Down Under '09 : Chapter 1

Jumpshot at St. Kilda Jetty

Chic Melbourne

22 January 2009

We board a train from Southbank Station to Brisbane Airport. Check in was a breeze with the self check in machine, plus we didn’t have any luggage to checked. Most of the 2.5 hours flight was ok except when it got bumpy due to turbulence and gutsy wind during the final approach. It surely not for the faint hearted. We landed safely at Avalon Airport. I felt nausea but still ok. Sam on the other hand threw up upon our arrival. It was a windy day. The gale is not something we experience every day. The airport was so small and looking more like a makeshift buildings for an air show. But the good thing is, they are very well organised and efficient. The journey to the Southern Cross Station only took about 45 minutes by shuttle bus. From there we took a tram to Southbank and took quite a while to locate the hostel.

The City from seen from Southbank

We called Urban Central Hostel our home in Melbourne. The hostel must be one of the most luxurious hostels on this continent. Each dorm only have 4 beds, ensuite bathroom on par to that of a star rated hotels, comfy spring mattresses, personal reading lights etc. etc. and its location just a stone throw away from the Crown, makes it a perfect accommodation of choice for budget conscious travellers like us.

We had our late lunch at the Crown Entertainment Complex and later exploring Melbourne’s Southbank. Asrul and Sam were impressed by the sights of Melbourne City from the bank of Yarra River. There were so many pictures opportunities and I for once never saw Sam so eager to get his pictures taken.

An afternoon by the Yarra

From Southbank, we walked along St. Kilda Road all the way to Shrine of Remembrance. It was quite a long way, but the nice weather and the many interesting sights along the way making it a pleasant walk. We only realised we have been walking too far when our feet starts aching when we reach the shrine. The Shrine of Remembrance was dedicated to the Australian men and women who fell to protect the empire. This include their services in Malaya during the Emergency from 1948 - 1960 and during the Malaysia - Indonesia Confrontation Malaysia in the 60s. Each corps was represented by a tree planted at the surrounding area of the shrine. And I still feel guilty of doing something despicable at one of the trees. But it was a matter of emergency and I am sorry Australia.

At the Shrine of Remembrance

From the shrine we, took a cab to St. Kilda. This trendy suburb by Port Philip Bay offers visitors and residents alike with a hive of activities. It has the beach, an amusement park (Luna Park), Palais Theatre, marina, sea baths, cafes and much much more. Street musicians and buskers were everywhere. Everyone took things easy and soak up the atmosphere. The view of the bay, marina and Melbourne City from St. Kilda Jetty during sunset was so picturesque it was like in a movie. We lost track of the time. It was 9pm already but there was still light and we were still wearing our sunnies. We finally called it a night and went back to the hostel at 10pm.

St. Kilda Jetty at dusk

Luna Park, St. Kilda

We met our new roommate, Mario Grund when we got back to the hostel. He was in Melbourne for the Australian Open.

23 January 2009

After a quick breakfast at the hostel, we walked across the Yarra into the city and took a City Circle Tram. This burgundy coloured wooden tram is an icon to Melbourne. The service is for free and very popular among tourists. It makes a complete circle of the city and fitted with audio guides telling info on all the interesting sights along the route. We alighted at Flagstaff Station and walked to Queen Victoria Market.

Shopping at Queen Victoria Market

We spent a good two hours at the market and bought a lot of souvenirs. I just bought some fridge magnets and caps but Asrul and Sam really went the whole nine yard. T-shirts, tea towels, coin boxes, opals, dinner sets etc. They even bought Arnots biscuits because they fancy the packaging. Sam bought 3 of those. We did not even covered half of the market to find both of our hands full of shopping bags. We do not have a whole day, so we decided to pull the hand brakes, had lunch and took a tram back to the hostel, drop the bags and went straight out again.

Our first stop in the afternoon was The Crown Entertainment Complex. Off course we did not go to the casino, I do not want to be a bad influence to these guys, so I took them to the Lobby shop for some memorabilia. Again I did not get anything. From the Crown, we then took a tram and cab to Chapel Street; Melbourne’s famous shopping street in Prahran. We walked the whole length of the street and found some really good bargain.

Chapel St. Prahran

Our last stop of the day was the Melbourne Docklands. It was a nice walk along the harbour esplanade and we thoroughly enjoyed people watching. This place is Melbourne’s answer to Sydney’s Darling Harbour and it has gone through an impressive transformation from a dilapidated industrial backwater into a world class marina, high end residential, business and meeting place. They also have an observation wheel here. It is called The Southern Star, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. What is it with cities and observation wheels? I believe Doha too will have one someday. As today was dedicated for shopping, we found ourselves lucky that Harbour Town Factory Outlet Mall was still open, so we complete the agenda with few more items. We called it a day with dinner at Nandos and stayed for a while; chatting, and releasing the tense from walking all day long.

Melbourne Docklands

24 January 2009

3 days in Melbourne simply was not enough. We missed a lot of things and to make up for it, we decided to see every bits of this wonderful city from the sky. We went up 300m for the 360 degree view of the city from Eureka Skydeck. This tower is the tallest residential building in the Southern Hemisphere where we had a bird eye view of the city from the observation deck. We also did not miss the experience of having breakfast at 300m high.

View from the Skydeck

The Eureka Tower

Back on the safe ground, we crossed the pedestrian bridge to Flinders Street and took the City Circle to Spring St. and stop at the Parliament House of Victoria. From there we walked down Bourke St where I found a shop selling Australian opal at a clearance price. So I bought each woman in my family a pendant. Sam was so angry when he found out that the AUD 39 pendant he bought for his mom from Queen Victoria Market was sold at AUD 12 here.

The footbridge accross the Yarra

I have earlier on contacted Alan, my old friend for coffee. We last saw each other on my lat trip to Melbourne with Suffian back in 2001. He picked us up at Bourke St. at 2pm and took us for coffee at Richmond; another trendy suburb and shopping street in Melbourne. It was great to see him again after all these years. He was surprised but excited when I told him that I am getting married in May. He shared with me many tips and offered some advice on marriage and family. Thanks mate. Alan did not stay long, he has to pick up his girlfriend from work at 3pm.

Bridge Road, Richmond is a must for every bargain hunters. There are many factory outlets and bargain stores here. We did some serious shopping in a little less than an hour. I got my Onitsuka Tiger shoes here.

We took a tram back to the city and stop at Federation Square. We spent some time wondering around this exceptionally modern sq and soak up the atmosphere. They had a live telecast of the Australian Open on giant screens here, but we did not bother to join the crowd. We have to go back to the hostels, pick our luggage and catch the bus from Southern Cross Station on Spencer St. to Avalon.

At the Federation Square

We were about to eat at Hungry Jacks while waiting for the bus to depart at 6pm, when Sam realised that he left his Arnots Biscuits back at the hostel. The time was 5.30pm. NO he went back for them. Luckily he made it back in time for the departure.

If you want to visit Melbourne, make sure you allow at least 5 days to fully appreciate what this city has to offer. Among the must see things that we missed were, watching the penguin parade at Philip Island, take a drive at the Great Ocean Road and riding on a hot air balloon at Yarra Valley. Well at least we have reasons to come back.

More pics of my trip to Melbourne here