This is something that worries me slightly, especially when we go up into them there hills!

Oh, and don't forget to stock up on Haighs Chocolate - made in SA, they won't open a store in Brisbane because the climate means they couldn't guarantee the quality of the product. Absolutely the best chocolate in Australia, and they sell it in silverised bags which keep it well in your Brisbane/Gold Coast larder.

Why would I do that? Chocolate is shite, makes me very very ill and it smells revolting. Thanks for the suggestion though, could be a nice pressie for Tiddler who's pissed she's not coming with us.

How can you live with an affliction like that? Good chocolate is what makes the world go round.

:lol I live because I have the 'affliction'! It's vile muck.

Just ended a few days in melb. Zara very very nice, $349 lighter now. Also went in the State Library for the first time - outside it reminds me of the New York one, amazing reading room inside, 1850 furniture in it, the dome is spectacular too, really worth seeing, lots of free exhibitions to wander round too.

We never got a wrap up on this thread from MP.... So how did you go ?

Well I was planning on do a wrap up when we got back. We don't go until 13th September. Thanks for asking though. So if anyone else thinks of something worth seeing/doing please let me know.

Whoops

A lot of the main attractions have been covered.

There is some fantastic street art and public art installments around the Melbourne CBD. The laneway street art is a major attraction IMO, although I acknowledge that some consider it graffiti. I just reckon it adds a real 'grunginess' and alternative feel to the city as well as an extra layer to the urban environment.

A really great walk to do is from the CBD to the sports precinct, i.e. MCG, Rod Laver Arena etc. via Birrarung Marr.
Along this walk there is a sound sculpture called the 'Federation Bells' that are a series of bells programmed to play tunes via computer. People submit tunes for it to play online and they eventually get around to playing them.

Another fantastic part of the city is the Shrine of Remembrance which is just south of the CBD and adjoins the Botanic Gardens. It's one of the most important war memorials in Australia. One of the best views of the city skyline is from here.

One of the major attractions of Melbourne is just walking through all the parkland and gardens to the south and east of the CBD. There is some beautiful landscaping, wonderful trees and botanical interest, statuary and other features, eg. the floral clock in Queen Victoria Gardens, the fairy tree and Captain Cooks cottage in Fitzroy Gardens, etc.

The Royal Botanic Gardens are considered to be amongst the best in the world and contain quite a few significant rare trees and plants (if you're into that kind of thing ).

the train station is not too hard to find and there are always loads of people to ask directions and the information kiosk right near the pier will give you a map.

I have found very good information, not sure if it's been posted above.

> There's a free Visitor Shuttle that takes you to different spots, in addition to the free City Circle Tram

> As I would like to stretch some bones and muscles, I will be doing the self-guided tours, which I aim to complete in one or one-and-a-half days. There are directions and maps for self-guided walks, viz.:

• A walk in the park
• Secret gardens
• On the waterfront
• Arcades and lanes
• The cosmopolitan
• Sports and entertainment
• Elegant enclave

You can get all the brochures / maps from the Federation Square visitors bureau which should be an easy place to spot with those ugly buildings.

I will be there next weekend and am very excited, I haven't traveled interstate since I arrived in Australia (I've only been traveling overseas) and this is gonna be great. (I've been to ACT but I would not consider that interstate hehe).

It seems the weather will be cooperating with no heavy rains expected. (I don't mind cold weather, in fact I would hate to be walking under warm/hot weather).

Just to say a massive thanks for all the suggestions given. We had a blast, walked our legs off and slept like logs every night. We stayed at the Causeway 353 in Little Collins Street. Nice place, didn't use the restaurant so can't comment on that but the room was smallish but fine for us and very clean with a decent shower and very comfortable beds.

Thoughts:

Got a tad confused by the Myki card but only because instructions for use about the place was rubbish and from watching everyone else, never bothered swiping it when getting on and off trams. Apparently the fines are massive but never saw an inspector so never mind

Restaurants/Cafes/Coffee: Brilliant, so much choice and so busy. Felt a bit sorry for the ones that were quiet as, whilst surrounded by really busy ones but they're obviously doing something very wrong.

Attractions: Not as much as I thought there would be, would have struggled to find stuff to do (on very little money) if we'd been there longer. However I guess with a bigger purse there is way more. The Reading Room in the Library actually managed to shut us up. We weren't going to bother, like, really mum? Anyway really glad we did. FB even said she'd be in there all the time if we lived there. Possibly not, but high praise indeed. Loved all the elephants about the place, some Tiger Airways/Zoo endangered animal awareness thing. Spent much of Sunday and Monday out in the hills/mountains, fab, did Philip Island on Monday, didn't see any penguins/seals but then we didn't see any penguins out at St Kilda so not to worry.

Only real wildlife we saw was a giant fricking spider in friend's car. FB managed to get out of a (slow) moving vehicle without hurting herself whilst I got caught by the arm through the seatbelt. Hevs was trying to get out of my side totally forgetting she hadn't stopped the car until I screamed something along the lines of ****ing brake!

Managed to gatecrash a funeral which was interesting We'd gone for a wander around the NGV and heard music (fairly durge like guitar) coming from a side gallery, door open, went in, some boards up about various (we thought) stuff, loads of people sitting down listening. Decided to get my phone out to record it only for the guitarist to stop and a guy step up to the mic and start whittering on about how we all knew and loved Frank! Made a quiet but speedy exit and ended up crying laughing outside! I still don't know who Frank was but I think he must have loved bikes, judging by the fact there were some lined up against a back wall. Bizarre!

Some great architecture, shame about some of it, Fed Square buildings look crap in my ever so humble opinion.

Very easy to get around, didn't bother with trams really other than the free one and then walk a lot.

Clothes shops - bloody expensive! Went into Top Shop expecting prices to be slightly higher than Valley Girl (which is what I'd say it was equivalent to clothing wise) and everything was way more expensive. $100 bucks for a simple loose jumper! I think not. All the other shops seemed to be about the same as TS. Didn't bother with the stuff we have up here.

Vic Markets - why would anyone in and around Mellie do their food shopping anywhere else? My god, I wish we had that up here! Awesome prices and looked to be great quality. Must be worth driving in once a week/fortnight to stock up, even if you're quite a way out.

Weather was fairly average but we've had a great start to Spring up here so I guess it suffered in our eyes because of that. Might have been nice to see more sun but at least we only froze our toes off when we got off the plane. Going from 20 to 6 degrees with just a short plane ride inbetween was a bit of a shock!

Anyway, had a great time, very relaxing and chilled. Would I want to live there? Nah, but then I'm not a city girl anyway. Need a fair amount of spends if you're there longer than a weekend but that's probably true of most places so not really a negative.

All in all, loved it.

omg we might have rubbed elbows or something.

who knows! If you saw two females either looking exhausted, blank or giggling like morons, that was probably us!