City Life in Melbourne

Melbourne was never meant as the “main feature” of this trip – that was always Tasmania. We added Melbourne in because WJ’s friend was staying here, and there isn’t a direct flight to Tasmania from Singapore.

But that’s not to say we didn’t enjoy Melbourne. We did! And we’ll definitely have to make another trip here to tour the Great Ocean Road (when there’s better weather)!

Where we went

Royal Botanic Gardens

We spent a few hours in this beautiful place filled with so much greenery, flowers and birds. And it was made even better with perfect blue skies! If it were a little warmer, we would have brought some food for a picnic there.

Mornington Peninsula

Because it was meant to be a day of wine (and food), we booked the Hop It bus so that WJ’s friend (S) could drink all he want. No drinking and driving!

The Hop It bus is part hop on and hop off bus, and part tour bus in the way that it followed a set route where you could drop off at specific points. But you let the driver know what time you’ll be done at the place from a few time options, so he’ll pick you up then. And you let him know where your next destination is (from the spots along the set route).

It’s convenient to have as you don’t need to worry about how to get back if you’ve drunk too much wine. But it would be even better if it were a hop-on and hop-off bus so that we didn’t have to limit our time at each place! But being the only company that plies the Mornington Peninsula route, it’s the best option there is now.

We first went to Pt. Leo Estate, where WJ and S regretted not buying a few bottles back after they went to the other places. They decided that Pt. Leo Estate had the best wines at the end of the trip.

While they were enjoying their wine-tasting session, I explored the grounds and admired the sculptures scattered around.

Red Hill Estate was next, and it was a beautiful expansive place. Too bad it wasn’t the right season or it would have been an amazing view of the vineyards right in front of the restaurant!

I went to say hello to the duck while WJ and S sipped their wines and had some guy time (aka gossiping).

We decided to try Foxey’s Hangout for lunch after the Hop It driver’s suggestion. And ate till our bellies were warm and full.

To end the day, we stopped at JimmyRum for an interesting lesson on rum and a rum-tasting session. WJ and S ended up getting a bottle back home to continue the alcohol-fueled day.

Luna Park

The amusement park was much smaller than I was expecting. The entrance was probably the main attraction for us with its giant mouth for a walkway. It might look more suited for an entrance to a horror theme park, but once you head in, it’s obvious that it’s family-friendly!

We were hoping for the rainy day forecast to be wrong or for the rain to let up after a while, but sadly, the rain continued to fall the entire time we were at Luna Park. So we skipped the outdoor rides, and only went for the indoor Ghost Train ride. It was a pity we didn’t manage to take the world’s oldest operating roller coaster, The Great Scenic Railway, though! It’s closed when it’s raining.

St. Kilda Beach

It was sadly the same rainy day when we went to St Kilda Beach. We ate some cakes while seeking shelter from the on-and-off drizzle, and walked to the beach to enjoy the hidden sunset when the rain finally stopped.

Queen Victoria Market

Most of the stalls in Queen Victoria Market were touristy, so we just did a quick walk through them. The more interesting stalls were in the food and fruits section. Ever tried camel, emu, kangaroo or buffalo meat? Here’s where you can find them!

South Melbourne Market

South Melbourne Market felt like it was catered to locals more so than Queen Victoria Market, which is always nice. We reached near their closing time so we only managed to do a quick walk around and have a late lunch.

Rose Street Artists’ Market

I loved the atmosphere here – and there were so many beautifully made trinkets and art pieces!

Fitzroy Market

Held in a graffiti-covered defunct carpark, it was filled with booths selling secondhand clothing and books, handmade items, and some food stalls.

The Lume

When we visited The Lune, the Vincent Van Gogh exhibition was showing. It was truly an immersive experience of the art and life of Van Gogh!

We even ate at the cafe from Van Gogh’s famous “Cafe terrace at night” painting! Well, sort of.

National Gallery of Victoria

NGV was surprisingly huge. When you first enter the building, it doesn’t seem very big, but with the twists and turns of the gallery, it seems much larger than it appears.

We thought 1.5 hours would be enough time to visit the museum, but we didn’t manage to cover the whole museum in that time and had to leave as it was closing time! I don’t even know how much more of the museum we were left with – and we only went to the free sections!