A Trip to Melbourne

It was another bank holiday weekend in NZ, so we thought we'd make the most of our extra day off by taking a trip over the ditch to Oz.

Beautiful Flight over the South Island



 



Jon has visited Melbourne before, but I've never been and I didn't know what to expect. Some people make comparisons to Wellington, I think that's because they both pride themselves on good coffee, food and arts. I think Melbourne is to Sydney what Wellington is to Auckalnd- like the quirky cousin who considers themselves more fashionable, cultured and laid back than their more glitzy and glam relative.

For example, Melbourne doesn't have the breath taking and famous architecture to rival Sydney's opera house and bridge, but it's is known for it's 'laneways' in town. These are tiny little cobbled streets packed with cafes and bars- they actually reminded me a lot of Brighton. We had a lovely time strolling round them, and stopped for brunch (obviously...!). We also enjoyed looking at all the street art (graffiti), which is something that the city seems to encourage in certain places.

Laneways Cafes

Funky

Chill out time

Famous Food Markets of the World

 



Over the weekend, we went to the beach, enjoyed a glass of wine in one of suburbs, visited the markets, drove out to a place called the Dandedongs, found a great craft beer bar, and generally had a lovely time!

Melbourne is a far bigger city than Wellington, and in that respect felt a lot like London. In fact, we spent most of weekend making comparisons to various places in the UK.....

Lloyed Park, Croydon?

Bluewater, Kent?

Devon?

Even the airport felt like Gatwick!!