Monday in Melbourne

Up early Monday morning in anticipation of exploring beautiful Melbourne! After coffee and a quick bite to eat, strolled along the river and made our way to Federation Square to catch the hop on/hop off bus - such a great way to see places and learn about the history and culture of a city. We started on the “red route” which took us through the city for about an hour and a half, pointing out such landmarks as the Eureka Skydeck building, the South Wharf and District Docklands, Marvel Stadium, the Queen Victoria Market (closed Monday but a definite must see on Tuesday!), the Royal Melbourne Zoo, Little Italy, Chinatown and the MCG Stadium - home to cricket and Aussie Rules Football. After a wind blown, top deck ride, we walked over to the Eureka Skydeck and took the speedy elevator up 88 floors for magnificent 360 degree views of Melbourne - pretty spectacular, and a little “vertigo inducing” when you stand close to the edge and look down!

From there, we grabbed some lunch from one of the amazing food courts, and headed back to Federation Square to take the bus on the second “black line” which took us to South Melbourne along the St. Kilda route. We got off the bus at the gorgeous St. Kilda beach, which was packed with locals and tourists soaking up the beautiful 30 degree plus sunny day, and Dave dipped his toes in the Tasman Sea! Took a stroll along the boardwalk and ended up on Acland Street, a funky pedestrian and tram-only shopping and food area, where we stopped for a cold one and took in the ambiance of the area. After a couple of hours, we rejoined the bus tour seeing the gorgeous homes along the beachfront, and the Station pier, where the car and passenger ferry departs for the 11 hour trip to Tasmania. Then back into Melbourne and to our hotel for a bit of a rest!

We had tickets to go back up the Eureka Skytower at night, so after a nice dinner at an Irish pub, headed back there to watch the sunset (unfortunately it was cloudy) and to see the city sparkle after dark - beautiful! Left there and walked along the river to the gigantic Crown Casino, where I had to donate some $$$ to the slot machines! I actually broke even, so all was good 😂😂! After a long day, headed back the hotel for a well deserved sleep after clocking over 17km on our tired feet!Read more