Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne (4 days, 3 nights – Nov 17-20)

Melbourne is a really great city and very similar to San Francisco. Most people come to this city for the art galleries and museums, but we are a little burnt out on these types of places after having been to the New York Met earlier in the year. However, the city is a great place to just walk around, check out the sites and eat some great food! Melbourne has a huge Asian and Greek population which makes for great restaurants.


Where to Stay
When staying in a big city, it's mission critical to be centrally located and not have to spend time/money traveling to the major sites.

We found great rates for managed apartments online that beat prices of most hotels in the city. We stayed three nights at The Quest Hero on Russel St. in downtowm Melbourne. This apartment is in a central location making getting around very easy. The apartment we stayed in was very clean and secure and the staff was really helpful. Check out the reviews on Trip Adviser

What to Do
The city is really well laid out and there is a light-rail system that makes getting around very easy. Dee Dee and I spent two days in the city and had a great time. We checked out:

Federation Square: This is the most famous location of Melbourne...and we're not sure why. Yes, the architecture of this area is unique...but there is really nothing to do here. We saw everything there is to see in a half hour. There is a museum on the lower levels displaying media and entertainment arts...but who wants to spend time seeing that when you're in Australia? Spend no more than an hour here...seriously. There are cooler things to see in this city.


Queen Victoria Market: This is a great, old world, Victorian market. Vendors sell produce, meats, fish, poultry along with a lot of other flea market kind of stuff. Plan to spend a morning here...it's cool.

South Bank on Yara River: On the weekends artists set up their stahls to sell their creations in this area next to the Yara. This is a perfect place to pick up a local, unique to Australian piece of art to remember Australia. The Yara is also lined with several great restaurants and bars.

The Crown Casino: The casino is right on the Yara and looks like any Las Vegas casinos...only less flashy. The casino has a lot of shops...which are common American brands. Spend an hour here just to check it out...but get out of there fast for there is nothing Australian about it.

Botanic Gardens: Close to South Bank are the Botanic Gardens which are really cool. There is even a California Garden featuring poppies and redwoods. The gardens are worth spending 2-3 hours in to soak up the variety of plant-life and to just relax. Pull up a bench and drink a Coke and enjoy.

St Kilda: St Kilda is a 30 min light rail ride from downtown Melbourne and is worth the effort. St Kilda is the beach borrough of Melbourne and is similar to Venice Beach in it's people and style. Spend the afternoon here and check out the shops, get a gelato and take a nap on the beach. However, bring the sun block for it's hot and humid on a summer day!

Where to Eat
You MUST spend time in Melbourne's "Chinatown"! It's fantastic and is rivaled only by the one in New York. Chinatown is the home of Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Vietnamese people, culture and restaurants to name a few. I'm sure there is a restaurant and store that represents every country in Asia. Just walk down the streets of this are and you will find a restaurant to your taste. We highly recommend eating at:

Bamboo House
This restaurant serves very traditional Chinese food and is well known throughout the city. You may want to make reservations the day before to ensure you get it...we were luck to get a two-top as a walk in. Be sure to try the Peking duck. The prices are expensive, but it's well worth it!

Tsindos
A large collection of Greeks found their way to Australia as well. There are many great Greek restaurants in the area. Go to Lonsdale Ave and take your pick. We highly recommend eating atTsindos. The place has been there many years, the cook is Greek and so is the wait staff. Try the Mousaka....it's great!

Cafe Segovia
We had a great breakfast at Cafe Segovia. This place is tucked away down an enclosed shopping area and reminded us of a cafe in Italy. The breakfast was really good and fairly cheap as Melbourne prices go.

Birdie O'reilly's.
Be sure to go to a few pubs and bars in Melbourne...the city is famous for them. Visit any 7-11 or corner market and buy the deck of cards featuring 52 pubs/clubs/bars in Melbourne and find a few that suit you. We found a great pub close to Chinatown and our apartment called Birdie O'reilly's. This place has been around a while and is a great place to slow down for a pint of beer and enjoy the Irish pub look and feel. A few great Australian beers to try are Tookey's and Carlton Draft.