comfortable night - and located just 100 metres from the stunning Great Ocean Road, for Aus$48 (£27) for the room, it was a bargain. The property is in the process of being renovated, and it would be great to see now it develops in future. The potential is enormous. The following day, we continued on to the Twelve Apostles (erosion has resulted in only eight apostles remaining). The beautiful rock colouration and patterns of erosion lived up to the reputation that the Great Ocean Road enjoys. People flock here to see this natural wonder, and it is easy to see why. The rugged coastline blessed with colourful layers within the rock formations, beautiful blue seas and bright skies highlighting everything the scenic route has to offer. With a stop-off at Maits Forest for a forest walk, it was then time to return to Melbourne with a couple of hours to prepare fancy dress for that evening's seaside-themed New Years Eve party, that Alex and Mark's friend Tamla was hosting, photo album for more on this (!). At midnight, we ventured out to the neighbouring Collingwood AFL field to watch the fireworks over Melbourne city centre. A great night was had by all (even if Mark was subjected to subliminal (and less sublime) messaging to programme a desire to get a French Bulldog!). The journey home was by festive-period free train, with a carriage full of p***ed, singing Irish blokes - entertaining and friendly, as you'd expect from the Irish! On New Year's Day, after brunch at the salubrious Elwood Lounge, I decided to repay some of Alex & Mark's hospitality by cooking dinner. Chicken stuffed with Gorgonzola and wrapped in Serrano, with roasted potatoes & roasted vegetables, with a creamy wine & chive sauce. As for the chocolate mousse dessert, it wasn't my finest creation - but assign blame either to the weird Australian double cream which separated out the buttermilk as it was whipped or to Gordon Ramsay's bizarre cooking method! Wherever blame lay, it was a bizarre texture having separated and resulting in the sensation of eating a Cadburys Wispa but without the bubbles, and ended in hilarity and the quick disposal of the non-moussey mousse!! With it being my last night in Melbourne (for the next 5 days at least), we took a sunset walk to St Kilda Breakwater to watch the little blue penguins returning to their nests to feed the chicks. Being a public space, this is a totally non-commercial way to see the penguins in their natural habitat. Volunteers are on hand to answer questions, protect the penguins and to illuminate the returning birds with low-level red light. The nests, with penguin young are on the marina side of the breakwater, and rather than swim around, the birds clamber onto the breakwater on the ocean side, clumsily scale the rocks to the top before traversing and descending down the other side. With spectators on the top of the breakwater, occasionally penguins will climb up to where there is a crowd. The amazing thing was that people made a gangway of about 2 feet from one side to the other and the penguins waddled through the middle, along the aisle, lined with spectators, and down the other side! It was like a perfectly orchestrated manoeuvre and an amazing experience to see these tiny little birds just one or two feet away. Low level light conditions, and the restriction on flash photography make it difficult to capture on camera, but there are couple of dark shots in my album that give the idea! Chicks that have waited all day for a feed create a din as they beckon for food, adding to the unique experience. The following morning saw me head off to the 'red centre' for the Outback tour (blog already published), but I returned to Melbs five days later for a final two nights. With fantastic company of friends from back home, it is amazing how quickly my time in Melbourne has shot by - and shocking how fast this trip as a whole is passing by (although not as quickly as my funds, which have not lasted quite as long as I had hoped!!). Alex's regular suggestions of things that we ought to do has already resulted in a long 'to do' list for a future visit, far too numerous were they to fit into the 11 days that I spent in Melbourne all together! Mark & Alex are inspiring. With successful careers in the UK, they have transferred this success to their working lives in Melbourne, having emigrated two years ago, and have thrown themselves into the buzz and social context that this city has to offer. Being that far from family and friends is tough, but it's a fantastic lifestyle that can be achieved by living here. Inspiring also is how well they compliment each other, with different strengths and interests working to create great synergy - inspiring because it gives hope to singlies like myself! The last day (truly last day in Melbourne for this trip - unless I give in to another quick fly-by!!) saw Mark having to go to work again, whilst Alex and I sympathetically had a boring day. OK, so that's a lie! The day was spent in the city centre, with a fabulous brunch start, followed by a visit to the Immigration Museum. It is fascinating learn about Australia's immigration policy history (ever changing) and the stories of those who have migrated here or sent their children here for a better life. The museum also features an interactive mock Citizenship test. My Australian knowledge is quite lacking (although increasing with this trip) so I was astounded to pass the test with flying colours!!! Fluke is the word! Ascending Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, the view showed just how green this city is, and we returned to the CBD via a walk through the Botanic Gardens and along the Southbank. A well earned drinks break at Ponyfish Island (half way across the Yarra River, under the Southgate Pedestrian Bridge) was the perfect place to grab some shade, enjoy the view and some lovely smiles (ha!!). Melbourne architecture is beautiful and diverse. The European settlement in Melbourne gives it the characteristic feel of the period, with beautiful colonial buildings, European in character, but with an added exotic feel. Trips through the suburbs give glimpses of residential properties of Georgian, Victorian and art deco themes - and it is so easy to picture people walking around here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The highways around Melbourne are adorned with works of art, and building styles that create attractive, colourful and funky road networks - the likes of which are totally missing from UK motorways. It shows a huge sense of pride in Melbourne. We could learn a thing or two from this. In the central CBD, there are of course, the requisite skyscrapers and tall buildings, but somehow Melbourne architecture of such buildings shows ingenuity and character. I was astonished to see a couple of examples of old house fronts being protected, and incorporated into tower block developments (see album). A plethora of rooftop bars in the city give great viewpoints of this wonderful city. Sarah and Kieran, who I met in Fiji in mid November, live in Melbourne, so my last Melbourne night was the perfect opportunity to catch up with them. Madame Brussels ("a rather fancy terrace and public house") was the perfect place to catch up with them - Alex, Mark & Nigel coming along as well. Incidentally Madame Brussels opened the first brothel in Melbourne in 1879 and at one time she controlled 8 such establishments! This rooftop bar was quaint in its pastel shades and country garden styling. It was so good catching up with Sarah and Kieran having spent two days together before they returned to the 'real world' of work at the end of their worldwide trip. We were able to reminisce about the Fijian people, Kava ceremonies and guests. Sarah mentioned that they were possibly catching up with a Welsh family who had been guests there - but I hadn't met them as they must have left the day that I arrived. Sarah, Kieran, Alex, Mark and I moved on to Chin Chin, a fantastic restaurant where we enjoyed the finest South-East Asian fusion food I have ever had. Dishes included Kingfish Sashimi, pad seux of braised wagyu, barbecued goat, coconut curry of tofu, baramundi with caramelized apple and pork, and sticky pork. Sensational with such fresh fragrant flavours - i only hope that Indonesia offers similar culinary delights. It was great to see you again Sarah & Kieran, hope to catch up again in the near future! Not related to Melbourne specifically, but relating to my time here, Alex seemed intent on trying to make me cry! Knowing how soppy I am, it wasn't much of a challenge!! We watched the documentary movie, Blackfish, the story of Tilikum, the killer whale that attacked and killed one of his trainers at Seaworld in the USA. The history of maltreatment, cruelty and starvation, and the resulting mental problems suffered by these marine mammals makes for shocking viewing. The most upsetting footage of all, though, is that showing the original capture killer whale calves in the wild and tearing them from their crying and desperate mothers, before such wild capture practices were banned. Alex's mission was fulfilled. As if this weren't shocking enough, Seaworld's deceit and endangerment of its trainers by covering up the aggressive behaviours was unbelievable. Most significantly though, is the despicable cruelty shown to these enormous creatures, which gives rise to a serious rethink about our support of animals being kept in captivity. The US health and safety bodies have since ruled that Seaworld trainers must be in a protected caged within the tank to prevent injury, however, this does nothing to address the issues over the unnatural and cruel keeping of animals. It has resulted in me thinking seriously about ethics, and intending not to visit attractions which contain animals in captivity that are significantly restrictive or unnatural compared to their wild habitats. There is, of course, the dilemma about wildlife conservation and the good carried out by animal institutions. Seaworld also had been recorded blatantly lying to the public about the average lifespan of animals in captivity, claiming it to be greater than in the wild, where in fact it orcas in captivity live approximately 20 years whilst wild life expectancy is 50 years. And finally, they are also guilty of lying about the reason for drooping dorsal fins, a phenomenon suffered by many captive orcas, claiming it to be natural and experienced as often in the wild. On another night we watched Bridegroom. This is another documentary film about two beautiful young men, Shane and Tom, in a loving and committed relationship that was tragically cut short by the accidental death of Tom. It is an emotional true story of acceptance, love and grief. It highlights the risks faced by those without the legal protection of marriage and how Shane found himself completely shut out and ostracized from his partner's funeral, by Tom's family, despite many years of being together, joint home and dog ownership, and an incredible life of happiness. It is an extremely emotional documentary (Alex's apparent mission fulfilled again!) but afterwards caused me to reflect on some of the more progressive places that I have visited (Toronto, Vancouver and Melbourne) where same sex couples can comfortably walk hand in hand, without having to hide their character and love for each other from those around. So in final evaluation of Melbourne, wow, wow, wow! I loved this city before, I love it even more now! The beauty, the charm, the friendliness and diversity, the architecture, culture and variety of things to do make this my favourite city in the world. It's location on the coast, and proximity to natural beauty, plus the cityscape beauty, all add up to make this a fantastic place. I already can't wait to return! PICTURESQUE/SPECTACULARITY : 9 FRIENDLY: 10 STUFF TO DO: 10 SOCIAL: 10 TOTAL: 39