Given it was ANZAC Weekend and I hadn't been out of Sydney other than to Newcastle for a day trip with a former job, I randomly decided to book a trip to Melbourne. I've never been crash hot on Melbourne, always preferring Sydney and not understanding what the fuss with Melbourne was. There has always been a rivalry between the two cities, with people either being on Team Sydney or Team Melbourne. I'm still Team Sydney but I don't hate Melbourne and I'm bound to visit again. It really does have its own culture as shown in the two photographs below.
(Photographer: Liz Shaw, Location: Swanston Street entrance of Flinders Station)
I decided I would go with an open mind, so I hopped on my train from Sydney to Melbourne. That's another blog post entirely though.
As we got closer and arrived at Broadmeadows on the outskirts of Melbourne I started getting excited about arriving in Melbourne, with a list of things I wanted to do.
I arrived at Southern Cross Station and thought, "well Melbourne you're not half bad at all. In fact, I dare say, I kind of like you." I noticed the buildings in the distance, and I'm a city slicker so buildings and bright lights excite me.
I was a little lost once I departed the train and tried to figure out where to get a cab. This was super easy and I found one within a couple of minutes. I hopped in the cab and the cabbie thought I was nuts for only staying in Melbourne a couple of days but I explained I had work to do. I said I'd be back in Melbourne though.
I stayed at Breakfree in Preston. Preston is approximately 10kms from the city, and this was odd for me as I'm used to living right in the city, however transport was so easy to use and it was easy to travel with the Myki card on the trams. I stayed in Preston because I booked my accommodation the same day I arrived in Melbourne so given this short notice it was impossible to find a place in the city. As the cabbie explained to me, by the time I'd factored in cab fares it would've been cheaper or the same price to stay in the city and he was right. I will bear that in mind for next time I'm in Melbourne.
I didn't see much of Melbourne only seeing Federation Square, Swanston Street, Flinders Station, Prahran and St Kilda Road. I tried to go to St Kilda Beach but I only got to the suburb of St Kilda and then I got lost.
The city is so incredibly clean. It's insane how clean it is compared to Sydney, and there are more clear rubbish bins.
Prahran is a few kms from the city on the way to South Yarra. It is amazing for anyone who loves their coffee or their designer shopping. I'm from Sydney so the shops there were no big deal because I can shop anywhere. If however you're from a small town then I recommend Prahran.
If you're a coffee connoisseur this is the ideal location too. Chapel Street is filled with outdoor cafe seating. It really is quite the view when you're not used to seeing things like that.
I had wanted to go to St Kilda Beach. I'd also wanted to see the Shrine of Remembrance, Docklands, the Southbank, the Yarra River (which I only caught glimpses of), Collins Street and Parliament. I did however see a small part of Collins Street on my way to Southern Cross Station to get my train back to Sydney. It was at night time though so I didn't really see much.
Melbourne and Sydney are such different cities. The two simply aren't comparable. Would I live in Melbourne? No because it's cold and it doesn't have many beaches, and I love Sydney, but I would definitely holiday there again.
Next time I will visit Melbourne for longer rather than just a fleeting visit but I did discover that it's rep for good transport is true. The trams are amazing, and I did discover another thing. I don't hate Melbourne but a couple of days simply isn't enough to really see the city.
Southern Cross Station might be newer but Flinders Street is much more iconic. It's a gorgeous building and reminded me of Sydney's QVB building on George Street.
Melbourne is very welcoming and an easy city to get around. I recommend anyone would visit it. When you don't know what to expect from a city you're best to just go for a short time to see what you think. Given I'm left wanting more I would say it was the ideal length of time for a first time visit.
Next time I would stay right in the city and go for at least three days, and even then I doubt I'd see everything I'd want to.
Melbourne impressed. The tram network really is incredible.
Two days is not enough time to really see Melbourne. It's enough to say "hi" to the city but not a lot more. I plan to go back for Queen's Birthday Weekend in June.
