More Melbourne

Wednesday 2nd November

Decided that this cool grey day was just right for visiting the Melbourne Museum so that’s where I headed after a late brunch of Eggs Benedict and coffee at the AAAStar Cafe just off Spencer Street near the hotel.

The museum is in Carlton Gardens, which it shares with the Royal Exhibition Building, a massive Victorian edifice created for the Melbourne’s first international exhibition in 1880. I am always amazed in Australia how, less than 50 years after the first European settlement of the land, there was the confidence and resources to build magnificent structures such as this. As I learnt later in the Museum the discovery of gold helped!

 Royal Exhibition Building
Next day when the sun shone

Royal Exhibition Building

The Museum ($14) is in an equally impressive but modern building and was excellent except for the closure of the café. There was a large section on Aboriginal life but somehow it felt as if it had been sanitised. Many of the people in captions talking about the importance of their aboriginal culture and language didn’t look very aboriginal to me. I am all for people being able to choose an identity but in the context of a museum, a pale-faced individual telling us about the local indigenous people and language as if it is their own heritage doesn’t feel very authentic. The life of the indigenous people prior to European settlement is described in idyllic, Garden of Eden, terms without telling us anything about the social organisation, life expectancy, infant mortality or initiation ceremonies. But I did like the possum cloaks.  There was a large section on the Torres Straight Islanders, whose connection to Melbourne seems tenuous, but the boats were pretty. 

Torres Straight Boat

The story of European settlement and the development of Melbourne dominates the upper floor of the museum and travels all the way from the first settlement to future expansion of the suburbs of this city now numbering over 4 million. I didn’t spend much time in the Natural history section but there was an impressive whale skeleton in the entrance hall and several dinosaur exhibits. 

Founding of Melbourne

Re-created Working Class House

Australian Coat of Arms

White Australia Policy

Whale Skeleton (It died a natural death)

From the museum walked down past the Victoria parliament building towards Federation Square and had coffee and apple strudel in an open air café which I didn’t realise until too late was dominated by by pigeons, sparrows and seagulls all trying to get a share of the action.

Street Art near Federation Square

Street Art near Federation Square

Street Art: Hedy Lamar image and quote.

If you looked like Hedy Lamar it probably seemed plausible. 

But she had brains as well as beauty and 

co-invented spread spectrum RF communication. 

Late dinner of pasta Penne Carbonara at la Figo and a glass of Shiraz Malbec at Kirk’s Wine Bar in Little Bourke Street.

Thursday 3rd November

Checked out of the Great Southern at 10 am and after a coffee and chocolate  croissant at Gloria Jeans took the tram to Carlton Gardens, which I explored again, since it was a bright sunny day, and then went on to explore the Fitzroy area, full of coffee shops, upmarket boutiques and traditional houses which I imagine are now exorbitantly expensive.

City Circle Tram Again

Quaint House in Victoria Street, Fitzroy

Another Quaint House in Fitzroy

Another tram to Collins Street which together with parallel Bourke Street seems to be the retail centre. 

Flamboyant Architecture
Was going to caption it "Gotham City" until I Googled it

Royal Arcade Melbourne

Checked into the Melbourne Sky High Apartment which is brilliant, on the 54^th floor with a view over Spencer Street and the railway. Only sorry I won’t be here to enjoy it for longer.

Sky High Apartments are up there

View from the 54th Floor

In the evening had a burger and beer in Royal Stacks and then headed to Little Red Pocket, voted #8 in the World's Best Bars, but when I arrived I was warned off by the doorman who told me it was full of teenagers, so settled for a pint of Melbourne bitter in the Mitre round the corner.  

Melbourne after Dark