Melbourne, My Dream City

Melbourne is one of the most cultural cities in the world, and when you are in certain neighborhoods (Chinatown, Little Italy on Lygon St) you actually feel like you have been transported. There are massive beautiful gardens, works of art everywhere, the safest streets of any city I've ever seen, and constant public celebrations at all times.

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The transportation system (The Met) is very simple and convenient - trains run regularly from suburbs into the city's main stations (Flinders and Central) and the famous green and gold trams are everywhere in the city. Walking is fun though. Most weekend nights we walked home from the pub or nightclub because the it was so entertaining... a lot of streets are full of people all night.

It's not exactly a zoo, but a strictly Australian wildlife park about an hour outside of Melbourne. You can hang out with kangaroos- literally, they allow you to join them in their area- and also interact with koalas, wombats, and birds of prey. Other animals to see are tasmanian devils, dingoes, emus, and a fine selection of the more dangerous Australian reptiles. I also went to the Melbourne Zoo, which is great, but I enjoyed this more because it is more specialized and out of the way. You can get there by taking the Lilydale train all the way to the end, and then I believe there is a bus to Healesville.

The biggest street festival in Australia! Once a year, usually the last weekend in October, over half a million people converge on four blocks of Lygon St. for a crazy good time- Italian style. The street is blocked off, stages are set up for a constant stream of performers, restaurants and cafes set up twice as many tables than normal and it all spills out onto the sidewalk and street. You can listen to music, eat arancini, gelato and other Italian specialties, and watch a variety of performers and demonstrations. Most everyone who attends winds up dancing in the street at least once during this festival! It is for all ages.

Nice size- not too big, but not too small. There is a line to get in on the weekends after 11 or so, but it's worth it. It is a pub with several areas that function as dance floors, but people generally dance wherever they want to. Icon is known for having patrons dancing on the bar, so you will probably have to reach around people's legs to get your drink. DJs generally play what is popular for current dance music, and a little mainstream techno every now and then. Young (early to late 20's), good-looking, professionals-with-a-wild-side crowd. Fridays are the best because it's just as good as Saturdays and there's no cover.

St Kilda beach is very near to the center of activity in St Kilda (Acland St.), and convenient by tram from the city. Lots of people always here when the weather is nice-- many backpackers. The sand is not the most pleasant. It doesn't seem like a very clean beach, but it's great for rollerblading along the beach walk or people-watching.

Brighton Beach is a bit more tranquil, and harder to get to. You have to take the train line to the Brighton station. One thing I noticed about this beach is that there are HEAPS of seashells everywhere. More families come here, and the brightly colored row of beach houses that you see on all the postcards are very cute.

One of the newest nightspots in Melbourne, billed as the largest club in the Southern Hemisphere and pulls in world famous djs. Atmosphere is surreal, cavernous with winding staircase, countless platforms, balconies, lounges, etc. I never knew how many bars there are- there's a lot. One thing I noticed about QBH is that it has great air circulation- for non-smokers, this is a good, good thing. This is a fantastical club and worth going to just for the experience, but I really enoyed dancing to the excellently mixed music with a better than average crowd.

Since I am an Italy freak, after having lived there for five months, getting an apartment on Lygon Street was a dream come true. Lygon St. is in Carlton, considered a suburb but only a short tram ride from the CBD (take any tram going down Swanston toward Melbourne Univ). Lygon Street is THE place for a good (Italian, of course) meal. There are about 4 blocks full of very authentic ristoranti where the most respected full-blooded Italian waiters stand outside and compete to persuade you in their dining establishments. Along with the restaurants there are also cafes (with windows full of mouth watering pastries and desserts), gelaterias (Cases Del Gelato is the best!), specialty men's and women's fashions stores, and other shops like Mondo Musica (Italian music). At times I had to deliberately tell myself that I was in Australia, because you'll often hear more Italian spoken on this street than English. Restaurant owners will tell you that 'every night' is the busiest night on Lygon Street, but the weekends are especially crowded.

B&S Balls are an old tradition in Australia, and part of nearly every young person's life who lives in the country. I read about them before leaving home for Oz, but never dreamed I would ever be able to find my way to one. I was wrong! After a few weeks of living in Melbourne some friends of mine who had grown up in the Victorian countryside offered to drive me three hours north to the Ball in tiny Lake Bolac, VIC. What an experience... nearly impossible to accurately describe, but I'll try.

WHO: myself, my American friend (apparently among the few and brave 'B&S Virgins'), and hundreds of young (18-20's) Aussies. Everyone dressed up in formal wear (dresses for girls and white shirt/bow ties for blokes) found at off-shops because it quickly becomes ruined as the night rolls on. I got my dress on Bridge Rd. for $20, and was proud it survived!

WHAT: Eel Skinners and Duck Pluckers Ball. Each one has its own theme... the tshirts say "Says the eel to the duck, will you squeal if I pluck"

WHEN: First weekend of December, 2000. They take place in Victoria once every months or two, and people drive for hours to get to one.

WHERE: Lake Bolac, Victoria. Everyone parked in a large grass area along the lake and tents/stages were set up for the festivities.

WHY: To drink, dance, drink, socialize, add another sticker to the 40 already stuck to the Utes of frequent B&S goers, drink, roll around in the mud created by the dirt and alcohol, and... drink more. Then wake up in the morning after sleeping in the back of your Ute to a 9am 'recovery' barbie.

Tickets were $80, and for that we received entrance, logo mug, sticker, drink cards (which nobody uses), and access to all the alcohol you can handle. They served everything: beer, wine, bundy/coke, bourbon/coke, vodka/orange. You shouldn't venture onto the dance floor (there was a live cover band) unless you're cool with cups of various beverages being thrown into the air and landing on your head. Blokes' shirts get ripped off in a methodical fashion: pocket (which girls keep), sleeves, rip the buttons open, and then the remaining scraps are removed and eventually end up hanging around a girl's neck. Some people also bring food dye, so I came away with blue and red streaks all over myself. Being near Christmas, crazy, pissed Santas were running around everywhere. My legs were so muddy that it took multiple showers to get them clean, and my shoes were so ruined that we left them there and ran over them with the car on the way home. It was quite possibly the craziest event I've ever been a part of, and hey, it was a cultural experience at the same time!