A gentle way of moving to the other side is transitioning through something familiar but slightly bigger. I decided to take my brother to Melbourne & then start my journey to the north via Sydney.

Melbourne is a city full of art, music and culture and somehow manages to merge some of the English architecture with the modern Australian infrastructure. It’s been a city that has always held my interest- even so bringing me back a second time. This trip with my brother & was a good chance for him to experience what this city has to offer first hand and also build his own opinion of it.

The bustling, colourful city has something happening all the time and the grid like pattern of the streets makes it very easy to navigate even if you’re a first time traveller. The trams run frequently in the central city- otherwise the trains are a secondary option and are fast & convenient.

There are many things to busy yourself with from the Eureka Tower, Yarra River, Sea Life Aquarium right through to more character places like The Old Gaol Musuem & Brunswick St in Fitzroy. Melbourne is a city that appeals to anyone at any given age range. To some it may seem pretentious & uptight but the main thing is to let yourself go & let Melbourne do the talking…

    EUREKA TOWER 

  Melbourne Sea Life Aquarium

For me as a traveller I don’t like doing the tick box things but rather experience the place with all 5 senses engaged. I like emerging myself into the lifestyle of the people and immerse myself in activities that are less “touristy”. For this I highly recommend getting lost a little in the city and also travelling out to the outer suburbs. Melbourne is quite quirky like that and features a lot of “laneways” that have a lot of eclectic tucked away cafes & restaurants waiting for their next customers. Hosier Lane & Brunswick St are the more popular ones and are a must do if you’re into 70’s settings, clothing & records right through to modern day naturopath food stores. Hosier Lane boasts graffiti art of various themes from movies & music right through to controversial political postings.

    Brunswick Street- Fitzroy

     Hosier Lane

    Queen Victoria Markets

There are a lot of sights and sounds to take in and Melbourne being the quieter sibling of Sydney does that very job at a slower pace. There are loads of different hubs to cater to different pallets of cultures. You’ve got the Greek Precinct, Chinatown, Jewish Quarter and so on. Having all these things may sometimes make one regresses back to the familiar. For my brother his highlights had to be China Town & Krispy Kreme donuts. 😀

  China Town

The highlight for my brother and I had to be the Melbourne Old Gaol Museum. The infamous prison where many of the Victoria’s most dangerous were held including the notorious Ned Kelly. This museum did a very good job with not only providing vital information but also engaging the visitors by having “real life” situations where dummy’s are kept in rooms and one can feel the claustrophobia first hand. The highlight was the bonus watch house tour where a sergeant in charge treats you like a “prisoner” and you experience a day in the life of an accused awaiting trial.

 

This was a beautiful adventure that I was fortunate enough to share with my brother before my journey onward. This is a city of convenience and vibrancy. Hope this insight helps make some non “touristy” choices whilst there.