Week in Melbourne

CAFES AND RESTAURANTS: of which Melbourne has many good ones. Most with pleasant patios or other outdoor dining areas.

AFL AT THE MCG: The Melbourne Cricket Ground is the mecca of Australian Rules Football, and to see a game here is an experience you shouldn't pass up.

MARKETS: whether it be the large Victoria Market or a smaller one such as the Prahan Market, you will enjoy the colours, flavours, and overall atmosphere of the city's public markets.

GARDENS: the city's many public gardens provide some of the most enjoyable greenspace you could expect to find in a city.

OLD MELBOURNE GAOL: Kind of creepy, but quite interesting.

ARCHITECTURE: Take some time to look at the buildings and enjoy the city's wonderfully preserved Victorian architecture.

Quick Tips:

Be prepared for sudden changes in weather as this region is notorious for that. People here like to spend a lot of time outside, meaning that shops, restaurants, etc are often open to the elements at least to some extent. So dress warmly when it's cool.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Met, the city's public transportation system, is made up of trains and trams (streetcars). It's cheap and works wonderfully. It will get you where you need to go quickly and save the cost and hassle of car rental and parking. Let alone traffic.

Amidst the "cooler than thou" surroundings of South Yarra you'll find the Jam Factory shopping complex. Named after the building's former incarnation, it contains a few stores, a large movie theatre, and several cafes and restaurants, one of those being the China Bar.

What you want to get here are the large cauldrons of soup filled with noodles and all sorts of other goodies. You can browse the numbered pictures by the counter and on the board above it. They have a wonderful satay soup, chock full of delicious tofu, shellfish, noodles, and other stuff. But you really can't go wrong here. I found this to be some of the best tasting Chinese soup I've had anywhere. Maybe not necessarily better but equally as good and delightfully different from what I find near where I live in Toronto's Chinatown.

It doesn't seem like a place to look out for, but if you're in the area find this place. You'll be glad you did. It's connected to a Japanese restaurant, also very good, and I wasn't certain if they were even separate establishments. Staff seemed to go between the two quite freely. Give the very ordinary pasta retaurant upstairs a miss. I was going to review it separately but won't bother. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just average. I wished I'd eaten at the China Bar again, even now I can hear those large cauldrons of delicious soup calling my name.

This place strikes you as greasy take away joint from the outside. But when you enter you'll find it clean and it actually has a nice, if small dining area where you can sit down and someone will come take your order.

Of course you can always order at the counter and take your food to go.

This place serves wonderful greek food, namely gyros and souvlaki. But they use high quality Australian lamb. I've been to a lot of excellent greek restaurants in Toronto and never had a gyro as good as what I had here!

A good thing to try if you're a first timer is the "lamb original". You'll be served a hearty pita wrapped around delicious strips of lamb, tzatziki dip, tomato, onion, and lettuce. If you'd like black olives and feta cheese added to the mix go for the "lamb on chapel special".

For those who don't like lamb at all, go for the chicken, beef, pork, or seafood souvlaki. Also very good.

For full menu check out the website.

The place really is quite a bargain and the food is so good!

Only a short walk from Flinders station this aquarium can be a nice way to spend an afternoon.

It is certainly very well layed out over three levels. This is a relatively small aquarium, but they make the most of their space. For one the educational aspect of this aquarium, it is incredibly fun for kids as the various school groups we saw there would attest too. The exhibits are interactive and you get great views of the fish!

You can do things like view the wordl through the eyes of a fish, find out how hard your lungs would have to work in order to keep up with the gills of a fish, etc.

Both the Mangrove and Billabong exhibits are very impressive and more fun to observe than you'd think. Also on the same level is the Rock Pool where aquarium staff will let visitors touch and even hold things like starfish, sea urchins, and even little sharks.

The oceanarium is cool. You can wall underneath circling sharks and stingrays, view and underwater trench, or even just sit in the middle and watch the fish swim all around you. And don't miss the feeding time.

One thing you should go ahead and give a miss is the simulator at the end. It doesn't simulate anything and really is a big disapointment. It doesn't teach you anything, never once did it make my stomach drop, or even scare me, and really is kind of out of place. Unless they change it sometime in the near future, it's not worth waiting in line for this.

All in all the aquarium is good, but I'd rate as more of a good local attraction as oppossed to an international one. I've visited both the Boston Aquarium and the Shedd Aquarium (Chicago), and this one isn't on the same level as those two.

Visit the their website at www.melbourneaquarium.com.au for a detailed overview.

Open daily from 9:30-4:30; $9.90 allow 45min-1hr.

Don't let looks deceive you, this is easily one of the most interesting and worthwile of all Melbourne's historical sights.

This was the first extensive jail complex built in Victoria and it housed some of the area's most notorious outlaws, including the famous bushrangers. These men could be compared to the outlaws of the american west, in that they became legends and were often adored by the public. Ned Kelly being the most famous of them all. And you can see his death mask, assorted armour, and the beam from which he hung on display at the Gaol. Not to mention an amusing poster for a hollywood production of his story starring Mick Jagger as Ned Kelly.

Between 1842-1929 there were 135 hangings here, including Kelly's. And this makes up a significan part of the self guided tour. What you will see when you enter the jail is a narrow corridore with tiny cells on either side, three stories high. It has a gruesome effect, but is strangely intriguing.

The majority of the cells are lined with posters and display cases where you can learn about the exploits of various inmates, the hanging process, unsolved crimes, life in the prison, and much more. On the top floor there are displays about when the gaol was used as a military prison during WWII.

You'll certainly notice the gruesome "death masks" demonstraing the 19th century obsession with "phrenology". A branch of science which equated the size and shape of one's skull to character traits. Later discounted as having no merit.

You can read about the infamous "baby farmer" and the man once believed to be "Jack the Ripper", to name a few. It is also quite interesting even just to walk around the bluestone prison, both inside and out.

If you're up to it there is a night tour with theatrical perfomances to recreate what life in the gaol must have been like, using the grim atmosphere to ghoulish effect. Enquire at 03/9663 7228, cost is $18.70.

All in all the place is very fascinating, and certainly a unique attraction. Be it a little depressing.

Visit this site for pictures, information, and a some of the gaol's history.

Spread out over 7 hectares, this is the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere. This is obviously one of Melbourne's best loved institutions. And although it is definetly friendly and clean, it is also boisterous and alive with energy. This is one of those places that makes a city special, and it's definitely worth visiting even if you have no intention of buying anything.

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)

When someone in Victoria says "football" they don't mean soccer, they're talking about aussie rules. And if you're going to see just one game the place to see it is the Melbourne Cricket Ground!

It may look like a huge concrete slab, but reserve judgement until you enter the ground. As you approach from the train station or the street you become a part of the crowds and you can feel it. This is a big event. The city stops for football.

Tickets seemed cheap to me at $17.50AUS. And once you enter you can sit anywhere in that "stand". Only season ticket holders have reserved seats and if you're sitting in one they'll politely ask you to move.

Once inside, the atmosphere builds and you realize that you are in one of those special sporting venues that only come few and far between. With nearly a hundred thousand seats the size is impressive. As is the size of the playing field, well over 200 metres long and nearly that wide. It's oval shaped.

You'll see fans with their faces painted and decked out in the colours of their team. Scarves, pompoms, flags, team songs, it's all quite colourful. Try to attend a game featuring two Melbourne teams (of which there are nine) for the best atmosphere. Fans are passionate but not violent. You'll see members of the same family wearing opposing scarves, etc.

The game is strange and will take some getting used to before you understand it. There's a lot of skill involved and the kicking in particular is very impressive. Come early so you can watch the players and referees warm up. The goal judges with their white hats and suitjackets are a riot. For a better understanding of the game check out http://www.afl.com.au

North Americans may notice that rather than hotdogs, meatpies are the snack of choice. And quite a tasty one at that. Even if you don't take to the game or like sports at all, you'll leave having felt that it was one of those local experiences worth being a part of at least once.

Just across the street from South Yarra station is the delightful Prahan market. Located in the fashionable suburb of Prahan this market is one of those places that you wouldn't go out of your way to find, yet it's the type of place that truly makes Melbourne enjoyable.

There is an excellent selection of food here. Fresh and of high standard. The atmosphere is wonderfully sophisticated yet slightly chaotic at the same time. Particularly on Saturdays. You'll also find a lot of excellent free samples, more so than the Queen Victoria Market.

The market is open Tues & Thurs from dawn-5pm, Fri & Sat from dawn-6pm. There are also some very good cafes and bistros in the outdoor foodcourt that keep the same hours as the market.

This is no substitution for the spectacle and grandeur of the Queen Victoria Market. But this is a nice, colourful way to spend a few hours of your morning or afternoon. So if you're out in Prahan, pop in and you'll probably find it worth while.

I've heard it said that Melbourne is best enjoyed sipping a cappucino at a cafe or by going for a walk. And if that's true then you should go for a walk in Melbourne's wonderful Royal Botanic Gardens.

Melbourne's climate has got to be good for something, and indeed it's great for horticulture. Cool enough for temperates, warm enough for tropicals, and wet enough for anything else. Indeed the wide aray of plantlife and the plentiful birdlife is incredible.

What made these gardens most pleasent was the landscaping. Open enough to enjoy but at the same time being very full, as if divided into nice quiet and intricate sections to maximize enjoyment. Every corner of the gardens emaculate in design and landscape, and it's full of quiet corners ideal for small picnics or getting some quiet time alone to yourself. We were there on a winter afternoon and still found the gardens well used with several people enjoying the afternoon. But still not at all crowded.

Look out for the fern gully, particularly the flying foxes in the tree tops there. Over time they will destroy much of the wonderful tree canopy in this part of the gardens. Local authorites have instituted a removal program that if it works will be quite extraordinary. It involves no trapping or anything like that. What they've done is create a more ideal environment for the flying foxes nearby and are trying to get these bats to naturally migrate away from the gardens. Anyway it's quite interesting.

The herb and medicinal gardens are wonderful and worth a look. And if you want to, find your way to the large ornamental lake filled with ducks, black swans, and black eels if you get your eye in. The teahouse is also a special treat. To sit by the lake and enjoy a hot cup of tea, well few things are as pleasant.

There's several hothouses where you can see plant's like the venus flytrap, and cacti. And I probably missed half of the many attractions in the gardens. They are open daily; 7:30am - 5:30pm April-October, 7:30am - 8:30pm November-March. And it's free.

Guided walks are available Sun-Thurs 11am and 2pm, bookings (03)9252-2300 cost is $4.40. Rumor has it that during the summer they show classic movies in the gradens at the "moonlight cinema". Check out their website to find out all sorts of things happening in the gardens, as well as other useful information.

All in all if you're looking for a peaceful way to enjoy a few hours, you won't be disappointed if you make your way to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Melbourne's network of trains, trams, and a select few buses is excellent and will get you around the city cheaply and efficiently. And generally provides a better option than driving (with the big city hassles of parking and traffic).

The general set-up is 17 suburban train lines extending from the CBD well out into the suburbs. There is also an underground subway line that combines with the train line to make a loop around the CBD. The trains are very quick and run frequently.

Though there are a few buses, the remainder of the system is filled in with Melbourne's beloved trams.

When it comes to fares the system is divided into zones. Zone 1 will likely encompass anywhere you want to go (including St Kilda and Williamstown). With zone 2 being the most outer reaches of the metropolitan area, and zone 3 being outlying suburbs and bedroom communities.

If you are visiting the city as a tourist, like I was, you will likely find the day pass the best option. It costs AU$6.10 for zone one. Allowing you unlimited trips for the entire day. Rather than charge you per trip, the tickets are timed (from when you first use it). If you weren't to get a day pass you would get a two-hour ticket for $3.20. These two-hour tickets are good for the entire night if purchased after 7pm.

You can buy "Metcards" at train stations from vending machines. There are machines on the trams and buses as well, however they only sell short-trip and 2 hour passes.

You may find it odd that at some of the smaller train stations you can board the train without validating your ticket. This is compensated by the fact that you must validate your ticket to get both in and out of the major stations. On trams you are theoretically expected to validate your card in one of several validating machines.

In practice you could probably dodge fares on the trams. Though there are ticket inspectors riding the trams who try to catch people doing just that.

Services run 5am-midnight except on Sundays when they run 8am-11pm. There are NightRider buses that run when the trains don't, generally along the same routes.

The system is clean, efficient, and seemed very safe. For more information, route maps, and a list of fares visit this website.

There are a few more things you may appreciate knowing. Train doors do not open automatically. When the train stops you need to grab the handle and start to pull it open. You don't pull much before it opens the rest of the way for you.

Also the City Circle Tram is free! This tram makes for a good way to get a good overview of Melbourne's downtown sights. And indeed it is particularly geared towards tourists.