One of the best places to take a tram to is Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne's premier mercado. The easiest way to get there is via the CBD loop and the station at Flagstaff. When you take the escalator up (incidentally they stand on the left in Australia), you emerge at La Trobe Street on the edge of the business district. The place is full of businessmen scurrying around, but across the street is Flagstaff Gardens. If you follow the tram tracks north, you come to a 100-foot-long shed with the words VICTORIA MARKET emblazoned across its roof. As Rolf Harris would say, "Have you guessed what it is yet?" And to think I was worried about not being able to find it.

Inside is an aircraft hangar with rows and rows of stalls, like a mini-city selling everything you could possible conceive. It was a mixture of ordinary clothes (ie socks for $5--I love a bargain!) and the worse kind of tourist pap--"Melbourne: Australia" T-shirts, cork hats, fluffy koalas, boomerang key rings, Opera House bookmarks--they do their best to shoot Melbourne for calendars, but how many times can you shoot skyscrapers at sunset. But at the same time there is plenty there that can only be found in Australia: Billabong T-shirts, Uggs and as much surfing gear as you can carry.

But the food halls are the best feature. The fresh food was exceptional, with everything freshly "plucked" that morning. Huge great steaks of emu, camel, crocodile and kangaroo were on sale. The fruit and veg stalls were impressively piled high with melons, courgettes and the biggest green peppers I have ever seen. There was also a number of fruits we don't get in Europe: papaya, lychees, green bananas and, of course, coconuts. The fish stalls were at the back, and Australia has its own version of cod and trout. Yabbies, a kind of blue freshwater crayfish scrabbled in a tank and the cold eyes of a barramundi, looked back at me from a slab. Victoria Market looks like it gets the best produce; I could see vans from numerous restaurants arrive and stock up for the day.

Afterwards it is worth a wander around the Central Business district. Skyscrapers dominate to create an almost American cityscape, but once in a while a bit of Europe breaks through: schoolkids in uniform, a Victorian church or an ornate department store. The best shopping is on Collins Street, which is thronged with crowds. Australia on Collins is a superior mall with a superb food court. And I thoroughly recommend Dymocks bookshop, with its superb travel section.

I'm an IgoUgo veteran--how can I pass by a good bookshop?

Open 5 days a week, the Victoria Market has pretty much whatever you are looking for and a lot of stuff you aren't. The outdoor portion of the market has two sides, the clothing and gifts side and the fruit and veggie side. Across the street you'll find an indoor market filled with meats, fish, breads and specialty and organic food.

Much of the clothing is what you might expect in a market. It's not the best quality and the vendors don't really like to haggle. Many of the items don't have price tags, but when asked, the price quoted becomes a "fixed price." Best buys on this side of the market are the gifts and souvenirs. Winter hats with Australia logos can be found for $5. If you are looking for something a bit nicer, there is a stall that sells black-and-white pictures from around Melbourne. There are a range of sizes, and they are not terribly overpriced for an framed photo.

The reason for my highly recommended is based on the fruit and veggie side. Here is where you find the real deals: a dozen free range eggs for $3and 10 kiwifruit for $2, and if you hit the stalls around midday or 1pm, chances are you can get even better deals, like whole trays of tomatoes for $4. In my experience, since I don't need a whole tray, I just tell them what I do need and most times I get one or two of what I need for free.

This is a great alternative to the grocery stores, where produce seems to be marked up sky-high. Also, check out the market across the street for deals on meats and fresh fish. There are also a few bread stalls, but I've found that these aren't that much of a bargain.

One last suggestion: Bring a backpack. Before I got wise, I always left weighed down by heavy plastic bags. With a backpack, it's much easier to get back home on your bike.

Now, back to the food. I would estimate that about half the market is food. There's a large fruit-and-veg section, which is brilliant because you have a huge selection at a fraction of the price of the supermarket. The meat section is great as well. Every type of meat imaginable, and the store owners still manage to smile at you when you ask for "two sausages, please." It's nice - especially in markets - when shop owners are still nice to you even when you only buy 60 cents' worth of meat.

They also have plenty of little deli-type stalls with cheeses and all that type of stuff.

If you're finishing up your travels and flying out of Melbourne, you're guarenteed to be able to find some type of Aussie souvenir for everyone in the family!

One of the really good things about these markets is the opening hours ... because they are so big and popular, they are open most days: Tuesday 6am-2pm, Thursday 6am-2pm, Friday 6am-6pm, Sat. 6am-3pm, Sun. 9am-4pm.

If you are after souvernirs to take back home,I do suggest to get them for there as they are cheaper than the high street.

There you can find all sorts of fruits from all over the world,for mangoes(which are the best i have ever tasted)to good old granny smiths apples. If you are after a digiredoo, do have a look in the market as again they sell them a lot cheaper, and plus you will get the real thing.

Being called the Queen Victoria Market, it is the queen of markets I have ever seen.

And, if you do decide to shell out some dollars, it's still fine because you can find great bargains everywhere. In fact, I managed to buy my wool and cashmere black coat from this market (which I still use even after more than two years) for a good price. You might even want to try haggling!

There are also plenty of places to grab a bite - from fish and chips to pizza to Asian food. Just walk around and find what you fancy.

Some of the shops open as early as 6 am, so you can even have breakfast there if you like. It's also interesting to watch the place brighten up.

Apart from the usual array of clothes, fruits, flowers and such, you can even find quaint butcher shops, seafood stalls, chocolate shops, and more around the area. No wonder this is a *must see* place in Melbourne!

Victoria Market dates back officially to 1878, when it was formally inaugurated, although certain sections of the market are older- the meat market, for instance, opened in 1869. Many of the sections are classified as Historic Buildings, so there’s more to this market than just shopping. But if, like thousands of other visitors, you’re here for shopping, you’ll find plenty to choose from- DVDs, video cassettes, music CDs, T-shirts, sweaters and other clothing, food, electronic equipment, souvenirs- and more. There’s plenty here to keep you occupied for a few hours, and you pick up some great bargains.

If you are shopping here's the layout: 50% of the market is food and you'll find that in the market sheds between Queen and Elizabeth streets. Between Peel and Queen there are still more food stands, but most of this area is clothing, souvenirs, etc. You will find good bargains back here. And if you're looking for food you're in the right place, a lot of free samples too!

As far as when to visit you'll find Saturday morning busy with food shoppers. Sunday busier with shoe and clothing shoppers. But you can buy both any day that the market's open. During the summer on Wednesday nights the place comes alive with live bands, street performers, and al fresco dining!

You can also take a foodies tour, heritage tour, or enroll in cooking classes at the market. I haven't done any of these but you can check them out at www.qvm.com.au.

Market hours are: Tue & Thurs 6am-2pm; Fri 6am-6pm; Sat 6am-3pm; Sun 9am-4pm; During the summer it's also open Wed 5:30pm-10pm (27 Nov-19 Feb)