In the well laid out rows and columns of Melbourne’s CBD, we wanted a place that would be well connected by feet or public transport. As always, a view would be welcome, and it had to fit our budget. Oaks on William<\/a> checked all boxes, though we would have to manage breakfast on our own.<\/p>\n We used trams and the stops were always less than a 10 min walk. In case you decide to use the trains, Flagstaff station is practically right next door to Oaks. For everything else, feet on street! The Myki card is a must and can be purchased from many stores including\u00a07-Eleven ones. We filled it for $25 (+$6 for the first purchase) for a 4 day stay and that proved sufficient.<\/p>\n A little note on the trams – within CBD, there is a free tram zone<\/a>. We took a day to get the hang of it, and made utter fools of ourselves waiting for the city circle tram (#35), but once you identify the routes and stops, it is a breeze. Here’s help<\/a>. The plan section is fantastic and everything runs exactly as per the timetable.<\/p>\n For airport transfers, we pre-purchased return Skybus tickets. A journey from the airport is around 30 minutes and drops you at Southern Cross, from where there is a free shuttle that will drop you near your hotel.<\/p>\n Despite the tram 35 snafu, we managed to find our way to the things we wanted to see in the CBD area – Flinders Street Station, Federation Square,\u00a0<\/strong>St.Paul\u2019s Cathedral<\/strong>..<\/span><\/p>\n ..and Hosier Lane<\/strong> for the wonderful street art before taking a break for lunch. There was a lot of construction happening, but it wasn’t too disruptive. All of these are walking distance from each other.<\/p>\n Sea Life (tickets online are cheaper) was our first stop after lunch and D had great fun there, like all the other children! The penguins were quite a sight and I was surprised to see their speed in the water, especially after seeing them waddle around on snow-covered terra firma. This takes roughly an hour, and you can customise as per your interest\/time available.\u00a0The other obvious place to see is the MCG, if you’re into cricket, but we skipped the tour.<\/p>\n The Eureka Skydeck<\/strong> was next on the agenda, but we wanted to time it around sunset, so we lounged around the Yarra promenade and watched the world go by. A nice break from all the walking around that we had been doing!<\/p>\n We’re suckers for a good skyline view and therefore obviously loved the skydeck, though you would definitely get a sense of deja vu if you’ve been to similar ones anywhere else.<\/p>\n If you have around 2-2.5 hours to spare, you must make a trip to\u00a0Fitzroy<\/strong>, a 15-20 minute trip from the central district. It’s quite the hipster central, but you’ll find some excellent street art. This map<\/a> is helpful, but use this only as a broad guide.<\/p>\n Follow the bylanes, take a few detours and you’ll discover more treasures.<\/p>\n St.Kilda:\u00a0<\/strong>Our Skydive rendezvous point was St.Kilda, but irrespective of that, this should be on the agenda. Our original plan was to finish the skydive and spend the rest of the day in St.Kilda, and probably visit Brighton Beach as well. But weather played spoilsport and our skydive actually happened around sunset!<\/p>\n Skydive Australia: <\/strong>We were originally scheduled to start at 11, but winds delayed it so much that we started around 5. We were driven to a small airport nearby. That took almost 45 minutes and was the only boring part. While technically one has nothing much to do other than fall since it’s a tandem jump, it’s a thrilling few minutes!\u00a0Watching the sunset while falling from the sky is a surreal experience.<\/p>\n Great Ocean Road: <\/strong>We had arranged a full day sunset tour with Go West<\/a>. A lot of people drive themselves and plan a stay somewhere on GOR. The coastline is fantastic and if you have the time, you should definitely consider that. Our tour was wonderful all thanks to Leonie, our driver and guide, who ensured that despite the weather trying to play truant, we had a great time. She really loved what she was doing and it showed. Her playlist was great – we began with Pet Shop Boys’ Go West and never looked back! A stop at Dooleys at Apollo Bay not only got us some excellent ice-cream, but also alerted us to the existence of Vegemite ice cream. Vegemite<\/a> deserves a note – it’s loved by those who grew up eating it, but the rest of us might wonder what evil mind thought of it!<\/p>\n The eats – lunch and dinner – were probably the only meh part of the experience, though we managed to spot a couple of koalas when we stopped for lunch. There were also some very pretty birds around. The coastline offers ah! moments at practically every turn, and this despite the clouds.<\/p>\n Gibson steps<\/strong> serves as a good appetiser to the Twelve Apostles. Apparently, 70 steps take you to the beach, but given that the same steps have to be used on the way back, we were happy that we only took a few photos before moving on to the next stop.<\/p>\n Loch Ard Gorge<\/strong> was a very picturesque stop. There are various paths you can explore, and the place had a Titanic style backstory too. Involving a shipwreck, and (only) two teenage survivors, it featured a not-so-perfect ending since the two didn’t end up marrying each other, as everyone around would have liked, especially since the boy had saved the girl from being drowned.<\/p>\n And finally, the Twelve Apostles.<\/strong>\u00a0But it is built on a lie, we realised! There were never twelve, and the number right now is 7! But it was too late to turn back or ask for a refund, so we let it be. In any case, it made a lovely picture at sunset, despite a reluctant sun, so we couldn’t really complain.<\/p>\n Movida<\/a> was our lunch spot on the first day. Since it’s on Hosier Lane, it fit in well with our agenda. Apparently, it’s quite an iconic place. While we had some good food, the small portion sizes were not enough for our famished selves. A trip to the Ben & Jerry nearby solved this, though it left my tee and jacket looking like it had survived an ice cream avalanche!<\/p>\n Our friend P had said that Ponyfish Island<\/strong><\/a> was a must-visit, and that’s where we started out on the first evening. Getting a place is not very easy, so be patient, and you’ll find standing space soon! We were lucky enough to get a couple of chairs, and the view was excellent.<\/p>\n Ponyfish isn’t famous for food options, so we walked to Riverland<\/a><\/strong>, a microbrewery, for more drinks and food. This is located below Federation Square and offers some nice beer and good pork, though we didn’t really like the mulled wine that D tried. Since it was on the riverside,\u00a0 the view was excellent too.<\/p>\n Operator 25<\/strong><\/a>, which was right behind Oaks, was our go-to place for breakfast. We did discover more options, but none this close, and with a good rating. The food was absolutely fantastic and filling, but we did end up paying more than what we sometimes did for lunch!<\/p>\n Hipster central i.e. Fitzroy had a highly rated breakfast place called Proud Mary<\/a>. As behooves its location and reputation, a signage was absent. At least we couldn’t find it! We got in just in time because there were was a long waiting line by the time we left. The place is famous for their coffee. Leonie’s tip was that the snootier such places, the better the coffee. But this one was an exception, since they were friendly folk and D loved her coffee. I couldn’t say no to a hot chocolate option! Being true to the spirit of the place, D ordered an avocado + kim chi toast!<\/p>\n At St.Kilda, we had one of the best meals we had during the entire vacation at Donovans<\/a>.<\/strong> We’d have loved a table facing the beach, but the amazing decor and great food ensured that we really couldn’t complain. D was captivated by the loo, and said this was the best loo she had been in, ever! With handbags, accessories and vinyl as decor, it’s difficult to argue on that!<\/p>\n Another microbrewery we tried was\u00a0Crafty Squire<\/a>. Though it was a little desolate when we walked in, things soon picked up and there was even a live music act. A couple of the craft beers were really good, though we found the food only just about ok.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Dinner on the GOR trip was an adventure, or rather, we made it one. The dinner stop was at a small town called Colac, and the best options available were McD and KFC, partly because it was late by the time we reached. Since we were a little tired of the burger, pizza, bread act, we decided to try out a small place called Noodle Canteen that Leonie had mentioned served some good fare, and allowed take away. Unfortunately, we overestimated the amount of time that’s available in 30 minutes (!) It took 20 minutes for the food to arrive, though watching them cook at a dizzying pace was an experience in itself. The food was tasty and hot and we left with burning tongues and a half full stomach.<\/p>\n If I haven’t mentioned how super sweet Leonie is, now is a good time. While we were watching the sunset at Twelve Apostles, she made us a list of her favourite rooftop bars. I had requested her to do this since the previous day, we had gotten “lost” in Chinatown hunting for the Rooftop Bar. Apparently hidden bars in Melbourne are a thing, and there are ones with the entry behind bookshelves, mirrors, and even inside cupboards!<\/p>\n Union Electric<\/a> topped her list and had a normal entrance, and since it was in my go-to places as well, we decided to drop in before calling it a day. The rooftop was busy, so we stayed on the ground floor. Great vibe, though we also realised we were getting too old for this! Not too old for the excellent drinks though.<\/p>\n A main attraction in the central district is the Queen Victoria Market<\/strong>. This was a 6 minute walk from the hotel and we spent a couple of hours one morning, when D went into full shopping mode. The pricing isn’t really low, but you get a bunch of things in one place – from souvenirs to apparel to decor and so on. It’s also a good breakfast option if you can make it early enough. Note the timings<\/a> before you go so you don’t miss out.<\/p>\n We spent 4 days in Melbourne. Our flight arrived around noon, and we managed to visit all the places in CBD\u00a0on the first day itself. The second day was skydiving and St.Kilda, and on the third we went for the GOR tour. On the last day, we spent a couple of hours in Fitzroy, and then spent the rest of a wonderful day with friends. We realised that we had never had a chance to do this before – visiting friends while on vacation. Thanks to a couple of kids, one of whom was using the day off for science experiments (!), and excellent conversations, this was a welcome and thoroughly enjoyable part of the trip!<\/p>\n Also read: Cairns<\/a>, Sydney<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Melbourne was a pre-favourite because of many factors – the Great Ocean Road, meeting friends, and skydiving! While Melbourne does not have the laid-back feel of Cairns, it compensated with great food, splendid street art, and a casual vibe.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5816,17],"tags":[5853,5852,5840,5833,5832,5847,5837,5835,5844,5851,5838,5850,5848,5855,5842,5849,5839,5843,5836,5834,5846,5854,5841],"class_list":["post-13916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia","category-travel","tag-crafty-squire","tag-donovans","tag-eureka-skydeck","tag-federation-square","tag-flinders-street-station","tag-gibson-steps","tag-great-ocean-road","tag-hosier-lane","tag-loch-ard-gorge","tag-movida","tag-oaks-on-william","tag-operator-25","tag-ponyfish-island","tag-proud-mary","tag-queen-victoria-market","tag-riverland","tag-sea-life-melbourne","tag-skydive-australia","tag-st-kilda","tag-st-pauls-cathedral","tag-twelve-apostles","tag-union-electric","tag-yarra-promenade"],"aioseo_notices":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13916"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13990,"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13916\/revisions\/13990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/manuscrypts.com\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/collage1-1024x478.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGet Around<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n
See\/Do<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nEat\/Drink<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nShop<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Itinerary<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n