Travel Diary: Melbourne

I hadn't been to Melbourne since I was a teenager with my family so it was a completely different experience returning, as an adult, with my partner. I had a new perspective on everything and remembered more than I thought I would. We stayed on Queen Street near the Queen Victoria Markets which was a pretty ideal location nearby to China Town, Bourke Street Mall and Fitzroy.

We spent a whole day exploring the Carlton and Fitzroy areas, dropping in at a few bars and even visited an ice-bar. 

We also took a trip out to Yarra Valley - on what turned out to be the coldest June day in 28 years - for a wine tasting tour. It was a lovely trip out into the country and I appreciated seeing parts of Victoria that I wouldn't otherwise had the chance to see. We went to the Moet and Chandon winery and Yering Station winery. We also stopped in to the Yarra Valley Dairy for a cheese tasting where I bought a variety of cheese not thinking about how I would transport it home the following day which resulted in a large amount of cheese and wine consumption later that night. We later stopped in to Yarra Valley Chocolaterie for a chocolate tasting on the tour as well. 

We enjoyed wandering China town and indulging in some wonderful food. One of the best meals we had was at Red Spice Road - highly recommend. Enjoying breakfast in Melbourne is one of those highly recommended must-dos as well. One place in particular that stood out for me was a coffee shop called Basement. I just ordered the usual 'big breakfast' but it was different and fresh; I would definitely go back. 

One night we had no plans so we looked up what was happening in Melbourne that night and decided to see a play at Malthouse Theatre called 'The Events'. It was based on the events of the 2011 Massacre in Norway. It was confronting and moving but also a nice spontaneous event for us in Melbourne.

We spent out final day in Melbourne walking along the Yarra Valley and exploring the markets and galleries in Southbank. Southbank was an area we had heard about but hadn't planned to spend much time there but we were pleasantly surprised and grateful we found time to look around; it was beautiful.

Despite it being bitterly cold I fell in love with Melbourne. It was like an amalgamation of various European cities in one. I could see influences from Italy, Greece, England and more throughout the alleyways and corridors. I can see my partner and I spending a lot more time there and can't wait to go back.