It was my third time in Melbourne in March but my first time to stay in the city. Here are some interesting discoveries and tips when you visit Melbourne.
1. It's so easy to commute from the airport to the city. You can ride a bus from the airport and it goes straight to the city. It's called the SkyBus and a 1-way fare is AUD18 (about USD14). Departure is every 10 minutes. For more info, here's the Skybus site http://www.skybus.com.au.
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2. Taking a cab in Melbourne could be expensive. But if it's inevitable, just walk to a taxi stand and get a cab yourself.
On our first day, we asked the front desk of our condotel to call one for us. We went to the suburbs and the meter reached AUD80 (about USD60). But the next day, we got a cab ourselves and we went to the same destination, guess how much it was? Only about AUD40 (USD30)! Half the price. Then we remembered something - when the cab driver picked us up from the condotel on our first day, we saw him hand something to the front desk as he shook the personnel's hand (must be his commission).
But on the bright side, we also had one refreshing experience with a cab driver. When we got off in the city from the Skybus, we were so exhausted from the flight (no sleep!), so we thought of taking a cab going to the hotel. The cab driver whom we approached said - it's faster if you walk than ride in my cab! Haha...
3. Accommodations could be very expensive too. We stayed in the city near the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. We couldn't find anything cheap on Agoda. :( Anyway, we ended up staying in a condotel - a 10-minute walk to the convention centre. Guess how much it costs? Php8,000++ (USD177++) per night and that's the cheapest we could get. But maybe it's also because we only booked a day before our flight.
Here's the living room and kitchen of the unit. It also had a laundry room so if your stay is long, that could be very useful.
4. We ate a lot during the trip and here are some of our interesting food finds -
5 & Dime Bagel Cafe offers bagels of various flavors (poppy, sesame, salty garlic, etc.). They also have different kinds of cream cheese and cured meat. I couldn't remember what we ordered but the bagels and cured meat were really tasty. The bagel sandwich is pricey though - AUD11 (about USD8).
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| 5 & Dime Bagel |
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| Ribs & Burgers |
Another cousin took us out for dinner in an Italian restaurant at the Crown but shame on me, I couldn't remember the restaurant's name. I was so engrossed eating 3 kinds of pizza and pasta! I tried googling it but found out there are several Italian restos at the Crown and couldn't identify which one is it. Haha....
But while at the Crown, we chanced upon F1 cars on display. It was a week before the Australian Grand Prix then.
But while at the Crown, we chanced upon F1 cars on display. It was a week before the Australian Grand Prix then.
The Merrywell. Ok, the only reason why we ate here is because we saw this sign -
My photo doesn't look appetizing though - haha... but I assure you, it's thick and juicy.
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| The Merrywell Burger |
This burger costs AUD22 (USD17).
The Merrywell is also located at Crown area. Here's a photo I took after our yummy burger meal.
6. You might want to check out ongoing exhibitions at the Melbourne Convention Centre while in the city. Some are free admission. Here are some photos I took at the Toy Expo (just in the common area since it's prohibited to take photos in the booth section).
If you're a puzzle junkie, here's one for you - the world's largest puzzle! It has 33,600 pieces! Wow...
Here's the puzzle up close.
I wonder how many people solved this? Or how long can one patient person put it together?! I couldn't even imagine myself being able to assemble a 1,000-piece puzzle! Haha....
7. If you love musicals, catch one while in Melbourne (a lot of the foreign productions brought to Manila are Australian cast and if you compare the ticket prices, the most expensive tickets in Melbourne are cheaper than the most expensive tickets in Manila).
Ideally, buy your tickets months before your trip. In our case, our trip was last minute so we didn't really have the time to plan but we still went to the theatre and lined up at the ticket returns counter. If you do take your chance at ticket returns, please bring cash since some ticket sellers only accept cash. And nope, the tix aren't discounted. Still full price.
7. Victoria Market is one of the most popular tourist attractions for shopping. But personally, I don't really like it for shopping but I like it for its colorful and happy vibe. Check these out -
I buy local fruits when I travel (not to bring home but to eat while there! Haha..).
On this trip, I bought blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, plum and nectarine (because I couldn't afford them back in Manila). Haha....
Street art - a project to promote an HIV-Free generation.
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| Victoria Market's popular doughnut truck |
There's a popular doughnut truck in Victoria Market. You won't miss it because there is a long queue all the time. My cousin made me taste the doughnuts during my trip last year but I didn't have the patience to line up this time. Haha...
What adds to the energetic vibe of Victoria Market are the artists performing. You could just stop and have a great time watching them.
One of my earliest recollections of Victoria Market on my first trip in Melbourne more than 10 years ago was watching a band perform Rock 'N Roll Music and people were dancing on the sidewalk. It was the most alive market I have ever seen!
You can find artists all over the city. So if you're like me who enjoys to watch, it'll be a lot of fun making random stops every time you spot an artist.
Here's a living statue who moves every time someone drops a coin in his can. Kids scream with delight and ask for coins from their parents until their parents run out of coins. I was entertained not just by the statue but the kids as well. :)
Here's Funky Bunny. Nice marketing idea to promote his FB fan page. :) Curious, I actually looked up his fan page and he has 8,000+ likes.
In Australia, even if you have talent, you can't just go out in the streets and perform. You have to secure a certification before you become a performing artist. So the artists that you see in streets aren't just talented individuals but real professional artists.
9. If you need to go to mass, hear mass at the St. Patrick's Cathedral.
The facade doesn't give justice to the size of the cathedral but here's the scale model. That's how big and intricate it is. There are several small chapels inside the cathedral like the ones in Europe.
Here's inside the cathedral. Usually, in most churches, you'll find women praying. Isn't it heartwarming to see these men praying?
Here are more photos I took inside the cathedral.
Wow, Saint (Pope) JP2 was here!
There was also a huge pipe organ which filled the entire cathedral with music. I went to watch the organist play. How is one able to synchronize 4 levels of keyboards plus 2 octaves of foot pedals?! I can't even synchronize a piano's 3 foot pedals! Wahaha.....
10. For shopping, I don't usually shop anymore (because most brands are already in Manila) unless there's something unique or prices are really marked down like in an outlet store. :)
There is one Outlet Store near the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre called the South Wharf DFO (Direct Factory Outlet).
