Melbourne Itinerary

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We have arranged our trip to allow us a few days in Melbourne on the way home. Eric grew up in Melbourne and I grew up immersed in my father's Melbourne references and stories, and we are very fond of Melbourne. This will be our 5th visit since we met in 1998. I vastly prefer Melbourne in the winter but for various reasons we keep ending up there in the summer - this will be our 4th summer trip. Our last two visits coincided with a ghastly heatwave . On all previous visits we have been graciously accommodated by a friend in Williamstown but this time we are staying in the CBD at the Greenhouse Backpackers.

We have so many "favourites" in Melbourne that is very difficult for us to spend only a few days there. There are also many appealing Melbourne venues and events that I am eager to experience for the first time. I have spent the last few weeks immersed in Melbourne research, and we have produced an exciting somewhat "micromanaged" itinerary for our three night stay. Google maps and I have become the very best of friends, and my knowledge of inner Melbourne geography, food scene, public transport and other attractions has improved exponentially!

Here is the itinerary thus far :

Wednesday January 26th :

• Fly in 11.30am. Skybus to city (tickets already purchased $26 each return). Skybus promises to carry us swiftly to Southern Cross Station (lovely start to the trip - I am a great admirer of this station) and then shuttle bus us at no extra cost directly to our backpackers in Flinders Lane.
  
  
• Lunch at Tazio , Flinders Lane ....pizza is one of our must-do meals in Melbourne and in the past we have always headed to Lygon Street - often to Notturno - but I read that the quality of Lygon Street food has declined sharply lately, so I looked elsewhere...and looked...and looked.....We are old school traditionalists when it comes to pizza - all I was seeking was a pizza place that would do an excellent thin, woodfired base and sparse, high quality toppings in strictly authentic, traditional combinations. Capricciosa is one of our favourite pizzas and I looked for it on all the menus I perused. Err, what's with all the artichoke suddenly on Capriciosas?? Where have all the anchovies gone? And what is with pizza restaurants stating that they will not modify a menu pizza? I finally settled on Tazio, based partly on this review. I will let you know how it goes!
  
  
• City Circle Tram - we love Melbourne's trams so we will hop a free city circle tram and cruise around for a while while our lunch settles!
  
  
• Predinner cocktails at Murmur. In bars, I like something that is hard to find - quiet! Extensive research has led me to Murmur. Even the name sounds right. I shall perhaps have a Ginger Girl :

  GINGER GIRL
  Tanqueray gin, plum wine, fresh lemon juice, lemongrass, fresh chilli, mint & ginger syrup. served tall.

  
  
  
• Dinner at Hu Tong Dumpling Bar . Yum cha is also a must-do Melbourne event. In 2007, on a Christmas trip to Melbourne with my Mum, she stayed home to shelter from the heatwave and we had a splendid yum cha lunch at The Dragon Boat in Chinatown. Again, though, researching recent reviews led me to believe that all is not as well as it could be with The Dragon Boat so we decided to go elsewhere. I love the fact that Hu Tong is not a trolley service restaurant. The unpredictability and randomness of trolley service is a bit chaotic for my liking! I like to see all the choices available and order in an organised manner....At Hu Tong I will certainly be ordering the Shao-Long Bao-to quote Matt Preston

  I have eaten these miracles of culinary engineering from Shanghai to Springvale and I'm jiggered if I can think of a better example than the ones at HuTong

  (see Matt's review here. John Lethlean liked it too. I also read that the wontons in hot chilli sauce and the dry chicken in hot chilli are exceptional. I rang this week to make a booking and was told that it is too early to make bookings for late January, but that next week, it would no longer be too early (perhaps they have not bought next year's booking diary yet?) I will call again this week!
  
  
  
  

  Thursday January 27th

  
  
• Early rise. I want to get out early and see the city waking up. I love to see the people who live in the heart of cities out in their neighbourhoods, walking their dogs and going down to the shop for some milk, enjoying the secret quiet side of the city that all the working day commuters never get to see. We shall dawdle our early morning way down to the beloved Queen Vic markets . On a previous trip to Melbourne I asked my mother if there was anything she would like to me to bring her back from Melbourne. She replied "Queen Vic Markets?". Look at this sample of the food on offer! We, as always, shall partake of another of our Melbourne compulsions, Bratwurst from The Bratwurst Shop . Bratwurst Breakfast YAY!
  
  
• Melbourne Zoo. I have planned a trip to Melbourne Zoo on each of our past trips to Melbourne and for various reasons (heatwaves, often!) we have not yet gone. It is back on the itinerary in a very determined manner for this trip. Melbourne : nice weather on Thursday January 27th please. I am particularly eager to see the baby elephants, the Sumatran tigers and the Pygmy hippos (I went to Adelaide zoo in 1994 and saw Pygmy hippos - I didn't even know they existed and have been delighted by them ever since. We got to see Zebras mating that day, too, and a giant 130 year old tortoise crunching away on a huge head of broccoli...as you might be able to tell, I get excited about critters!). We will have a picnic lunch at the Zoo, made from fantastic gourmet provisions obtained at Queen Vic markets.
  
  
• Tram back to the city and drink cold beers while resting our weary wandering bones at Young and Jacksons rooftop cider bar where I see they have pear cider on tap - I say yes!
  
  
• Dinner at Yu-u Japanese restaurant in Flinders Lane - reasoning that we will probably be weary from wandering and not want to wander too far in search of dinner! Check out the entrance to Yu-u : - cool! I am a huge fan of soba noodles so their handmade ones will certainly be on the list for me.
  
  

  Friday January 28th

  
  
• Fitzroy. In my previous visits to Melbourne we have spent a lot of time in the city centre and Williamstown, and little bit of time in St Kilda ( Espy Hotel , St Kilda markets) , Footscray (Footscray Markets) and Richmond (Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder Cheese Room) . One of my ambitions for this trip was to explore a part of Melbourne I have not been before, and I have chosen a wander round Fitzroy. I understand quirky bohemian shops full of vintage treasures abound. I have recently developed an interest in steampunk jewellry, especially those pieces made from clockwork so will be on the lookout for a little souvenir treasure. We will scout out somewhere for lunch here.
  
  
• On the way back to our accommodation, we will leap from the tram at the State Library and I will finally get to see the famed reading room- another thing that has repeatedly been on my to-do-in-Melbourne list. (I am also eager to see the Leonard French Ceiling at the Melbourne Museum - if there is another heatwave, we might substitute the museum for the Zoo. Keen as I am to see the Zoo, I have no desire to see in on a 40 degree day!). Outside library, we will once again admire the Architectural Fragment.
  
  
  
  
• In the evening we are booked to take a dinner cruise which departs from Docklands, so we will take this opportunity to visit the Eureka Skydeck . I adore high buildings - Eric not so much but he is keen to give it a try. 😱 Neither of us need to try this, though....
  
  
• Then off on our dinner cruise . I already have tickets and have bought a new (vintage) top to wear YAY! Every other time we have been in Melbourne we have done a wonderful daytime cruise from Williamstown to the city, including one time on the Christmas trip with my Mother when we intended to go to St Kilda but caught the wrong ferry...on one occasion we have had dinner on the tram restaurant and were very tempted to do this again, but decided we would try something new and take a dinner cruise instead.
  
  

  Saturday January 29th

  
  
• Breakfast somewhere (possibly Earl Canteen) .
  
  
• Ferry to Williamstown and lunch at The Steampacket Hotel in Willie.
  
  
• Ian Potter Centre, Fed Square. There are several very interesting exhibitions on here during our visit, including Luminous Cities . Just the sort of thing I like. On a previous visit, we were fortunate enough to see Fiona Hall's breathtaking, intelligent, amusing, immensely satisfying exhibition . This was the most striking and memorable thing I have ever seen it a gallery, and I am immensely grateful I had the opportunity to enjoy it. I hope for more delights this time! If time and stamina for looking at stuff endures, we may also visit the adjoining Centre for the moving Image .
  
  
• We will while away some time at one of our favourite Melbourne watering holes, The Transport Bar . For such a spiffy looking place, it has an amazingly cool laid back vibe. The first time we went there, I had been walking long distances in incredibly painful shoes and upon arriving at Transport, felt compelled to take them off, fully expecting to be promptly more or less politely asked to put them back on....nope. This combined with wonderfully uninflated drinks prices and groovy, friendly service won my heart immediately. On every trip to Melbourne since, we have spent happy hours at Transport, and we shall do again!
  
  
• Dinner : at the present, undecided. On our preseding three days in Melbourne we will attempt to notice an alluring dinner venue that has not yet come to the attention of my research! There is also the possibility that we may wish to repeat one of the restaurants we have already visited.
  
  
  

  Sunday January 30th:

  
  
  
• 4am Skybus to airport.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Despite the intricate nature of this itinerary, we are immensely flexible people and may alter/abandon aspects of this plan to suit our mood, the weather, and unseen developments! If none of these things arise, however, I am content that we have a well researched, sensibly scheduled itinerary that will help us to have as much fun in Melbourne as is physically possible in 3 days!

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