Marvellous Melbourne

I have said for many years that Melbourne has become my favourite Australian city. It has a certain sophistication not found in Sydney or the other large cities. It is not too ‘in-your-face’ but if you search a little you will find it has the best restaurants, shopping, museums and art galleries, sporting facilities and parks and gardens of any Australian city.

Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, with a metropolitan population of nearly 4 million. Located around Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria.It is home to many of the nation's most significant cultural and sporting events and institutions.

One hundred years ago, this was where Australia was happening. Melbourne was fabulously wealthy from the 1850-1870 gold rush period and the city was the largest in Australia, confident and vibrant. So impressed was journalist George Sala during his visit in 1885 that he coined the phrase "Marvellous Melbourne" to describe the booming city, a phrase which stuck and is used by its locals and the media to this day. In 1901 it became the capital city of the new country of Australia. Then things slowly changed.

Australia built a new capital city called Canberra, Sydney started to exert more influence on Australian life and Melbourne lost its dominant position in business. Holding the Olympic Games in 1956 was an achievement but by the early 1980s the city and its surrounding state had acquired the ‘rust-bucket’ label as labour-intensive manufacturing floundered.

No more. Melbourne is once again thriving. It has become the place where cutting-edge development of all kinds is commonplace. You see it in the high-rise buildings, the great sporting venues, the new museums and art complexes. You feel it on the streets. It has become an exciting place to visit once more. It shared top position in surveys by The Economist magazine of the World’s Most Lavable Cities in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

In this journal, I am suggesting places to stay and visit which are all close to each other. Southbank has become a great eating and entertainment center. Federation Square and Southbank are both arts hubs with museums and art galleries. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is one of the great sporting venues of the world. If you visit all these places then wander the small lanes and arcades of the central city, you will agree that this is a wonderful city.

Quick Tips:

Southbank is the place to go for a nightlife experience. It really comes alive after dark. I suggest, however, to go walking and take in the sites during the daytime also and for a break, take a river cruise on the Yarra.

Wander down to Federation Square virtually any weekend of the year and you will find some kind of live music taking place. Melbourne is an extremely multicultural city so the music can be from anywhere in the world. Several times during the year there are major festivals and events.

Federation Square is controversial due to its striking, but unusual, design using futuristic shapes and claddings of stone, metal and glass. It is a strikingly modern design for a civic square and has not found favour with everyone but it is a place every visitor must see for themselves.

It is very important that all visitors to Melbourne know about Aussie Rules Football. It is a Melbourne passion. Games are played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground or Telstra Dome, a giant indoor stadium. If you need to research the game look at www.afl.com.au.

Tipping isn't really expected anywhere in Australia. If you do tip, it will most likely be for great service in a nice restaurant. 10% is good.

Melbourne is know for having four seasons in a day. If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes! Remember to always have a jacket or something similar with you. Temperature can rise and fall significantly in a minute. And never forget a total protection sun crème.

Australian electricity is 240/250 volt AC 50Hz. Leading hotels provide 110 volt outlets for razors. Australian power outlets take 3 flat prong plugs.

The first Tuesday in November is Melbourne Cup Day. Every year the city and pretty much the whole country, comes to a halt for 3 minutes while the Melbourne cup race is held. The associated racing carnival over about three weeks is one of the most important in the world.

There are more Greeks in Melbourne than in any other city in the world apart from Athens!!!! With them came Souvlaki, lamb or pork wrapped up in pita bread with tomatoes, onion, lettuce, sauce and anything else you may wish. It is a Melbourne specialty.

Best Way To Get Around:

The city has one of the best public transport systems in the world. Suburban electic trains, modern trams and a private bus network are integrated seamlessly. You buy one ticket and can swap between different modes to get to almost any destination.

The central city has two main rail stations, which are connected by underground lines, and three underground stations. All these stations have adjacent tram lines. Flinders Street station is the hub for suburban services while Southern Cross station on Spencer Street is the country and inter-state station and also the hub for buses from Melbourne airport.

There is a free Circle-line tram that passes both major stations then runs around the edge of the city in a loop. I found this extremely useful when I wanted to travel around the wider central business area but in reality, if you want to stick to the central city and visit Federation Square and Southbank you don’t need this. All these places are within easy walking distance of each other.

You may decide on a taxi if you are visiting the Melbourne Cricket Ground or Dockside. They are plentiful and can be hailed on the street.

This hotel was a pleasant surprise. I had booked the room by telephone and knew very little about the property. I have stayed in Travelodge hotels in the past so had some idea of the standard I would get but I didn’t know exactly where it was and I wasn’t expecting to find such a complete room.

The Travelodge Southbank turned out to be ideally positioned to experience all that the vibrant city of Melbourne had to offer. It was one short block from the Yarra River, in the center of Southbank and within easy walking distance to restaurants, cafes, great shopping, art galleries and the Crown Casino. Many of Melbourne’s big attractions such as the MCG, Melbourne Aquarium, Rod Laver Arena, Royal Botanic Gardens and Melbourne Exhibition Centre are just minutes away by foot or by taxi.

The hotel has 275 air-conditioned guestrooms that come with a host of modern amenities. My room had a kitchenette with microwave oven and tea & coffee making facilities, luxury healthcare bed, non-allergenic pillow and merino wool blankets. As well there was cable TV, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, radio, refrigerator, and a telephone with voicemail. The room had a modem/data port connection and there were pay-per-view movies if you needed them.

I was impressed by the size of the room after recently being in Hong Kong where you just get enough room to move. Here there was loads of space for bags and shopping purchases without loading up the lounge, the coffee table or the working table in the corner. The bathroom was light and airy with an excellent shower and good size mirror.

The hotel has a buffet breakfast served in the warm and pleasant atmosphere of the breakfast lounge but I always ate outside or in my room. It was easy to prepare a room breakfast because the room had crockery, cutlery, glasses, the microwave and a full-size sink. Within a few hundred metres of the hotel were several restaurants serving breakfast so I was really spoilt for choice. That was one of the real pluses of the location. You could eat lunch or dinner at one of the city’s best restaurants then walk back to the hotel in a matter of minutes.

My one complaint about the hotel was when I tried to book. It took three telephone calls before I actually spoke to reservations. The first two times I was put on hold and the line disconnected before I could speak to anyone. I saw this from the other side when I was checking in. The telephones were constantly ringing but the overworked staff had little chance to answer them. Perhaps management might consider some alternative arrangement. Customers would appreciate that.

Eureka Tower is the tallest residential building in the world, when measured either by the height of its roof, or by the height of its highest habitable floor. The building stands 297.3 m in height, with 91 storeys above ground plus one basement level. It is one of only six buildings in the world with 90 or more storeys but is merely the 38th tallest building in the world, most likely due to the fact that it does not have a spire or antenna.

The observation deck (SkyDeck) is situated on the 88th floor and is the highest public vantage point (285m/935 ft) in the southern hemisphere. I visited one afternoon and was astonished by the view over the city, suburbs and Port Phillip Bay. One unusual aspect is that sound effects are present in the Skydeck so if you look at Albert Park Lake, for instance, you can hear sounds of the cars racing at the Melbourne Grand Prix event.

Apart from the unforgettable panorama, Skydeck 88 entertains the entire family with a host of activities and sloping floors designed to "play with people's senses". You will discover "Serendipity" the 6-metre long, multi-user "Table of Knowledge", follow the scrolling floor & wall displays to pinpoint landmarks or simply step on to the "Terrace" & expose yourself to the outside elements. There are viewfinders positioned to take in places of interest around Melbourne.

Skydeck 88 also features what I consider to be a nightmare but others obviously love. 'The Edge' - a glass cube which projects 3 metres out from the building - with visitors inside – is suspended almost 300 metres above the ground. When you enter, the glass is opaque as the cube moves out over the edge of the building. Once fully extended over the edge, the glass (including the floor) becomes crystal clear to the sounds of smashing glass and machine malfunctions.

The two lifts servicing the observation decks are the fastest in Australia, travelling at nine meters per second and taking just over 30 seconds from the ground floor lobby.

At $12, admission to the Skydeck 88 observation deck seems reasonable value for those wanting a bird’s eye view of the city. Despite my concern with heights, I enjoyed it. The Edge is extra. Fortunately, when I was there the line to participate was long and the wait was estimated at 40 minutes so we could not experience something that would have haunted me for months.

Federation Square has become the heart and soul of Melbourne since it opened about five years ago. Designed as a public civic centre and meeting place, the square links Melbourne's central business district north of the Yarra River to the river itself and the extensive world-class gardens and parklands across the other side. With its striking architecture and startlingly unusual layout, Federation Square is, to me, quite a dazzling place when things are happening but it sometimes lacks warmth when things are quiet.

The open square is the focal point for all of Federation Square's events, festivals and activities, and is capable of holding up to 10,000 people at one time. Paved in Western Australian sandstone cobbles, the square rises in a gentle incline above street level offering spectacular views of the City, Southbank and the Yarra River.

As well as the open space, Federation Square brings together a creative mix of attractions. These include The Ian Potter Centre, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Champions: Australian Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, National Design Centre and the Melbourne Visitor Centre, along with 15 restaurants, cafes and bars, various function centres, and smart shopping opportunities. You can enjoy a guided tour of the area at 11am and 2pm Monday to Saturday.

The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia is the world's first major gallery dedicated exclusively to Australian art. It is a spectacular showcase comprising over 20 galleries housed within a landmark architectural complex. It presents the history of Australian art from the Colonial period and the Heidelberg School through to contemporary art, and includes photography, prints and drawings, fashion and textiles, decorative arts, and a suite of galleries dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. It is a ‘don’t miss’ attraction.

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image is dedicated to the moving image in all its forms - from early cinema to the latest digital media - and offers a unique experience for both an Australian and international audience. You discover the world of the moving image in the high-tech galleries, cinemas and studio spaces – from more than a century of film to the latest computer games and the digital art of the future.

Champions Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame is the new hub for Australian horse racing. Champions is a permanent home for the Australian Racing Hall of Fame and hosts touring exhibitions, houses a fine collection of horse racing memorabilia and features state-of-the-art interactive and multimedia attractions to inform and entertain.

The National Design Centre (NDC) showcases Australian design across all its disciplines. It is a resource centre, gallery space and retail outlet and is open to the public 7 days a week.

Before leaving check out the 450 seat indoor amphitheatre situated at the river end of the Atrium. The BMW Edge has been designed for music, small to medium scale theatre, comedy, talks and presentations, launches and cabaret. You may be surprised what is on.

Lord’s, Wembley, Old Trafford, Eden Gardens and Yankee Stadium are considered among the greatest sporting arenas in the world, but for history, pure drama and emotion, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is right up there.

The ground was built back in 1853 when the then 15-year-old Melbourne Cricket Club was forced by the government to move from its former site because the route of Australia’s first steam train was to pass through the oval.

Since then the MCG has established a marvellous history that compares favourably with any other in the world, hosting international cricket including the first-ever Test and the 1992 World Cup final, countless VFL/AFL football Grand Finals, and the 1956 Olympic Games. Other sporting spectacles that have been held there are Australian World Cup soccer qualifiers, rugby league home and away matches and State of Origin, international rugby union clashes and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Apart from its sporting events, the MCG has also witnessed many blockbuster music concerts, and even Pope John Paul II held a mass there when he visited Melbourne in 1986. As well as a world record for the most people to ever attend a baseball match (during the 1956 Olympic Games), the VFL/AFL Grand Final record attendance was an amazing 121,000 people for the 1970 decider.

On non-event days MCG Tours depart regularly from 10am - 3pm from Gate 3 in the Olympic Stand. I took one and was most impressed. We visited the coaches' box, the players' change rooms, the cricket viewing room, the famous Long Room, the Bill Lawry Cricket Centre and the MCC Museum and Library. The highlight for me was a walk on the turf arena where I had played football about 40 years ago. The tour cost A$15 which I thought was reasonable.

We also had a sneak preview of the National Sports Museum which will house the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, the Aussie Rules Exhibition and temporary exhibition areas addressing the sporting issues and events of the day. This is expected to open by the end of 2007.

You don’t have to take a tour to see the Parade of Champions. The Louis Laumen work of Dennis Lillee was the last of 10 statues commissioned for the $1.1 million Parade. Dennis Lillee, one of Australian cricket’s greatest fast bowlers, joined a distinguished group of sporting champions when he unveiled his statue at the famous stadium. The statues are all outside the main stadium and can be viewed anytime.

This is a great area to visit for food, drinks, entertainment and shopping and also a great area to stay in as it is close to the Melbourne downtown business district and to many of the best attractions of the city. In fact, to me, this has become one of Melbourne’s attractions because I am amazed how this has changed from a run-down industrial area to a smart up-market hub.

Formerly an old industrial and warehouse area and part of South Melbourne, Southbank was transformed into a densely populated suburb of high rise buildings beginning in the early 1990s as part of an urban renewal program. The central feature of what is now Southbank is the Southgate Arts and Lesuire Precinct, a retail, eating, and entertainment precinct on the southern bank of the Yarra River.

Southbank is much, much more, however. It is also home to the arts precinct, which includes the Victorian Arts Centre at the eastern end, an entertainment precinct which includes Crown Casino and an office precinct and a hi-density residential precinct which includes some skyscrapers, the tallest of which is the Eureka Tower. All of these areas are worth seeing.

The Southgate Arts & Leisure Precenct, is now Melbourne's main entertainment precinct and it also has upmarket shops and restaurants, trendy cafes, food courts and five-star and four star hotels. I stayed here at the Travelodge Southbank and found it an ideal location for everything I wanted to do. Close by is the spectacular Arts Centre and its modern theatres, as well as the Hamer Hall, a venue for orchestral and other concerts. At Southgate, a huge emphasis is placed on outdoor eating and sidewalk entertainment.

Don’t miss a visit to the Crown Casino complex. This has probably the largest and most dazzling gaming facilities in the Southern Hemisphere. The main gaming floor of the Casino stretches for more than half a kilometer.

The Casino also boasts the largest sports screens in the Southern Hemisphere and more than 40 restaurants, cafes and bars You can catch the latest live shows at The Palms at Crown, a hot new band at "LIVE" or just sit back and enjoy a great selection of free live entertainment at a number of venues.

Southbank stretches along the southern bank of the Yarra River opposite the center of Melbourne. It starts the moment you cross Princes Bridge, and walk down the steps to the river. One of the reasons for the areas success is that it has used the Yarra River as a central feature. The Southbank art and craft market occurs on the promenade every Sunday. The promenade is also home to several buskers and pavement chalk artists.

You can catch a steamboat opposite the Southgate complex for a trip up the Yarra River. This is a very relaxing and interesting 45 minutes or so and it showcases the city’s famous gardens as well as the Australian tennis center and world-renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground.