Melbourne offers expansive parks, multicultural cuisine and art, cool cafes, and beautiful rivers. Beyond the city limits is stunning scenery, from the Great Ocean Road hugging along one of the world’s most spectacular coastlines and beaches to the wildlife-rich rainforests. The opportunities to explore, play, and taste are endless.
Susan Wallace, a friend from Singapore and local of Melbourne, graciously welcomed us into her home for a great week of touring. We enjoyed running with her and her daughter Jess along their favorite trails in Glen Iris. Wonderful conversations over dinner at a local Japanese restaurant and afternoon tea with pastries at St Kilda.
Brighton Beach Boxes
Brighton Beach Boxes are a colorful row of 82 wooden beach storage huts lining Brighton Beach. Two of our favorites were Life’s a Beach and the Kangaroo hut.
Great Ocean Road
We had a spectacular drive along the Great Ocean Road, one of Australia’s most famous road tours. The first stop was Torquay, where we paused to watch Nippers, a youth surf lifesaving summer camp. Continuing on, we had lunch at Apollo Bay, a calm seaside town famous for its scallop pies. We also explored a rainforest with koala-filled tree canopies of eucalyptus- the diet of koalas. The road back was through dairy farms and small towns. But, the highlight of the drive was the sheer limestone cliffs and crashing waves of the Southern Ocean.
Twelve Apostles
The most iconic sight of the Great Ocean Road is the spectacular rock formations that jut out from the ocean like stacks. The soft limestone cliffs change daily, with erosion from the waves and wind. Originally nine, only seven ‘apostles’ remain- one 70m-high stack collapsed in 2005 and one lost its archway in 2009. The apostles are visible from viewing platforms connected by paths around the clifftops. Originally called “Sow and Piglets,” the rock formations were renamed in the 1960s to the more venerable (and tourist appealing) “The Apostles.” The number Twelve was added later, as apostles are usually in dozens.
The Razorback and the Grotto were also stops along the way.
Maits Rest Rainforest Walk
The areas surrounding the Great Ocean Road are lush rainforest. Maits Rest, a short boardwalk loop, is alive with 43 different species of birds, fairy ferns, and giant rainforest trees up to 300 years old. It is named after the first forestry officer Maitford Bryant who would rest his horse here in the early 1900s.
Yarra River Cruise
A pleasant river cruise takes us along a journey through one of the busiest trading ports in the Southern Hemisphere. An informative captain highlighted the various landmarks along the way.
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (The Tan)
Melbourne’s 94-acre Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria offers wonderful greenery and tranquil lakes in the middle of the city. The gardens are considered one of the finest examples of Victorian-era landscaping in the world. You’ll see cacti and succulents, roses, sweeping lawns, and views of the downtown skyscape.
Great coffee in the beautiful garden on a warm summer day is delightful.
Cooks’ Cottage
In the Fitzroy Gardens, a highlight is Cooks’ Cottage, which originally belonged to the parents of navigator Captain James Cook. The cottage was built in 1755 and lays claim to being the oldest building in Australia. It was shipped from Yorkshire and reconstructed in the gardens in 1934. You can go into the cottage and also see the herb garden too.
Model Tudor Village, a hobby of Mr. Edgar Wilson who lived in London, created this village with 28 buildings representing a typical Kentish village for the city. A bit quirky and funny!
Healesville Sanctuary
With Susan and her daughter Jess, we visited the Healesville Sanctuary to see the native wildlife: kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, wombats, emus, and dingoes.
Running and Cafes
Hamilton
We went to the fabulous musical Hamilton! Great acting and singing and terrific dancing!
Melbourne Museums
Ian Potter Centre: NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) is an impressive museum with a mix of romanticism, Impressionism by Australian artists, and rotating contemporary exhibits. Frederick McCubbin elevated the status of the pioneer with this monumental painting, “The Pioneer” (1904, Victoria). Expat Melbourne artist Dora Meeson worked and painted in London’s bohemian district of Chelsea. Meeson was draw to working en plein air, such as these two women on the balcony. Grace Cossington Smith, one of the greatest Australian female artists of the first half of the twentieth century, paints the Sydney Harbour Bridge that celebrates technology and modernity. The bridge emerging, or in-curve, rather than completed, conveys energy and ambition. “The Bridge In-Curve” (1930, Sydney) by Grace Cossington Smith
We enjoyed a special exhibit of the genius fashion designer Alexander McQueen at NGV International: Alexander McQueen, Mind Mythos Muse.
Another interesting art exhibit was at The Lume with a digital immersive display of Monet & Friends.
We walked around the famous lanes and alleys of downtown Melbourne too, making a stop at the famous Degraves Street.
