Melbourne - A walk in the park
April 26th 2011 07:00
It’s Autumn and still a good time to visit Melbourne. The air is cold, but it generally gets a bit cooler in Melbourne compared to other states. Maybe it’s the winds coming from the south or perhaps it's just psychological. Either way, it’s nothing a good coat can’t handle.
The flight from Sydney is only 1 1/2hrs and a self-drive approximately 9hrs non-stop. This time I’ve opted for a flight out with local airline ‘Jetstar’ to the airport closest to the city centre: Tullamarine.
There is an atmosphere of energy and creativity that sits like a shroud over this city. Along every street are artistic sculptures and the window displays have gone the extra mile to be visually appealing. Even the alleys host trendy cafes, cozy restaurants and designer boutiques.
The first day is spent visiting the many parks and gardens across the city. All are a short ride away upon the city circle tram. A convenient, frequent and free mode of transport from one side of the city to the other.
South of Flinders Street station, along St Kilda Rd, is the ‘Royal Botanic Gardens’. I feel like I’ve been transported into a Jane Austen novel, surrounded by landscaped gardens, neat trimmed jade and emerald lawns, duck ponds and stone fountains.
North of the Botanic Gardens, cornered by Wellington Parade and Lansdowne St are the ‘Fitzroy Gardens’. The pathways lined with close knit trees that entwine overhead must look beautiful in spring, but at this time, the trees are bare.
While in these gardens I decide to pay a visit to Cooks’ Cottage (the home of Captain James Cook). This cottage is a tight squeeze and probably not worth the time and money for a non-history buff. On display are tools and objects owned by the Cook family and a vegetable garden with a board cutout to poke the head through and take a photo. There’s something eerie about those cutouts, so I leave them and continue over to the model Tudor Village where I get to see miniature versions of Shakespeare’s home and various cottages.
Northwest along Victoria St, an easy tram ride away, are the Carlton Gardens. The walk up the main path leads to a grand sculptured fountain set before a high-domed building known as the Royal Exhibition Building (said to be one of the world’s oldest of its kind). The building carries an air of elegance and timelessness and is the perfect final destination from a day of exploration through greenery.
The flight from Sydney is only 1 1/2hrs and a self-drive approximately 9hrs non-stop. This time I’ve opted for a flight out with local airline ‘Jetstar’ to the airport closest to the city centre: Tullamarine.
There is an atmosphere of energy and creativity that sits like a shroud over this city. Along every street are artistic sculptures and the window displays have gone the extra mile to be visually appealing. Even the alleys host trendy cafes, cozy restaurants and designer boutiques.
The first day is spent visiting the many parks and gardens across the city. All are a short ride away upon the city circle tram. A convenient, frequent and free mode of transport from one side of the city to the other.
South of Flinders Street station, along St Kilda Rd, is the ‘Royal Botanic Gardens’. I feel like I’ve been transported into a Jane Austen novel, surrounded by landscaped gardens, neat trimmed jade and emerald lawns, duck ponds and stone fountains.
North of the Botanic Gardens, cornered by Wellington Parade and Lansdowne St are the ‘Fitzroy Gardens’. The pathways lined with close knit trees that entwine overhead must look beautiful in spring, but at this time, the trees are bare.
While in these gardens I decide to pay a visit to Cooks’ Cottage (the home of Captain James Cook). This cottage is a tight squeeze and probably not worth the time and money for a non-history buff. On display are tools and objects owned by the Cook family and a vegetable garden with a board cutout to poke the head through and take a photo. There’s something eerie about those cutouts, so I leave them and continue over to the model Tudor Village where I get to see miniature versions of Shakespeare’s home and various cottages.
Northwest along Victoria St, an easy tram ride away, are the Carlton Gardens. The walk up the main path leads to a grand sculptured fountain set before a high-domed building known as the Royal Exhibition Building (said to be one of the world’s oldest of its kind). The building carries an air of elegance and timelessness and is the perfect final destination from a day of exploration through greenery.
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