Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, vast swathes of fire and drought ravaged areas of Australia would be battling torrential rains and floods? This is without question Australia – a continent of extreme contrasts. Over the last week, flooding rains have extinguished fires, filled up dams and given our farmers some much needed breathing space. Hallelujah!
I count myself lucky because I’ve traded the flooding rains in Queensland for the sunny delights of Melbourne, a city I never tire of, and fused it with a few days in the Yarra Valley sampling some fine wines.
I had just two days in Melbourne and I gave it my all. Nothing disappointed: Queen Victoria Markets and its delis were fabulous, the Yarra River was lively, Melbourne’s laneways were just right for coffee and street art, and the arcades and architecture gracing the inner city were impressive. I cherry picked my best Melbourne moments for these photos.
Queen Victoria MarketsLively Yarra RiverSculptures on the YarraFederation Square Beach complete with beach chairs, beach images and sounds on the big screenSt Pauls Anglican Cathedral built in 1880Impressive Flinders St StationOpposite Flinders St Station is the landmark Young and Jackson Hotel and in the bar upstairs is the famous Chloe (a French barmaid), Australia’s most famous nude painting.Spanish/Moorish Majorca building at end of Degraves LaneDegraves Cafe with its reclaimed cinema seatsCentre Place lanewayHopetoun Tea Rooms in Block ArcadeRoyal ArcadeHosier Lane with its street art is a drawcard for tourists. During our stay, the laneway’s art work was spray painted over. Art or vandalism? The community is divided.Good to see the koala art wasn’t painted over.The very impressive State LibraryI love a library and this one with its architecture and fabulous exhibitions was a favourite.Ned Kelly’s armour in the State LibraryNext stop: Yarra Valley
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