The City of Melbourne

Although I've only been in Melbourne for 2 weeks now, I feel as though I have a pretty good lay of the land.  Here are some of the landmarks I've stumbled upon that any traveler should definitely check out if they make it to this great city!

The Yarra Trams:

The trams in Melbourne are considered to be one of the best laid public transportation systems in the world.  They quickly and efficiently get you from one end of the city to the other and are very friendly to foreign travelers.  I have spent my fair share on these trams, trekking across downtown Melbourne!


Victoria State Library:

  The Victoria State Library is a great place to sit back, read a book, see a cool exhibit, or catch up on some free internet (as I did my first week here).  It's a nice break from the modern downtown skyscrapers lining the Central Business District of Melbourne.  Located directly across from Melbourne Central, it is near the center of the city and is a bustling place.


Melbourne Central:

 Melbourne Central is a unique shopping center located directly across from the State Library.  With its center housing a former bullet factory under a huge glass cone roof, Melbourne Central is a great place to find some new clothes or a cell phone (as I did when I first arrived here).


Also, Melbourne Central has several pubs such as China Bar and Lion's Club which make it a center for Melbourne night life.  This place is a must see for anyone day or night.




Victoria Parliament Building:

 I don't know too much about the Parliament Building other than it houses the State Parliament for Victoria, the state in which Melbourne resides.  What I can tell you is that it's a hot place to take wedding photos (as I saw on the Saturday that I visited) and that there are free tours inside (of which I didn't participate).

Eureka Tower and Melbourne skyline: 

Taken from the King's Domain outdoor amphitheater, we can see the Eureka Tower on the left and various other business towers of the Central Business District.  Labeled at the "highest skydeck in the southern hemisphere", the tower provides an excellent view of the city (or so I'm told... the time I went up the clouds were so low and thick that we could not see anything!).

 King's Domain itself is a great destination, with beautiful gardens and a ton of green space amidst a busy city.  Just south of the Yarra River, it reminds me a lot of Central Park in New York.  Definitely come here to take a stroll, listen to a concert, or even watch an outdoor movie.  I've done all three so far and have found it quite nice.


 Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG):

 The MCG houses both professional Cricket and Aussie Rules Football matches.  Seating somewhere around 110,000 people, this stadium is absolutely massive.  Every other year, Australia and England play a cricket match known as the "battle for the ashes" in this stadium:  a grueling 5 days of cricket!  This is the traditional spot for Melbourne cricket clubs since the mid 1800's and thousands still gather to watch this British inspired pastime.


Queen Victoria Markets:

The Vic Markets are a great place to find anything - and I mean anything - that one would want or need.  Two blocks wide and three blocks long, this market is huge and is open during daylight hours.  If you ever need produce, gift items, meat, or useful little nicknacks, this is the place to be.  Open since 1878, the Vic Markets have a rich history deeply associated with Melbourne.


As you probably figured, there is much more to Melbourne that what I've shown here.  I've tried to show some of the more important places, but the beauty of this city is that there is so much more to discover than what a tour book of the city can tell you.  After some adventuring, you get the lay of the land, and it just makes you want to go out on a warm after noon and look for something new!  I definitely picked a great city in which to do my exchange!

Anyway, watch out in a couple days for my recap on Orientation week (O-week).  It was quite the roller coaster!  By the way, the residential college I am living in has a dog, her name is Honey:

I swear that she is part dingo.  She definitely looks like there's some dingo in her.  But in any case, Honey's an absolute sweetheart and enjoys chasing dragon flies and getting her belly rubbed.  It's nice to have a pet on this side of the world!

I hope you enjoyed the mini-tour of Melbourne!

-Paul