my melbourne

There was an article in the paper today complaining Victoria was short changed in the latest Australian tourism campaign. According to the paper, one of the attractions that should have made the list is a shopping trip to Chadstone. I couldn’t think of anything worse.

When people come to visit me, these are some of the things I like to suggest:

Penguin Parade

Fairy penguins are not only found at Phillip Island, but the Island is certainly the best place to see them doing their thing, and to see just how small they are.

There was a time people could just roll up and trample all over their burrows, but now we’ve done the right thing and taken steps to protect them which means entrance to the nightly parade is not free. But it’s worth every cent.

Standing out in the cold at Phillip Island is also a good way to prepare yourself for a trip to Ballarat.

The Queen Vic Market

This clip focuses on the food hall and fresh veg, but it does include a shot of the most important attraction: The 4 million year old van that sells hot jam donuts.

You won’t see Morris Dancers at the market every time you go, but there is often some big multicultural thingy happening, or interesting buskers.

Towards the end of the clip is a brief shot of “stuff”, and a Sunday trip to the market is a great opportunity to wander through miles and miles of stalls selling “stuff”. If you like "stuff".

Walking Melbourne

For such a young city Melbourne has some amazing old buildings, and setting out with a walking-tour guide-book in hand can be a great way to spend a day.

The Royal Arcade and the Block Arcade are a must, as is a stop in one of the old tearooms. [There’s even a rather pleasant tea room at Young and Jacksons Hotel].

Also on the must-see list is the old commercial and legal district, many of the buildings with interesting mosaics.

History is part of the appeal of these buildings, but you have to see them to feel the stories.

Fauna

The Melbourne Zoo is a great place to spend a day, but a visit to the Healesville Sanctuary can be combined with a day trip into the country. From there, it’s possible to take some detours on the way home and maybe catch Koalas, Wallabies or Wombats doing their own thing au naturel.

Churches

My own personal weakness is Churches. [Our first trip to Rome was just Hell for The Other, so now we negotiate churches at the trip planning stage.]

St Patricks Roman Catholic Cathedral, East Melbourne

Although this is described in one YouTube clip as St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, it’s definitely one of my mob’s, built with money from the gold rush days.

My motto is you should never be shy about going into churches, no matter what your background or conviction, so long as you are respectful. If you know you would visit St Peters if you were in Rome, then you should see this joint if you are in Melbourne.

The acoustics are astonishing, so I’ve no idea why somebody installed mikes and speakers around the place which just make the services incomprehensible.

This building grew out of a vision, is huge and impressive, and often empty.

St Francis’ Catholic Church in Lonsdale St Melbourne provides a stark contrast – small in scale, built smack bang in the heart of the city, and nearly always crowded. I’ve dragged lots of shy people inside over the years and, whether they were simply being polite or not, they’ve all said they were glad they went in.

More Religion

You can watch an Australian Open Tennis match on the TV at home without visiting Melbourne. 


If you are a sports-nut, what you really ought to see while you are here is an Aussie-rules football match. If it’s the wrong season, or if it’s winter and you can survive without the atmosphere, stay home with me and watch a replay of the 1993 Grand Final. [My team always wins.]

There’s a whole swag of things to see and do in Victoria, but shopping at Chadstone would be at the bottom of my list of priorities.