My Visual Travel Experience: Melbourne

I spent 5 days in Melbourne in 2011, during my 5 week visit to Australia. I had just said goodbye to the corporate world, and was about to embark on my new travel souvenir venture, Memory Marg. I decided to travel around Australia before I took the big plunge. I managed to cover Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Gold Coast and Cairns in those memorable 5 weeks. It was partially a solo trip, but my fiance Reshmi joined me halfway through the trip. Melbourne may not have Sydney's world famous landmarks like Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, but it's still a very exciting city that offers a lot to visitors, and I really enjoyed myself.

Melbourne is the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, and is Australia’s 2nd largest city after Sydney, with a population of approximately 4.7 million. The son of a Sydney convict arrived in what is now Melbourne in 1835 and bought the land from aborigines. The Governor of New South Wales, Richard Bourke, named the city Melbourne after the British Prime Minister, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne. In 1851, Melbourne became the capital of the newly formed state of Victoria. Within 20 years of Melbourne's formation, the area developed into a big town and there was no looking back. The boom around Melbourne had a lot to do with the gold rush in the 1850's in the state of Victoria. After Australia's federation in 1901, Melbourne became the seat of government for the federation, initially from the Royal Exhibition Building, and subsequently from the Victorian Parliament House. The seat of government moved to Canberra only in 1927. Today Melbourne consistently ranks very highly in the list of the world's most liveable cities, and it rates highly on parameters like tourism, sports, education, entertainment, and financial services.

St Paul’s Cathedral on Swanson Street is Melbourne’s main church. Work began in 1866 at the site of an older church, but there was a dispute between the English architect and the board in charge of the construction. Work was finally completed in 1891, by another architect. With its distinct three steeples, the cathedral is one of Melbourne’s main landmarks.

St Paul's Cathedral

Stain Glass Work, St Paul's Cathedral

Pulpit, St Paul's Cathedral

Flinders Street Station, in the heart of the city, is a beautiful structure off Swanson Street, Melbourne’s main commercial street, lined with shops and restaurants. The station building dates back to 1910.

Flinders Street Station

Federation Square is a large commercial square close to St Paul's Cathedral and Flinders Street Station. 

Federation Square
(Seen from Eureka Tower, the city's tallest skyscraper)

Eureka Tower is the tallest building in Melbourne, and one of Australia’s tallest buildings. Visitors can go to the top of the building for beautiful views of the city, including Flinders Street Station, St Paul’s Cathedral, Federation Square,  the MCG and the Royal Botanic Gardens with the Shrine Of Remembrance.

Eureka Tower

Crown Melbourne is a large casino and resort on the south banks of the Yarra River. The complex opened at its current location in 1997. The complex has one of the largest casinos in the world, and it has four high end hotels. It also has many high end luxury stores.

Crown Melbourne

The Royal Botanic Gardens were established in 1852 and are a welcome green space in the heart of the city.  

Floral Clock with the Statue of King Edward VII of England,
Royal Botanic Gardens

Statue of King George V,
Royal Botanic Gardens

Palm Trees,
Royal Botanic Gardens

The Shrine Of Remembrance lies within the Royal Botanic Gardens, and is a shrine to the Australian martyrs who were killed in the world wars. 

Shrine of Remembrance

Crypt, Shrine of Remembrance

The Royal Exhibition Building was built in 1880 for the world fair in Melbourne. It is one of the few remaining structures from the fair that are still in existence.

Royal Exhibition Building

National Gallery Of Victoria has a large collection of art by Australian artists, as well as European masters from the classical era (Rubens, Rembrandt) the impressionist era (Cezanne) and the modern era (Picasso, Leger). 

Rubens' Garden of Love,
National Gallery of Victoria

Rembrandt's Two Older Men Disputing, 
National Gallery of Victoria

Cezanne's Uphill Road, 
National Gallery of Victoria

Herkomer's Queen Victoria, 
National Gallery of Victoria

Tiepolo's Banquet of Cleopatra,
National Gallery of Victoria

The Victoria Arts Centre lies right next to the National Gallery Of Victoria. The centre  stands out thanks to the white coloured tower that shoots up into the sky.

Victoria Arts Centre

Melbourne Museum has a fine collection of natural history. There is a big collection of dinosaur skeletons. There is also a large gallery that houses stuffed animals from around the world. Another interesting section is the mineral section, that has exhibits like gold nuggets. The forest gallery has thousands of plants and is a living, breathing exhibit.

Dinosaur Skeleton, Melbourne Museum

Animals from Africa, Melbourne Museum

Albatross, Melbourne Museum

The Museum Of Chinese Australian History opened in 1985 and lies in China Town. Spread over several floors, the museum has exhibits on dragons used in processions, Chinese gold seekers in the 1850's and Chinese art. Its star exhibit is the large Millennium Dragon.

Millennium Dragon, Museum of Chinese Australian History

Royal Arcade dates back to 1869 and features the famous statues of Gog and Magog. These two mythical figures represent the conflict between the Britons and the Trojans. Gaunt’s Clock lies between the figures. There are identical figures at the Guildhall in London.

Statues of Gog and Magog, Royal Arcade

The Rippon Lea Mansion is a large, aristocratic mansion dating back to the 19th century. Guided tours are available, which take the visitor to another era. Built in 1868, Rippon Lea Mansion had the Sargoods as its first occupant. The next owner was Thomas Bent. Next came Benjamin Nathan, whose daughter Louisa added to the mansion in a big way.  

Rippon Lea Mansion

Portrait of Louisa, Rippon Lea Mansion

Dining Room, Rippon Lea Mansion

Armchair, Rippon Lea Mansion

Melbourne Cricket Ground (or MCG) is one of the most famous cricket grounds in the world. The MCG land was given in 1853 and construction began soon afterwards. Besides cricket, the stadium is also used for Australian Football, and occasionally for pop concerts. The stadium capacity at the MCG is an impressive 100,000. Guided tours are available. 

Melbourne Cricket Ground

Statue of Don Bradman, 
Melbourne Cricket Ground

The National Tennis Centre is the venue of the annual Australian Open, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments on the tennis calendar. The main arena is called the Rod Laver Arena, named after the legendary Australian champion from the 1960's. Outside, there are busts of several famous Australian tennis champions.

Rod Laver Statue, National Tennis Centre

Melbourne Aquarium, housed close to the Yarra River, is a beautiful aquarium, which houses exotic marine life, sting rays, sharks, and a recreation of a barrier reef. The aquarium’s star exhibit is the section that houses numerous penguins – Gentoo Penguins, and the much larger King Penguins. Temperatures are maintained at what the penguins are used to.

Barrier Reef Exhibit,
Melbourne Aquarium

Catfish, Melbourne Aquarium

Gentoo Penguin, Melbourne Aquarium

King Penguin, Melbourne Aquarium

Melbourne also has the Yarra Valley vineyards close by, so for wine lovers and for those who need a break from the city, a wine tour is recommended. We went on a day long wine tour, that took us to several wineries, where we tasted many varieties of wine. I was rather tipsy at the end of it! Right outside Melbourne, there's also the Great Ocean Drive, with its beautiful rock formations. Another must visit site for nature lovers. All in all, Melbourne was good fun and I enjoyed my stay there immensely.