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Tuesday 30 December 2014

Melbourne - the place to be in

" if you want to have the best coffee .. Sip it up in Melbourne city not for nothing is it known as the coffee capital of the world " .. That's the first salvo I heard from a friend who was a student development officer with Sydney while I was in Aussieland for a professional cum personal reason. They say too much coffee is not a good thing but then when you get a coffee which is a concoction of soy and dandelion one is never enough...and everyone irrespective of physical proportions wears black .Black is the colour to be seen in Melbourne city and if you see red shirts walking the streets , don't be startled .. They are city volunteers with a wealth of information on their finger tips who will point you to the next available block. If you like dancing and are passionate about music .. Streets here have musical names and while the rest of the world goes digital , there are about 50 vinyl record stores around Melbourne.like the popular saying goes there are no free lunches in the world , well to tweak it a bit .. There are no free tram rides in the world but in Melbourne there is one tram which is free .. The maroon city circle tram. I walked into a post office here to send a post card and I was pleasantly surprised .. You can buy flowers .. Now where have you have seen, smelt and bought flowers in a post office. Street art surrounds you everywhere here , Melbourne's cobbled stoned lane ways are plastered with graffiti and pencil art. Australia's sporting giant , the Melbourne cricket ground can seat more than a lakh people comfortably .. In short a sporting stadium where you could fit a city in. This is a city where residents get right of way in the city centre-a large portion of Bourke street , the shopping Mecca in the heart of the city has been a pedestrian and tram only mall since 1983. The queen Victoria market is full of old world charm where you get cheap strawberries and feta cheese in the same breath. The soapbox on the state library lawns is always open for whenever wants to come in.One can always venture into a pub on a week night for some performance poetry. I love cycling and I was in for a big surprise .. There are 670 kilometres of bike paths which could get one to Canberra with 10 Kms to spare. The penguin parade on Phillip Island is a parade one should never miss for a couple of reasons - the drive to the Philip Island and
the freedom with which the penguins are allowed to indulge in their habitats makes for a really cold 
spectacle .. One thing that distinguishes Melbourne from other cities is that the average man or woman on the streets will say that the arts and cultures are the unique selling points of this city and everyone here is really proud of what Melbourne is as a place and what it offers to all and sundry. So what's your Melbourne quotient ( MQ)?

10 comments:

cruxrebels said...

Great post! I’d most like to visit the Dandenong Ranges for it’s scenic beauty, breathtaking view and cool breeze blowing through my hair. :P I’d give anything away for driving through the winding roads which are present throughout the ranges. I’d love to stay at one of the bed and breakfast cottages and go on frequent excursions in the forests with my camera which provides excellent views. And not to forget the famous ride in the Puffing Billy, a day reserved especially for that. To add to that, there are also several picnic spots for me and my friends to spend a fun-filled day and the ranges are a perfect spot for hiking and cycling.

Pingback: https://cruxrebels.wordpress.com/2014/12/24/melbourne-the-place-to-be-see/

Wish you and your blog a happy new year! :D

Anonymous said...

I'd love to visit Panny's amazing world of chocolate. I am aself-confessed chocoholic and my life revolves around a chocolate, a day. So... To me, Panny's world is that page straight out from a fairytale (Willy Wonka ;)) Chocolateis my first love and the only love that stayed with me after all years. The succulent texture of various chocolates, the warmth it offers, the melting liquid chocolate bubbling over the tongue... I can go on and one abput chocolates. Chocolates are my best friends, the one I need when I am in bad mood to bring me back.
And next, I'd love to visit Eureka Skydock. Watching the world from above,it is a magical feeling and I'd love to experience the magic.

Ranjith said...

Nice post. And pretty well explained. I absolutely loved the way you described the places in detail. Your post gives me a feeling that I've been there in Australia for myself. Of all, I would like to go and experience the hot air balloon ride. Would be an awesome experience, that too one, memorable for an entire lifetime.

- Ranjith (http://www.alightheartedtalk.com)

Deepika said...

I am a kind of person who loves to live every second lively. And Melbourne is the most liveable city. My friends who work in Australia always say its the best place to live and work on this planet. So I always had that longing to visit the country.
I am a big fan of Tea, and since Melbourne is known for Tea culture, I would love to have Afternoon tea at Murchie's Tea.. I love those Whale watching and would love to watch a movie in the extremely high resolution and the enormous screen of IMAX Victoria and treat my ears with the powerful sound. Finally, I would love to experience the land-and-sea tour by the Victoria Hippo Tours and Adrena LINE Zipline Adventure

My Blog post:
http://deepikamuthusamy.blogspot.in/2014/12/melboure.html

alok said...

Interesting Post
After reading your post and watching all the videos
I feel I have stepped into a kaleidoscope called Melbourne
Where Vistas of experiences would unfold one after another
The nature lover in me is enticed by the thought of watching the penguin parade.
Traveling though the great ocean road, soaking up the freshness as the breeze ruffles my hair gets me in the mood to pack my bags for Melbourne.
But before I can move ,Puffing Billy whistles and invites me for a ride. The kid in me jumps with joy at the thought of visiting Pannys Phillip Island Chocolate Factory
Even before I can deside on the list of places that I would like to see in and around Melbourne.
What’s that noise that I hear ?
Oh its loud cheer from MCG as the cricket world cup 2015 is about to kick start.
So many plces to see and so much to do.
I am thetimetraveler ( http://goo.gl/wdXDzu ) and I have decided … Melbourne here I come ( http://goo.gl/RvUCQf ).

Unknown said...

Some of the most interesting places which I shortlisted to visit after watching Tanmay and Rohan's videos is here. This comment space would be very less in order to keep on giving the reasons to visit these places once in life, but I am trying to be as short and crisp as possible and these are the must visit places if at all I go to Melbourne in my life.

Yarra Valley for Great Day out and Excellent Wine Tasting tour which seems totally magical. Driving around Yarra Valley in a beautiful and breathtaking places seems like a great country getaway from Melbourne city and so much to see, visit and taste.

Going for a Seal Watching Cruise and Observing those inquisitive & graceful creatures close up, is a trip one will not forget I guess. It seems to be a totally a worthy place for young and old too. So many seals getting close to them could be an absolutely thrilling experience.

Another place I wouldn't want to miss is Sunny Ridge Strawberry farm for some AMAZING Strawberry ice cream and strawberries, it seems like a strawberry heaven with delicious, succulent and mouth watering strawberries ever. I am sure this place visit would be a great experience for the kids too.

Have you watched Penguins parade ? If not, I guess this is the place to visit which is Phillip Island Nature Park. The experience to watch these penguins is Out of this world, a must see for great experience and its awesome

for Animal lovers too. Its like cute litte faires coming in from Ocean. I guess, this is a MUST do experience when I am in Melbourne.

Are you a chocolate lover ? I guess Pannys Amazing World of Chocolate is a must visit place for enjoying some mouth watering chocolates. Also, just watching the huge waterfall of chocolate cascade down is breath taking. And watching the live chocolate making is fun.

If you are a drive freak and love to drive around in some scenic spots, this is the place to visit which is "The Great Ocean Road". Seems like it would be a Great tour, great food and fantastic view.

Some more places which I love to visit is Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove, Loch Ard Gorge beach, Chateau Yering BBQ for some amazing Australian BBQ and definitely a hot air balloon ride for spectacular sightseeing and experience in life.

Style On Streets said...

Great post.Just loved your blog post. I am in love with driving and road trips, The Great Ocean Road is the ideal place for the people like me. I will surely visit that place in Melbourne and enjoy the sea shore, sunrise and gorgeous mesmerizing view.

Jhilmil said...

Hey ,Superb post ,so all set to pack bags to have a thrill at Melbourne,Now being high on my wish list .U’ve very well covered the best of Melbourne and for the entry in contest ,there cannot ever be a single place for me.It has to be a bouquet of places to calm down my zest to explore it.So naming ,first comes the Great Ocean road not just to linger or have a decent walk but to amaze myself with Jetskiing ,Scuba diving and to try swim with Dolphins,seal Yay,these beautiful creatures would be lucky to share a swim with me.ha ha.Then it would be Eureka Sky deck, to have an awe inspiring experience to be closest to sky and get the sky deck view of this liveable city, MCG to watch and cheer the players on one of the worlds best cricket ground!

Wishing u Best of Luck & a great year ahead.

Visit my blog

http://jhilmilbhansali.wordpress.com/2014/12/30/a-date-for-life-timea-date-with-nature-wildlife-art-cuisine-ah-melbourne/

Unknown said...

Being a person who loves to travel this place has struck my eye.
And here, Eureka Skydeck 88 is going to be first on my list.. i can just imagine the view after reading about it and i feel its going to be awesome.
Then the St. Kilda Beach,the long walk on the beach during the sunset will be just perfect.. And finding gold is also there.. :D
why not get my pockets filled with some tresure hunt..Laneways and Arcades is going to be the place to explore my "Lara croft" skills.. :D :D
Melbourne is going to be a great place to visit and enjoy a holiday..

Hemaaa said...

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