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Published: October 13th 2008
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Woke to grey skies - oh no! Can this be - a grey day in Melbourne. Well I need not have worried as after an hour the greyness had turned to brilliant blue skies and it was warming up nicely.
As I left the apartment to wend my way down St Kilda Road and to St Kilda Beach I was greeted by thousands of runners taking part in the Melbourne Marathon - it was quite a spectacle watching the runners as I walked down to the beach - all shapes and sizes, from the most serious to the most leisurely but a very inclusive sport.
At not even 9am I had arrived at the beach, and not a soul in sight - clearly most were still sensibly sleeping or still paying for last nights libations. Time for a light breakfast at yet another superb establishment - melon and toasted ciabatta - very tasty. Slowly St Kilda was starting to come to life, but I decided to head into the city and do a walk around the southbank and docklands area.
Once arrived at Flinders Street Station I was to follow the Yarra River to take the sights -
past places such as the Aquarium, Docklands, Exhibition Centre, Crown Casino and the Eureka Tower, ending at the city's Botanical Gardens. The walk was fascinating with little street markets selling all sorts of arts and crafts, photos of Melbourne and the latest in fashion (not). There was also a strong contrast between old and new building which blended in and complemented each other gracefully.
As I approached the Eureka tower I decided it would be worth heading up to see the view of Melbourne from 88 stories up - and I was not disappointed - the expanse of Melbourne spread before me and again you could follow planes all the way into the airport and view out to the plains and ocean around.
As it was now hotting up I decided to head back to St Kilda. And a very similar experience to Brighton I must say. As Brighton is known as London By the Sea, so I would classify St Kilda as Melbourne by the Sea. I was grateful I had come back down by tram (but even these were choc-a-block) a gridlock ensued on all roads leading to St Kilda.
And what a difference, the
place was teaming. The quiet tranquility I had experienced this morning was now alive with the hustle and bustle of a Melbournian weekend. The streets were littered with people, every cafe and bar packed at the seams and the Luna Park (much better than Sydney's) was doing a brisk trade. And so to the beach, which again was literally packed like a Marbella afternoon when you cant move! I meandered along the boardwalk to St Kilda's pier.
As the Melbournians continued their day on the beach swimming, playing softball and rugger, I headed along the bustlng pier - here fantastic vistas were to be had back over the city and to the ocean as well. It was also here that I learnt of the special habitat for a smaller penguin which has made its home on the breakwater. Did I see any - sadly not!
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