The next stop on our Australia getaway was Melbourne. We went from one of the most northern (hot and humid) points in Australia to one of the most southern points. Even though it was Summer we still needed jackets to be comfortable.

In Melbourne we stayed in the Park Hyatt Melbourne and we loved it. We had $150 food credit (which took care of our breakfasts) and they gave us a very nice box of chocolates at check-in. The service in the hotel was great and the room was big, with a walk-in closet. Everything was clean and well taken care of. We would stay in this hotel again.

On the first day we got very lucky, the city had “White Nights Celebration.” It was a interesting event when the city (museums and other government buildings) participates in projections, activities, music, movies, and displays that go all through the night. This was an unplanned event and an extra bonus to the trip. The streets were very full of people, crowds were everywhere, near any attraction and any food source. Coming from Cairns which is very open and light on people, it seemed almost overwhelming for a New Yorker like me.

Our first full day we went to the Melbourne Zoo, which had many different animals (native and not native to Australia). In comparison to the zoos or sanctuaries in Brisbane and Cairns, it was very lacking (it was like any regular zoo in any city), nothing that is a must visit. Then we took an uberX (best thing to use in Melbourne or Sydney) to get to the Queen Victoria Market. The Market had much of fresh farmed produce and they also had stalls with prepared food, unfortunately we arrived there when it was 4pm and that is closing time for the Market. We walked down and ate in a café (nothing special, or worth a visit).

We walked over the Prince’s Bridge to the other side and explored the Southbank Promenade. Our time coincided with the end of Chinese New Year and they had the different Chinese zodiac animals on display, with the years, and traits of the people born in those years. It was an interesting and colorful addition to the cities Southbank Promenade. We sat for a while and just enjoyed the skyline and the sunset. The Evan Walker Bridge has a place to eat that seemed interesting but we were not hungry. The bridge right next to the Evan Walker Bridge does not have a name, but it does have glass slabs that have a count of how many people immigrated from which country and in what year to Melbourne.

As we walked again to the Southbank, we noticed music and dancing, as we came closer we found out that it was the celebration of the last night of the Chinese New Year. They had classic Chinese music, and other entertainment. The Opera singers stood out the most, She had such a wonderful voice, but right before her there was a magic act and the birds were not collected, so for the first part of her performance, the crowd was more distracted by the collecting of the birds then the wonderful songs she was singing. During the concert they had a traditional Chinese harp presentation and even asked volunteers from the audience to learn how to play. Everything was in English and Chinese, so that everyone would be able to understand.

On our walk back to the hotel we discovered AC/DC Lane (not far from the Chanel Boutique), which had some of the coolest graffiti art. We spent a good half hour or so exploring and looking at everything there. They also have a bar named Cherry, which host new bands and singers (it was one of the first places AC/DC got their start). It is worth a visit when in Melbourne.

The following day we visited Chanel (how can any trip be complete without it), I asked to see the brooches and a small case for keys. They did not have a big selection. The brooches were boring and not eye catching. The small o-case was made of denim (not something that interests me). They did have some special bags for sale, one was the Casino reissues size 255 (medium), and they had a few very pretty crocodile bags. The associate that helped me seemed nice and helpful, he came over right away even though the store was busy at the time.

Walking around we discovered Hosier Lane and it was another graffiti art street. It was even bigger than AC/DC Lane. The graffiti was political and not only world, but also aboriginal and “settler” geared. This graffiti art was the first glimpse that there is any tension in Australia between aboriginals and non-aboriginals. This street is also a great visit when in Melbourne.

We discovered Kay Craddock Antiquarian Booksellers at the very end of our hotel room time out. It was a very interesting book store with many antique, and second hand books. We looked through the book store very fast and really wished we had much more time to discover their books and maybe even buy one as a souvenir.

After we checked out of the hotel room, we had a bit of time (about half an hour) so we visited The Old Treasury Building. It is now a free museum and it shows the history of Melbourne. They have everything from crooked shop owners presentations to a panorama of showing how the city looked like a hundred years ago. They even had a bit on Ned Kelly, Australia’s most famous outlaw.

We took an uberX to the Airport and were off to our next stop in Australia!

The Land Down Under! Australia Part 1:Brisbane

The Land Down Under! Australia Part 2: Gold Coast

The Land Down Under! Australia Part 3: Cairns

The Land Down Under! Australia part 5: Sydney

Part 6: LA

More art from AC/DC Lane