Storyline: Home to home westward
Melbourne is an interesting city. It for sure is the most bohemian city we’ve been to. Very different from Paris, or Amsterdam or other similar European cities, for that matter. It is creative and disorderly.
Eclectic. Chaotic. Don’t even try to drive though the city. Use their public transportation system. Free trams in Melbourne proper (Central Business District as it is called here). Our Uber driver took us from South Yarra to the Airport and confirmed most of our observations during our short stay.
“It used to be a nice city just a few years ago”, he says. “Now it is dirty, crowded and congested”. We sat in traffic that remined us of home, just worse. A lot more chaotic.
There is a dose of practicality in repurposing old objects to new uses to make do. Milk crates as chairs for a small pub’s street patio, a ramp turned vertically for shelves, old shoes and purses as decorations, etc.
Hygiene is not very high on anybody’s list from all we saw. As I write this, we are sitting in a café at the airport, waiting for our flight to Adelaide. I look around and it is filthy (Alex acidentaly deleted my evidence) Not the tables, but the windows, the window ledges, the simple linoleum floors, the toilets, the ceilings…
Their high-rise architecture is stunning though. Melbourne is ahead of every other big city we’ve seen (And no, we’ve not been to the UAE). It is creative, even artistic, with every building unique in its environment.
May 13
Melbourne was photogenic yesterday. From the south bank of the river. We are staying in the pretty suburb of South Yarra. So, on cool and cloudy morning we walked by the river (about an hour) to St. Kilda Rd. It was Mothers day with all kinds of events going on.
As we approached the botanical gardens the crowds began to thicken. We walked through the Arts Centre of Melbourne and by few more theaters, through street markets and street food markets, crossed Princes Bridge to Melbourne centre and merged with the crowds.
We walked for a bit on Swanston St and the area, crowds so thick and streets so dirty that we just decided it was not worth continuing. Back to the south bank, still very busy, we managed to squeeze through and take a few photos. After some refreshments we headed back home. The walk by the river is very pleasant and quiet past the botanical gardens. All in all, we walked about 20km.
Our first impression of Melbourne? We didn’t like it. It was dirty (especially the toilets, even in the Arts Centre).
The part of the CBD we walked was more like what we expect for the Asian part of our journey. It was crowded with many narrow alleys and streets. We loved the immediate suburbs, like South Yarra, South Melbourne and St. Kilda. And we had been told by many that Melbourne is much nicer than Sydney. We’re not experts on either city, but so far Sydney would get our nod.
One thing that turned us off from the start was the cost of the public transportation. In Sydney we tapped our credit cards on and off our transportation, and for an hour on the train from Central Station to Hornsby we paid AUD $5.05. Much less for stops closer to Sydney. We had read online that we could buy a single paper ticket in Melbourne for the train we had to take to South Yarra. Such did not exist, we were told at the service desk. So, for one trip of 2 stops we had to buy their Myki card and one trip. She charged us $10.50 for each card. In Sydney, we could travel about 35 km and 20+ stations depending on the route to Hornsby for $5.05 using our credit cards on the wonderful train network, and we had to pay $10.50 for 2 stops in the first zone in Melbourne But, we were told, the card (value of $6) is ours to keep. Well, it’s no use to us, but thanks anyway (I guess we could use it in the future to level a wobbly table – A). It is absolutely ridiculous and tourist unfriendly. And I don’t mean foreign ones. The city is full of Australian tourists. Their minimum charge (up to 2 hours, but could be for just one stop) is $4.40. Not sure what kind of salaries they have here, but this is quite expensive by any means. (Our Uber driver confirmed that “they pay well in Melbourne.”)
And then in the CBD it was dirty and crowded. Public toilets were dirty and beyond use. And I checked as many as I walked by. Even in the Arts Centre. There are drunks everywhere. As we boarded the train across from us in the “disability” seats were two well-dressed but tipsy ladies, drinking some bubbly from small bottles. Seems that drinking is allowed everywhere.
Today we walked on Toorak Rd to St. Kilda Rd and then turned south on St. Kilda. It is a nice boulevard-like wide road with very little traffic, since there is a parallel road nearby taking most of it. There were many corporate buildings and there was a café or bar or restaurant in every building.
We walked all the way to St. Kilda Pier and took some shots there. There is a nice promenade by the beach and we walked to the West Beach Bathers Pavilion, where we had lunch.
It was the best seafood pizza and possibly the best seafood chowder we’ve ever had. And we only found it because I needed a toilet. The wooden shack looked likely to be a change room for the beach. Only when I walked inside did I notice something that looked like a café or so. It was big place with many tables and terraces. Glad we found it. Our walk by the beach continued. Eventually we turned back into the city. Not as much as yesterday but still managed 15km.
May 15
Yesterday and today we finish our exploration of Melbourne. Since it was dry, although cool we walked, and walked. Our first impression of Melbourne did not change. The city was crowded and dirty during the week too.
Except a few areas, such as the expensive shopping street, which was more open; and the Docklands, where we were surprised by lack of people at lunchtime, although there were many corporate buildings.
As in the city, there were many Asian restaurants, bigger than the burrows/closets in the city, and a bit cleaner, but there were much fewer people making it to the Docklands at least at this time of year.
Yesterday we sat in a pub by Princes bridge for a happy hour drink (or two) accompanied by wallaby carpaccio and lamb ribs as mezze. Hmmm.
Our Melbourne summary: disappointing since so many people had told us that they love the city. But only the CBD. Outskirts are nice.
Well, we didn’t get as far as the much-recommended Lygon Street to sample its restaurants, and we only poked our noses for a few minutes into the Queen Victoria Market.
But South Bank was lovely and there were many cafés, bars and restaurants to sample while watching the ebb and flow of people enjoying the late autumn sunshine.
Toorak Road through South Yarra was a great place to stay…everything one needs within walking distance and reasonably priced.
St. Kilda, with its wide café-rich boulevard, its lovely pier and promenade around Port Philip Bay was a big relief from the dirt, noise and crowds of the CBD.
And the stroll along the Yarra River paralleling Alexandra Ave and skirting the botanical gardens was delightful and gave great views of the city’s skyline and of the sports centres across the river in Richmond. Nice as we found those parts of the city, Melbourne won’t be high on our list to revisit should we ever get the opportunity to return to Australia.
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