Melbourne day 2 – A self guided walking tour full of surprises

“We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.”– T.S. Elliot

6 places 7 hours was my day 2 itinerary. Well, I visited 4 places on the list plus couple of lovely surprises. The lovely surprises made my day. As I searched online afterwards, I learned some of these lovely surprises together with other covert hives in the city are called laneways. If we ask anybody why they love Melbourne and they will probably respond with “the laneways”. It is one of Melbourne’s most prominent features, something that sets it apart from any other Australien city. Why? Because the laneways are a clever re-invention of some of the grittiest parts of the city.

The laneways are not actively promoted in the city, a set of open and curious eyes and a thirst for the unknown are needed.

Flinders Lane

It just next to my hotel. There are many historical buildings and most of them are well preserved from redevelopment. Must be the soho atmosphere and chic buildings, it is just very European.

Hosier Lane

Lovely surprise. The dizzying array of colours, characters and creative shapes, Hosier Lane is like the canvas of the city or the whole nation. It attracts the artists around the globe, I watched a girl studied the paints carefully even used the ruler for measurements. The lady works at Movida – one of city’s best tapa restaurants sitting in the outside chair for a cigarette, and she somehow contrarily immersed into this colourful mayhem of the street art.

Carlton gardens

After two hours in the Melbourne Museum, I deliberately leave the Royal exhibition to the next time. As a visitor I love the city and definitely will go back again. Dramatic tree-lined avenues, a majestic fountain, formal flowerbeds and miniature lakes. The garden just plain beauty. I envy the locals who can leisurely relax there.

State Library of Victoria

Unlike plain beauty, a Melbourne landmark and cultural icon, the State Library is a magnificent 19th-century building with some of the city’s most beautiful heritage interiors. The “cathedral” reading room – the glass dome, 6 storeys with balconies and arches, the wooden chairs and benches with garnished green lamps. It is another triumph for Sir John Monash. The Shakespeare window on the 5th floor portrays a thoughtful Shakespeare with depiction of the “seven ages of man”. And above it all, the exhibitions showcasing the stories of Victoria and its people. This library just has so much to offer, to the locals, to the tourists……one way or another, we all have our desires to know the world – to see it, to classify it and to make sense of it.

Day 2 was packed but fulfilled in the maze of laneways and fairytale buildings . Now I am sitting on the train to Glen Waverley catching up with an old friend.

Sydney or Melbourne, Melbourne or Sydney?

There is still a bit of a feud going on when it comes to which Australian city is “better” in some way or the other.

I only had couple of short visits in Sydney but never in Melbourne. Which city is better? En, visiting Melbourne is the first step.

My first impression: Melbourne has a more sophisticated feel to it, with a European looking city centre that is dominated by its famous trams and the colonial-style buildings. By comparison, Sydney CBD is bleak, boring and lifeless.

Melbourne coffee or Wellington coffee?

I still vividly remember how desperately I missed Wellington’s coffee after three weeks in Europe. As a Wellingtonian, I can proudly say Wellington’s coffee is the best and Wellington’s coffee culture is unstoppable.

When my hotel concierge gave me his word that I won’t regret the coffee place he recommended this morning, I doubted and told him I am from Wellington……well the truth is the coffee is an A- 75 out of 100 together with the cafe’s little quaint spot, my brunch was fairly enjoyable.

19th century, 20 century and contemporary Australian Art?

Call me lack of imagination or no sense of “Art” i can’t appreciate the beauty of Gareth Sansom contemporary art exhibition: transformer. Only I can see is the radical, black humour and naughty pleasures. By the way, who can tell me what heck is “gotterdamerungerdungerdumbergungerdung” and how to pronounce it?

However I throughly enjoyed the Australian colonial art and Australian Impressionist art. Art originates from life. I learned some contextual influences through those pieces. And only because it is more artificial than life therefore two hours is plenty of time there.

Why Yarra River is so muddy?

Melbourne, however, is not a city with a strong beach culture. Maybe I should say it is a city with strong riverside culture. Countless restaurants, cafes and pubs along the riverside.

But why the river is so “dirty”? I wondered in the afternoon and now has an answer. The muddy brown colour is caused by the easily eroded clay soils of its catchment area (wiki explanation). The presence of clay particles however is not a major factor in the pollution of the river.

What I don’t like about Melbourne so far?

People often say there are four seasons in a day in Melbourne, and this is probably one of the most striking characteristics of this city.

I didn’t experience the four seasons today but two with torrential rain in the evening! What I am going to pack next time: an umbrella. It is going to be very difficult for a Wellingtonian for sure!