MELBOURNE REVISITED, AFTER MORE THAN 4 YEARS

8th December ~ I was on an 18-hour transit in Melbourne so I had to go out to entertain myself. The main event: meeting an ex-student who is now doing her internship there, Miss Yazmin Johari Halim Shah. As promised, we met at Southern Cross Station and then Yazmin took me to this one eating place hidden in a small walkway among buildings of the city named Manchester Press. I checked on the internet and this place is actually quite well-known among the locals but as it is not located on the main road, then visitors will only get to know it by accident or reading the review in Trip Advisor.

The place was swarmed by hungry people. We had to wait outside for a short while to get seats and the waitress simply wrote the names of people waiting on the red brick wall with a piece of chalk. This concept of this restaurant could be just urban restaurant for busy people. We had brunch: coffee/tea and bagels.

 

I had no plan and there was no exact place to go so we just walked around the city. The next stop after brunch was The State Library of Victoria. This time, I went inside and went to its history gallery but of course we were there not to read and one reason to be there: there was free wi-fi for everybody.

We then took a ride on the famous Melbourne tram which was free for all and headed to Harbour Town. When I was there many years ago, this place was just starting its business but it was doing well from what I could see. Most probably people were doing their shopping for Christmas. Yazmin had to go home by 3 o'clock so I was left on my own again after that.

the beautiful station in the background

I decided to go to this one place near Flinders Street Station. Lucky me, that place was buzzing with activities. There were street performances opposite the station and at the Federation Square, there was a cultural and arts festival organized by people of Turkey. Other than visiting the stalls set up, I just sat there to enjoy the singing and traditional dancing shows on stage.

St. Paul's Cathedral

 

 

I really love the ceramics that were put on sale on that day. Too bad, there was no more space in my backpack if not I would have bought a few pieces. There was also a painting demonstration. The painting was first done on water (mixed with something to thicken it) and then only a piece of paper was put on top of the water and the piece of art was printed on the surface of the paper.

 

 

It was just a short trip but I really enjoyed myself the whole time. I had never thought of visiting the city again after my last trip in 2009 but thing might just happen without planning.

8th JUNE - 3rd DAY MELBOURNE

Melbourne Trams

That is the famous Melbourne trams that come in many different designs and colours; they even have the antique one which carries tourists around the city for free. The city has a very effective networking of transportation among the trams, buses and trains. And all the information is available on the Internet so you can move really easy and they arrive at the stations on time. The ticket prices are reasonable. A whole day ticket that costs AUD6.40 enables you to travel everywhere throughout the day, and on Sunday you can get it at half price.

Azwan Shaiza, husband, kids and I

The visit to Bundoora was not in the original itinerary but I was very excited to see an old friend who is doing her PhD at La Trobe University. So I met her husband and four kids and had lunch there. She was kind enough to pack some food for us to bring back home. Thanks Azwan and family for the warmth and hospitality.

In front of La Trobe University (compound)

Royal Exhibition Building

On the way home, we stopped at a few places like the Royal Exhibition Building which has been declared as a world heritage.

Look, no leaves!

And here we were in Carlton Gardens. At last there was a kind soul who helped to take our photoshoot together, or else Sharmin had to be the photographer all the time.

The Shrine of Remembrance

The Shrine of Remembrance is built to remember Aussie's past heroes who died during the 1st World War. There were many other statues and replicas in the park which narrated different stories.

After pizza (which was dinner), we went to the Crown, a casino. Too bad, cameras were not allowed inside. But you could experience Las Vegas here, I think.

Melbourne at night

There was not a single night spent at home. So much to see, to explore and to experience in such a short time.