After an amazing week in Port Douglas I decided to fly to Melbourne. Since none of my friends were able to join me, this was the first part of the trip I was really doing on my own, which was a bit daunting to begin with! I knew that I really wanted to see Melbourne though, and so regardless of who was or wasn't able to make it, I was going to explore this city!
When I say I was alone, that is true for the most part. I flew there and back on my own, stayed in a hostel on my own and explored the city on my own. However, one of my friends from uni happened to have just moved to Melbourne, so I met up with her and her boyfriend to go to the museum the first day, and for dinner the second day, so it was nice to see a friendly face! Spending time in a new city on my own, however, wasn't half as scary as I thought it might be. I'm comfortable in big cities - as long as there are signposts and lots of people around I'm happy!
Flinders Street Station
The first day I wandered along Flinders Street where my hostel happened to be, and found myself at Federation Square. According to wikipedia Fed Square is a civic centre and culutral precinct in Melbourne, and was opened in 2002. It's such an interesting space, the buildings are angular and the pavement is covered in writing, and it's often used for big events in the city. St Paul's Cathedral sits across the road on one side, while Flinders Street Station (pictured above!) sits on the other side.
St Paul's Cathedral pictured from Fed Square
I then headed off past Fed Square and took a walk through the Queen Victoria Gardens, before turning back and heading past the Natinal Gallery of Victoria and the Melbourne Arts Centre.
After exploring that part of the city I set off down one of the many interesting little lanes Melbourne has to offer! I chose Degraves Street, a narrow little lane off Flinders Street which is full of cute cafes and restaurants, book shops and jewellery shops, and it has such a good atmosphere. My friend Stacy and I ended up having lunch in one of the cafes here and it was so lovely to sit outside (even though it was cloudy!) and people watch while we caught up!
That afternoon Stacy and I headed off to the Melbourne Museum where we met her boyfriend and spent a good couple of hours wandering around the different sections. We got there mid-afternoon, but you could easily spend most of the day there, and at just $10 standard entry it's not a bad deal.
When the museum closed at 5pm we went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Richmond, another part of the city just a train ride away, and had a really nice meal before I headed back to the hostel! The hostel I stayed in was the Melbourne Central YHA and it was great. I was in a four share girls dorm, with three other really nice girls, and the bed was perfectly comfortable. The staff were lovely and while I didn't actually use the kitchen, the bathroom was amazing! The showers were huge and always perfectly clean, with a shelf to put your shampoo etc on - they were the best showers of the three hostels I've stayed in in Australia!
Keep your eyes peeled for Melbourne Part 2 which features a very exciting trip to a famous television street...
Thanks so much for reading, let me know what you've been up to in the comments below :)
When I say I was alone, that is true for the most part. I flew there and back on my own, stayed in a hostel on my own and explored the city on my own. However, one of my friends from uni happened to have just moved to Melbourne, so I met up with her and her boyfriend to go to the museum the first day, and for dinner the second day, so it was nice to see a friendly face! Spending time in a new city on my own, however, wasn't half as scary as I thought it might be. I'm comfortable in big cities - as long as there are signposts and lots of people around I'm happy!
Flinders Street Station
The first day I wandered along Flinders Street where my hostel happened to be, and found myself at Federation Square. According to wikipedia Fed Square is a civic centre and culutral precinct in Melbourne, and was opened in 2002. It's such an interesting space, the buildings are angular and the pavement is covered in writing, and it's often used for big events in the city. St Paul's Cathedral sits across the road on one side, while Flinders Street Station (pictured above!) sits on the other side.
St Paul's Cathedral pictured from Fed Square
I then headed off past Fed Square and took a walk through the Queen Victoria Gardens, before turning back and heading past the Natinal Gallery of Victoria and the Melbourne Arts Centre.
After exploring that part of the city I set off down one of the many interesting little lanes Melbourne has to offer! I chose Degraves Street, a narrow little lane off Flinders Street which is full of cute cafes and restaurants, book shops and jewellery shops, and it has such a good atmosphere. My friend Stacy and I ended up having lunch in one of the cafes here and it was so lovely to sit outside (even though it was cloudy!) and people watch while we caught up!
That afternoon Stacy and I headed off to the Melbourne Museum where we met her boyfriend and spent a good couple of hours wandering around the different sections. We got there mid-afternoon, but you could easily spend most of the day there, and at just $10 standard entry it's not a bad deal.
When the museum closed at 5pm we went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Richmond, another part of the city just a train ride away, and had a really nice meal before I headed back to the hostel! The hostel I stayed in was the Melbourne Central YHA and it was great. I was in a four share girls dorm, with three other really nice girls, and the bed was perfectly comfortable. The staff were lovely and while I didn't actually use the kitchen, the bathroom was amazing! The showers were huge and always perfectly clean, with a shelf to put your shampoo etc on - they were the best showers of the three hostels I've stayed in in Australia!
Keep your eyes peeled for Melbourne Part 2 which features a very exciting trip to a famous television street...
Thanks so much for reading, let me know what you've been up to in the comments below :)
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