Melbourne: Australia's Second City

Melbourne's markets provided the most enjoyable shopping/people watching experiences I've ever had: a full-on sensory assault. Prahran Market's bright colors and tantalizing aromas made me wish I had a kitchen handy to prepare my own dinner! The Queen Victoria Market was huge and provided us with plenty to see and do on a cold and rainy Sunday morning. The St. Kilda Crafts Market, held each Sunday in this trendy waterfront community south of downtown, was a great source for inexpensive handcrafted items that were a huge hit when we got back home.

One of our finest meals in Australia was aboard the Colonial Tram Car Restaurant, a restored tram that rolls all over town for two hours while you enjoy a gourmet meal.

Quick Tips:

Melbourne doesn't really cater to tourists, but that doesn't mean folks are unfriendly. I haven't done much traveling outside the US, but I think it would be very difficult to find a people as friendly as the Aussies. Plan to spend time just blending in. Walk the streets, sit in a cafe, visit the markets. We arrived in town on the day of a big "Footy" game (that's what they call Australian Rules Football). It was a cross-town rivalry of the Magpies and the Blues. At the time, I really didn't have much interest in that or any other sport, but now I wish I had taken the time to see if I could get into the game. Australians love their sports, and it might have given me a better appreciation of the people if I had gone.

Best Way To Get Around:

We rented a car at the airport, but once we got to our hotel we didn't use it again until we left. Had it not been so rainy and cold, I think we would have used the car to visit some of the more outlying areas, but as it was, we enjoyed walking and using public transportation. Melbourne's trams and buses were pretty easy to use, and everyone was very helpful.

In one case, we weren't quite sure if we were on the right tram or not, so we asked a young woman with pink hair. She confirmed that we were on the right tram. Several stops later, an older woman got up to get off, but stopped to tell us that our stop was the fourth one after this. When our stop finally did come up, another woman all the way at the back of the tram yelled out "this is where you want to get off!" It seemed the entire tram was looking out for us, and I knew that I was really going to like this country!

We found the Hilton on the Park to be convenient to much of what we did in Melbourne, and perfectly wonderful after 22 hours of flying. Nice city views from our high floor, close proximity to Fitzroy Gardens (lovely to walk through on your way downtown), and easy access to the tram car (public transit) made it even nicer. When we returned to the room after our first day exploring the city, we found our bed turned down, chocolate on the pillows, and a complimentary bottle of a local Victorian wine. The typically fine service that Hilton is known for was doubled by the typical friendliness of the Aussies.

The cost of the room ($260 AUD, or about $130 USD) was higher than we usually spend, but the "buy one night, get one night free" coupon that came in our American Airlines Frequent Flyer ticket packet gave us both nights for $130, and the added comfort and convenience of a well-trained and accommodating staff made it an even greater value. The concierge helped us with dinner and sightseeing suggestions, and made reservations on the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant (see separate journal entry) for us.

If at all possible, I'd suggest not having a car while staying at the hotel, as the parking was a bit pricey. Again, the hotel is convenient to public transportation, and walking is a great way to reduce jetlag!

Talk about a restaurant with a view! The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant is exactly what it sounds like — a restaurant on a restored 1920s era Melbourne City Tram. Sounds like Victoria Station, huh? Not even close, because this tramcar is still on the tracks, still running about town. For three hours, you can dine in absolute luxury as the city's parks, monuments, streetscapes and people roll by.

The whole idea of a rolling restaurant is fun in and of itself, but the food, prepared by a master chef in a tiny kitchen right on board, is exquisite. The menu changes regularly to take advantage of seasonal fare. The night we went, we began with a glass of champagne and a cream, liver and cognac pate as our appetizer. The entrees (what we would call an appetizer back in the States) were a shellfish soup or a berry pancake topped with small fillets of pepper crusted kangaroo, served with tomato chutney. The main course (our entree at home — you getting all this?) of chicken fillet or prime beef fillet, were quite good, but unremarkable. A fine selection of Australian cheeses and fruits was served before a dessert of white and dark chocolate terrine with cointreau-marinated strawberries. Beer, liquor, coffee, tea and a fine selection of Victorian wines are all included in the prix fixe meal. In true Aussie fashion, the meal ended with a local port as a nightcap.

The car itself is beautifully appointed, and specially fitted with stabilizers, ensuring a smooth ride through town. The service was impeccable and friendly, and we especially enjoyed being close enough to the table next to us to share conversation with a couple of Melburnians.

As you would expect, Friday and Saturday are more expensive than other nights, so you can save $11 per person by going on a weeknight. Lunch is also an option, and there is an Early Dinner option that is a three-course meal lasting just 1 1/2 hours. I say go for the full experience though, and do the five-course late dinner. For Americans, the exchange rate makes it about the same price as a very fine dinner back home, and the novelty of it will give you plenty to remember.

Our guide book said Prahran Market was "one of Melbourne's great Saturday morning experiences." I wasn't really expecting much though, because, in my mind, "markets" were either grocery stores or places intimately associated with fleas. Prahran forever changed that perception.

What struck me most was the extreme sensory nature of the place: a riot of colors from fruits and vegetables, the sweet aromas of flowers mixed with pungent garlic and cheeses, the textures of meats arrayed in cases like artwork, and the bustle of shoppers combined with the frantic callings of vendors trying to sell off their goods before closing time. We bought fresh-baked bread, a chunk of herbed cheese and a container of fresh-stuffed olives. This was our lunch for the next two days. Free tastings were plentiful, too.

I don't like to cook, and in fact, I am a very poor cook. Seldom has a place motivated me to WANT to cook the way Prahran Market did.

So do yourself a favor when next you are in Melbourne: visit the Prahran Market. For once, the guide book got it right.

I can't help but think that one of the reasons Melbourne is such a laid-back city is because of all the lovely public gardens scattered about town. They offer a cool, green, peaceful way to move about town, making the city seem much smaller than it actually is.

Fitzroy Gardens is home to Captain Cook's Cottage, brought here piece by piece from England to honor the man who "discovered" this part of the world. Guided tours are available for a fee; ring (03)9419 4677 for details.

Our early-spring visit meant that daffodils and tulips were just beginning to poke out of the ground. Inside the Conservatory, the shades of purples and blues were amazing. Plenty of benches afford the opportunity to just sit and relax as you listen to the gentle sound of water flowing under the tiny bridge. Though we didn't stop by to look, Fitzroy is also supposed to be a good place to watch native possums in the evening. Melburnians encourage feeding the animals, but feeding wildlife anywhere I think just makes problems for the animals and the people.

Nearby Treasury Gardens offered us an interesting surprise. Seeing a memorial of some sort over in the distance, we walked over to see what great Australian person or event was being honored. Who was it? None other than John Fitzgerald Kennedy! It seems the Aussies, too, hold him in high regard, not only for his service to the world as President, but also for his role in Australia during World War II.

Carlton Gardens, Flagstaff Gardens and even private gardens at homes and churches visible through fences and hedges were all equally beautiful. I especially loved the way the Italian cypress trees mirrored the spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral on the church grounds.

Perhaps the nicest thing about these gardens is that they can be the destination, or just a part of the journey as you walk from place to place around the city.

Sidewalk cafes, second-hand shops, bikers and rollerbladers, an amusement park and a craft market make St. Kilda a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon. It is just a 25-minute ride from downtown aboard any of the "St. Kilda Beach" trams that go by.

Guidebooks say St. Kilda is Melbourne's Playground, and even on a gray and drizzly early spring day, there were lots of Melburnians out trying to put winter behind them. The spring flowers hadn't pushed up yet, but colorful pink and purple winter cabbage added color to flower beds, while brilliantly colored lorikeets worked on their nests in the neighborhood's many date palms.

We went in search of work by local artisans at the weekly craft market on the esplanade. Lots of beautiful work at great prices, especially considering the exchange rate to the US dollar. I found a great selection of Australian animals made from hand-dug local clay. I had admired this same artisan's work at a gallery near the Queen Victoria Market earlier in the day at twice the price. Getting to meet the artist and hear about her techniques made the treasures even more valuable to me. We also found a selection of hand-sewn wool toys shaped like wombats and koalas that were perfect gifts for the tiniest tots back home, and a beautiful lathe-turned peppermill made from the wood of a red gum tree made the ideal Australian addition to the mill collection.

Next, we went off to find lunch and, seeing the cafes so packed with people, we decided to get some take-away fish and chips and sit down near the water. St. Kilda Beach is lapped by the waves of Port Phillip Bay, and an unusual-looking lighthouse made for a nice backdrop to our quiet lunch.

Most people are familiar with the amusement park at Coney Island, New York, but did you know that the same folks also built a couple of parks in Australia too? Luna Park in St. Kilda was constructed in 1912, and was completely renovated and restored in 1999. Though it was closed for the season during our visit, the gaping clown mouth that forms the entrance to the park made for some great photos, and we enjoyed learning about the Coney Island and Sydney Luna Parks, too.

I wish we had had more than a couple of hours to spend in this area, as the architecture on neighborhood streets looked very appealing, as did some of the many restaurants and shops. Next time!