Judy’s birthday is in November, although this year she decided as the birthday girl to spend her present in Melbourne during February.
She made this decision as we were too close to our trip to Singapore and Hong Kong last November.
We took the late flight on Thursday night, which got us into Melbourne at 12:30 am on Friday morning, and after a 30 Uber ride, we were at the Hotel in city.
This visit we stayed at the Savoy Hotel on Little Collins Street. With classic art deco lines (built in1928), it’s a beautiful example of this classic era and a solid 4-star hotel. Its real beauty is its proximity the city and transportation hubs with easy access by tram (free for the downtown core of the city) or by foot with the mighty Southern Cross station across the street.
Melbourne’s weather is notorious! It can be all four-seasons in one day, and Friday started off a little chilly so after breakfast we headed up to the Bourke Street mall in pursuit of a cardigan for Judy…
Well, long story short we didn’t find a cardigan for the birthday girl, but we did find two skirts and a top…
We met up with my sister Glenda and brother-in-law Max as they travelled down from Ballarat to meet us for lunch which was awesome! We dined at the Saint & Rogue which was quite tasty.
After seeing them off at the train station, we walked for a little before resting up for dinner. Given that it was the birthday girls trip she got to choose where we were going to have dinner. As always, she chose a fabulous little hole in the wall Korean restaurant on Flinders Street called Noulboo.
Saturday morning was a little overcast, but we decided to start our day exploring the South Melbourne markets which was great! After strolling for through the artisan stalls it was time to head up to the Rose Street Artists market in Fitzroy. One of the best things about Melbourne (other than the world class coffee) is the public transportation. We literally took a tram to every corner of the city over the course of the weekend.
Australian’s love their vintage clothing and so I wasn’t really surprised to discover a huge market devoted to vintage (second hand clothing) as we made our way the Artists market. Fitzroy Mills is now considered a Wellness market as it’s incorporated a variety of other specialist stalls to the large clothing area.
This was the first time in my life that I’d heard of Fitzroy Mills, but the more I read up on it the more fascinating it became… The market dates back to its humble beginnings in 1880 and over the years it’s been home to clothiers and outfitters, bootmakers, fishmongers, handbag manufacturers and an actual knitting mill. Today, it’s a vibrant local meeting place for locals and tourists alike.
However, our real destination was the Rose Street Artist’s market which offered up a broad range of artists and artisans selling their eclectic wares. Very cool spot to spend an hour or two as both markets are located on Rose Street. Take the number 11 tram from Collins Street to get to Rose Street via Brunswick Street.
We also discovered a number of cool and unique boutiques along Brunswick Street which we explored on our way back to the city and next destination. Definitely worth visiting!
The last time I was at the MCG was in the early 90’s, but Judy has adopted both Cricket and Australian Rules Football so who could visit Melbourne without a visit to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. (MCG). Given that it’s one of the largest stadiums in the world and hosts almost every large event that comes to Melbourne we decided to take a tour and check out the Australian Sports Museum.
Our tour guide was a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club, and he explained the exclusivity of membership. Currently there is 159,000 members, with a further 180,000 on the waiting list. It generally takes 19 – 20 years to become a member after getting on the list. Both the tour and the museum were amazing as we got to explore every nook and cranny of the venue during our 75-minute guided tour.
By this time my birthday girl was rather foot sore as we’d walked almost 16 km (10 miles), so before dinner we took a break then drinks at the hotel lounge before dinner at Hwaro Korean restaurant on Little Bourke Street. This Korean BBQ joint is hard to book, and for good reason as the food is outstanding! As soon as you enter your nostrils are bombarded with the smell of barbequing meat and sizzling delicacies… Soooooo good!
Sunday was already here and we’d arranged to meet my best mate Craig, and friend Heather for lunch at Melbourne’s fashionable Southbank. We met Craig at the train station and meandered our way down to the river to meet up with Heather. A glorious sun filled sky with the temperature hovering around 28C (82F) enabled us to enjoy our drinks overlooking the Yarra River.
As always it was a raucous affair with lots of stories being traded back and forth between us, so much fun to catch up with old friends.
As you can see it was quite the weekend for the birthday girl. Just one of the many fun trips that we’ve had.
Until next week
Ciao!
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