Around Melbourne...

So….off on the City Circle tram….a brilliant service for tourists as it’s free…can’t complain at that….and it gives you an excellent general idea of the layout of the city.  Many cities overseas have the ‘hop on hop off’ buses…which we always use when we arrive somewhere new….this is Melbourne’s answer to that. 

There is also a free bus service, similar to the tram, but trams are much more fun.  The

tram dropped us a couple of blocks from the market…just an easy walk…fine for a recovering patient.  We did the usual round of the produce halls, buying some duck, fruit & vegies, & cheeses to start us off.  Lunch in the food hall & a wander around the other area where they sell bags, shoes & all sorts of wondrous items that you never knew you needed….& some you wouldn’t want…we resisted temptation & got the tram back home.  The whole tram/train/bus system is excellent & very reasonable.  On the days we were going to be using it, a Senior’s daily ticket for $3.80 (each) gave us unlimited travel.  Excellent value.

 I looked rather wistfully at the Art Markets which we walked past on the way to our unit, some lovely quality crafts, art, jewellery etc…..nearly bought a coffee mug which said ‘man cannot live by chocolate alone….but woman can!’….so true.  The city was really buzzy on a Sunday afternoon but Mr Fox was tiring, so time to put our feet up & read.

Lots to do in the city, tram ride, bus ride, boat ride…& even a horse & buggy ride!  Promised the grandchildren that next time we’d do that.

Shopping is always fun ….even if you are not planning to buy much it is fun to look…. the  ‘Paris’ end of Collins St….where I definitely only looked…& dreamt,  Bourke St & adjacent, where you have the big department stores if those are what you like, or stores like Zara, recently opened…If you have been overseas, chances are you have shopped there.  Good quality, great colour range, competitive prices (especially on sale) & they have practical basics as well as other clothes which are slightly more a flight of fancy.  They cater for the whole family……and then there are the arcades & laneways.......
 

….really, you can just wander & discover all day….& if those accompanying you are not so keen, just park them on a comfortable seat in the Bourke St Mall & they will be entertained endlessly by the passing, & buskers….of a very high quality.

  Then, when you have finished observing &/or shopping, retire to one of the great coffee spots in the laneways….I recommend ‘Laurent’ in Causeway Lane…a great little French patisserie….we sat there, enjoying our coffee (& cake, of course), & observed how passionate Melbournians can be when it comes to food…a tiny sushi place had obviously just opened directly across the way (no signage) & there was a long queue for the whole time we were there…must have been brilliant food, so, if you’re in Melbourne & fancy some sushi, that is certainly the place to go!

Now….how did we go with our ‘Scoopons’….for those of you who don’t know, these are special deals available online for all sorts of things.  Several companies offer these….Scoopon,

                                                     Groupon Australia

                                                     Cudo

                                                     Living Social

                                                     Zizzle

                                                     Love it Up

                                                     Catch of the Day….to name a few.  Check them out & then register for where you live, or for where you may soon be visiting.  Our first voucher to use was at Ollo Messa….in Southbank….for $59 we received a seafood platter for 2 plus a bottle of house wine.  Complimentary breadsticks & olives beforehand was a nice touch (loved the olives…& I’m not an olive eater…tiny ones which are apparently grown by the owner’s brother in Ballarat…10,000 trees, no less!).  Meal was fine, nicely appointed restaurant, but no seafood on the actual menu….would have been nice to try some of their normal fare to get an idea of what we could  indulge in on a return visit.

Sunkee House….in Chapel Street gave us a 6 course degustation menu with 3 glasses of wine each, for $49.  Beautifully appointed restaurant, delightful staff & great food….especially the peking duck!  Just across the road from a tram stop so easy to find.  (Love those trams!).  Went for a walk up Chapel St after our meal & came across about 6 ‘heavies’ (security) milling around….outside a nightclub…no-one else was around at the time but apparently it is the club precinct & really hots up later on…we were a bit early for that so didn’t see any action…could we have coped with it????

Grumpy’s  Green…..Smith St….at first glance, I must admit, we would not have just walked in, but it was a real surprise package.  Obviously we were not their usual clientele, either, because as soon as we went in, the barman said…scoopon??  Why else would we have been there?  Lunch this time, interesting décor which I think would look really funky at night….daylight did it no favours….BUT….our meal was delicious!!!!  For $29.95 we had a choice of 2 mains & a bottle of house wine (or jug of beer or cider)…& the food was divine.  Mr Fox had an Asian duck salad & I indulged in the salmon on roast parsnips….yummy.  A bonus was the very personable barman to whom we got chatting & turned out he had lived 9 years in Paris….so envious.  His French was excellent, unlike my poor offering….mon francaise est petit peu…tres!  Even got a recommendation for a Paris restaurant for when we (hopefully) return.

The La Di Da Club….$19 for entry, a drink each & canapés (altho’ they were a little too popular…but what we tasted was fine).  Would certainly recommend this club….soooo long since we have been to a club but this one was really grown up!  We MAY have been the oldest patrons there  (Mr Fox says definitely)…but not by that much.  Red canopy outside & red carpet at the entry made it feel quite special.  Extremely pleasant staff.  It was Burlesque night….on entering there was a movie screen showing  old burlesque movies, in front of a catwalk….& every 20 minutes or so a gorgeous young thing came out & did a live burlesque performance…..very gorgeous, some humorous, some sexy, but always tasteful.  A little bit saucy but nothing anyone could take offence to….I wouldn’t imagine.  Had to laugh…after one particularly delicious young lady finished her number, the compere asked….’how many straight women have just turned?’ Mr Fox was even complimented on his attire by a younger guy….he’s still got it!!  They also served meals which seemed to be moderately priced.  May have to go again next time we are in Melbourne & sample the fare.

So much to do in Melbourne….lots of people there for the tennis, of course…lots of deals available in conjunction with that….just as close as your computer. Always the movies…altho’ we got a surprise when we took the grandchildren to the movies to see The Muppets…we were the only ones in the theatre!!!  I guess it would have been busier in the suburbs…. The Crown casino is always worth a look  & some great deals meal wise in some of the restaurants.  Fantastic decorations for Chinese New Year.  We took a wander thru’ & couldn’t believe how many poker machines there were….translates into just so much money & time…& yes, we did try our luck, but on a very limited amount of money…not really our thing.

View from the winery....

Finished off our Melbourne sojourn with a couple of days with our son & his family.  Great to reconnect with the children & get an update on all their interests.  They change so much when young.  Spent a most pleasant family day at Healesville….picnic at Hedgland…a maze, with mini golf & a few other bits & pieces….a very hot day, so a stop for wine tasting on the way home topped it all off very nicely.

Flew home with Jetstar…most probably the only negative note to an excellent home exchange holiday….they were 3 hours late leaving Melbourne, so consequently we missed out on a roast lamb dinner which friends had planned for our return…not a total loss….cold meat & salad the next night!!

Next time, shall relate our adventures with our French friends who are coming to visit...we met them thru' a 'hospitality exchange'....another side to home exchange, & have been friends ever since.  This is the second time they have visited us here....looking forward to catching up & showing them something new.