I’ve been remiss with my blogging over the last week and have really missed it! I had a draft of my post from last Tuesday all queued up to automatically post, and have been pretty out of pocket ahead of even that. But I’m back in action. You see, I needed a full 5 days or so to recover from the trip that was Melbourne.
I. AM. OBSESSED. Dear Melbourne, you are one of my new favorite cities. Love, Abby. Fresh, funky, foodie, and fun. (Gotta love an alliteration.) {And I will also apologize for the fact that all my pictures are iPhone – the big girl camera didnt make it on this trip, sadly.}
Barr and I had a solid 5 days of time in Melbourne, and it just wasnt enough! I have on my blog list to put together a few little travel itineraries and must see lists for tourists and visitors to places like Melbourne, Sydney, Dubai, Perth, etc, but for now: the low-down on this particular trip 🙂
- Melbourne basics:
- Public transportation is a breeze! Make sure you get a Myki card to traverse the tram (largest tram system in the world) and train systems.
- Named the “World’s Most Livable City” by the Economic Intelligence Unit for the 4th year in a row – I can see why!
- I loved popping down the little laneways and arcades throughout the city – some of them looked completely deserted, but harbored some of the best shops and cafes.
- Many of the Victorian-era buildings are exceedingly well-preserved against a backdrop of some of the newer skyscrapers.
- Layers, layers, layers! Weather in Melbourne changes at the drop of a hat (from what we could tell even over the course of 5 days!), so layers are essential.
- Food: A foodie and coffee snob’s heaven!
- Our first meal in Melbourne was at Rice, Paper, Scissors – amazing Vietnamese small plates and after the red eye from Perth, the coffee was a good boost too 😉
- We grabbed drinks at Black Pearl and our bartender was Australian, but went to UNC! Small world. Oh, and the drinks were a treat too.
- Melbourne is said to have the largest Greek-speaking population outside of Greece, so this fact, coupled with the fact that Masterchef (one of my favorite shows, you’ll remember) judge, George Calombaris owns (several) Greek eateries in Melbourne, I had to visit at least one. Gazi was it! Gazi was authentically Greek and their customer service was just the best – plus they could make everything gluten free! Masterchef sighting sold separately.
- Coffee is sacred in Melbourne. I wouldn’t categorize the following as the “best”, but I though they were pretty good {skinny} flat whites! And trust me, there are shops on every corner (even a Starbucks or two), so you can easily pick your poison: Market Lane, Seven Seeds, Axil, Dukes Coffee Roasters, or just wander down Degraves St or Centre Place for plenty of options.

Via TheInteriorsAddict.com
- I won’t list every single restaurant (only one more), but here are some of the super cute cards that I snagged from a few of the restaurants we stopped by:

Hihou (unique Japanese), Cumulus (out of this world breakfast), Borsch, Vodka & Tears (need I say more?), Rice Paper Scissors (aforementioned), and Movida (authentic Spanish tapas)
- Claypots. This was such a treat and one of our favorite spots. A local Melbournite (?) graciously brought us here for dinner in St Kilda. The seafood was so simple and flavorful and the atmosphere was really unique and funky – plus there’s a great bar next door.
- Sights:
- Melbourne has an extensive network of quaint laneways and arcades sprinkled throughout the city. Two of the more well known are Hosier Lane (“urban art” aka graffiti) and Degraves Street (tons of coffee shops and teeny cafes).
- The Brighton Beach Boxes are well worth a visit. They’re privately owned beach sheds that the owners paint in a colorfully fun manner – and we were told they can go for up to $500k!

Barr captured this hilarious shot of a ocean kayaker photobombing some wedding shots 🙂 Would love to know how those bad boys turn out!
- The Royal Botanic Gardens are absolutely breathtaking…and huge!
- Being the huge book nerd that I am, visiting the State Library of Victoria was such a treat. Not only were there a seemingly endless number of rooms of books, but the architecture of the library itself would distract even the most studious individual.
- I stopped by the National Gallery of Victoria for the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit – that particular exhibit was so-so, but the permanent exhibits made up for that! (That, and the costume on display below):

Case in point – neat to see IRL!
So there you have it! We’ve heard folks say that Sydney is like your one night stand and Melbourne is like your girlfriend, and in a weird way, I have to agree – Melbourne has wooed me, hook, line and sinker. 🙂 Until next time…