Magnificent Melbourne

Hosier Lane street art

Despite a shaky start - in the form of a strained back - Melbourne has impressed us. Maybe it's the clear blue skies, plethora of dining choices or the similarity to our old home, but we like it here.

Sunrise hot air balloons over the city

Portrait Building - (William Barak)

Closer up. You don't notice it until
you've got some distance.

We haven't come across a meal that we didn't love, wine that didn't sit well on the palate or any surly locals wondering why we were wasting their time.

Sashimi!

And a little Maki

Duck soup

Steamed bun with duck and greens

Duck thigh in soy broth

The city seems to have a reliable transit system, they worship at the alter of good food and have a passion for the outdoors that rivals Vancouver. In a nutshell, we feel at home. That's not to say that there aren't issues. Melbourne is expensive. My lunch yesterday was $20 just for the chicken burger. Sure it had beetroot compote on it, but let's be honest...that's a wee bit pricey. We made up for it by ordering $10.80 worth of sushi for dinner, but we'd likely impoverish ourselves eating out here.

Sights along the South Bank

Web Bridge

Tallest building in Melbourne The Eureka Tower
A whopping 91 floors and almost 300 metres (1000 feet) high

The city is filled with green space,  over the top architecture and people. It's a busy young city with waves of pedestrians, cyclists, skate boarders and drivers. The flow of people is truly amazing, even coming from Vancouver. We don't know what they're all doing, where they're going or why they've conglomerated downtown, but there's no doubt that the city is full.

Wild Cockatoo

Weeping Pines

I have no idea who this is

Pond at the Botanic Gardens

Fall flowers

Egret, Ibis, White Crane???

The style here is casual chic, or chic casual. You'll see men in suits, but with runners on or women in jeans and a tee, but sporting heels. There's a noted lack of neck ties and an abundance of baggy shorts, flip flops and floppy "tourist" hats. There is not shortage of brilliantly coloured hair, either. Short of running up to people and snapping their photo, I'm lacking the evidence, but it seems that blue, purple, bright red, yellow, orange or green hair (or a combination thereof) is perfectly acceptable here. 

Fitzroy Garden district

St. Patrick's Catherdral

More iron work

Penguins at St. Kilda

They hide amongst the rocks

Melbourne skyline from St. Kilda

Luna Park

 It's hard to believe that our sojourn here is over and that we're heading off to the wilds of Tasmania next. Until next time, enjoy a selection of photos from Victoria Market.
 

I miss three for a dollar!

But you can't knock the cheese selection!