TRAVEL AUSTRALIA
Marvellous Melbourne
A thriving cafe culture, chunks of nature, and an endless bazaar of arts, crafts and fashion make Australia's second largest city one of the world's great places to hang out. Text and photos by Gavin Nazareth SHANGHAI’S HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE IS DECIDEDLY WESTERN AND ITS PLEASURES WORLDLY. SHANGHAI’S HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE IS DECIDEDLY WESTERN AND ITS PLEASURES WORLDLY.
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ne school of thought suggests that you either love Melbourne or you love Sydney; that it isn’t possible to be keen on both. And rivalry between Australia’s two major cities, both perched on the southeast edge of the continent, is strong. Whereas Sydney is bold and brassy, Melbourne is conservative and refined and has an elegance that appeals to most visitors. Yes, it is less of a tourist city. There is no Opera House or Harbour Bridge, but the city still has presence. One traveller to the Antipodes noted that, “Nature has done everything for Sydney, man nothing; man has done everything for Melbourne, nature nothing.” This incisive observation encapsulates the fundamental disparity between these two cities. Grey skies and a muddy river notwithstanding, this lack of natural bounty has provoked Melburnians into indulging in manmade pleasures enforcing its reputation as a cultural capital of Australia where theatre, music, street sculpture, fashion, and other forms of artistic expression thrive alongside a cosmopolitan mix of cafés, restaurants, pubs, gracious gardens and architectural flair. And if that’s not enough, Victoria, the second smallest Australian state, is a far cry from the desert outback that marks much of the continent. Known as the Garden State, Victoria has flowering mountains, lush forests and a rugged coastline that offers face-to-face encounters with all sorts of wildlife, from penguins to parrots, gorgeous
beaches and scenery. “Marvellous Melbourne” was an accolade the city won with its show of wealth when it cashed in on Australia’s gold rush of 1850, an historical fact still seen in its many resplendent Victorian buildings. Today, the city prides itself on a sophisticated merger of today and yesteryear, where old-fashioned trams trundle past modern skyscrapers, while restaurants with multiethnic menus attract crowds of gourmands. Although Melbourne sprawls around much of Port Phillip Bay, it is bisected by the Yarra River, which, with its Victorian bridges, forms the southern parameter of the Central Business District. Planners laid out the city on an easy-to-navigate grid. So most attractions can be reached on foot or by tram.
On the Town When you visit Melbourne why not start at the top? Take the elevator to Rialto Tower’s Melbourne Observation Deck, 55-storeys high, for a breathtaking 360-degree view, stretching from the blue of the bay to the deeper blue haze of the Dandenongs. When your feet hit the ground again, jump aboard the free burgundy-and-gold City Circle tram, a fun ride that drops you right at the door of some of the city’s top destinations. To put a finger on the creative pulse of the city, head to Federation Square, an architectural tour de force with its prismatic buildings and angular forecourt that fuses art, architecture, events, culture, hospitality and open space into a striking public domain. Here one can browse through the Ian Potter Centre, showcasing the National Gallery’s Australian art, the National Design Centre and the Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame. If you have kids in tow, an absolute must-do is the state-of-the-art Melbourne Aquarium that harbours thousands of creatures from the Southern Ocean (don’t miss shark feeding time). Two other
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TRAVEL AUSTRALIA
attractions that will keep you and the kids engaged is Victoria’s Open Range Zoo with its collection of animals from the grasslands of Africa, Asia, North America and Australia, and the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, the oldest zoo in Australia. Opened in 1862, it has 350 species from around the world housed in attractive enclosures and botanical settings. To find out how the city’s past intertwines with its present, cruise through and peruse the exhibits in the Melbourne Museum, the Immigration Museum and Maritime Museum, or discover the golden ‘key’ to the city’s wealth at the glittering Gold Treasury Museum. For different kicks, try the Melbourne Cricket Ground, or the interactive footy action at the AFL Hall of Fame & Sensation. And for a view of the city from the water’s edge, take a cruise along the Yarra River with Melbourne River Cruises. From the air, Melbourne appears to be cushioned by a sea of green. On the ground, the outstanding network of parks and gardens provide oases of calm
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and tranquility amid the buzz of big city life and contribute in no small way to the city’s status as one of the world's “most liveable cities”. They range from classical 19th-century gardens rich with heritage and grand avenues of trees, to the 188-hectare Royal Park, recreated as an Aussie landscape with a glimpse of native bushland. Another favourite is the historic Royal Botanic Gardens, a magical world of sweeping vistas, heritage trees, gazebos, garden follies, and an exquisite ornamental lake. The city’s newest park, Birrarung Marr, is an intriguing and innovative interpretation of parkland linking the Yarra River, with the park and the CBD.
Taste the Good Life With more than 75 different cuisines and 3,000 restaurants, cafes and bistros, this is a city with a culinary diversity as rich as anywhere around the globe. Fashionable and eclectic, Melbourne’s dining spots offer a mouthwatering spread of the world’s great cuisines. Many of the city’s precincts have a culinary character all
their own, from the Greek atmosphere of Lonsdale Street or Carlton’s ‘Little Italy’, to the wide choice of Chinatown around Little Bourke Street, or the cheap and cheerful Vietnamese dishes available in Richmond. When hankering for a Middle Eastern feast or Turkish takeaway, then make your way to Sydney Street, or go straight to Fitzroy for tantalising Spanish tapas. Federation Square is as good a place as any to start your culinary tour with its cornucopia of eateries. One that stands out is the Transport Hotel’s Taxi Dining Room with its chrome and glass setting. Chef Michael Lam-
SHANGHAI’S HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE IS DECIDEDLY WESTERN AND ITS PLEASURES WORLDLY. SHANGHAI’S HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE IS DECIDEDLY WESTERN AND ITS PLEASURES WORLDLY.
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“’Marvellous Melbourne’ was an accolade the city won with its show of wealth when it cashed in on Australia’s gold rush of 1850.”
bie teams up with Japanese chef Ikuei Arakane to create Japanese-inspired mod-Oz dishes that stun the diner with their simplicity of concept and the complexity of flavours. For many years, Sydneysiders have bragged about the internationally renowned Neil Perry's gastronomic wonderland, Rockpool. Now Melburnians are getting a slice of the action with the opening of Rockpool Bar and Grill in Southbank where diners can indulge in delicacies such as premium wagyu beef, sterling caviar and a plethora of upmarket crustaceans all done to perfection on wood-fired grills. Fans of cheeky celebrity chef Jamie Oliver should make their way to Fifteen Melbourne with its bright and lively layout, that includes an exposed glass-fronted kitchen, bright wall-mounted boxes and striking hand-blown glass. In the mood for Thai? Try Lemongrass or Longgrain. The former has been around for 17 years, garnering an impressive collection of awards, while the latter, open for five years, attracts long queues to its sexy cocktail bar and communal dining room.
In Store, On the Road Melbourne has long been recognised as Australia’s shopping and fashion capital. If it’s fashion you’re seeking then Melbourne has it covered. The city’s funky laneways and tree-lined streets are a haven for small boutiques specialising in Australian designers, jewellery, accessories and international fashion. All fashion tastes are also catered for by flagship department stores, David Jones and Myer, both in Bourke Street Mall. For a wide range of designers and retailers under the one roof you can’t go past retail centres such as GPO Melbourne, Melbourne Central, QV, Collinstwo3four, Australia on Collins and Collins Place. Harry Potter followers will be enchanted by the Spellbox at The Royal Arcade. Here you don’t need to be a card-carrying witch. Sold in kits, Spellbox’s incantations come with everything you need to channel positive energy into your existence. Plus there are books, jewellery, psychic readings and tarot. Part of Melbourne’s allure is its proximity to excellent attractions. If the urban jungle is driving you ape, head down the Great Ocean Road, a 288-kilometre drive that traces the Vic-
torian state’s stunning coastline from Melbourne to Lorne, an idyllic resort, before tapering inland through the Otways National Park only to reappear on the Shipwreck Coast, ending in the historic fishing village of Port Fairy. A sight along the way not to be missed is the Twelve Apostles, a collection of limestone rock stacks soaring out of the pounding surf. Or just an hour’s drive away is Geelong, Victoria’s second largest city, which recently received a multimillion facelift of its docklands. Waterfront Geelong is a bustling place of restaurants and cafes, parklands, art deco swimming baths, botanic gardens and the beautiful Corio Bay. Wine lovers can visit the numerous wineries in the Yarra Valley of the Mornington Peninsula and indulge in the grape, or play golf at some spectacular courses. The historic goldfields also make for a good outing. Located in the Ballarat Wildlife Park, it is also home to Sovereign Hill, a faithful and fascinating re-creation of an old gold mining town of the 1850s. There, any journey into the golden age of Melbourne and its environs, which still glimmers and sets eyes aflutter, comes full circle.
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