Melbourne the First

It’s my second time ever in Melbourne and there’s no change in the weather – gloomy and wet. It’s also dusk when we finally get there and we have no booking. Luckily we stumble across the pleasant Oaks 2-bed Apartments with underground parking to boot. Once the kids are safely in bed I pop out for some gin, tonic and lime. A simple task you might think. I return an hour later soaked and chilly with only 2 out of 3 ingredients. In desperation I ‘borrow’ half a lime from the bar downstairs from the absentee barman.

‘Oh look it’s raining again’ I exclaim as I draw the curtains next morning. I suppose we’ve been spoilt with sunshine for the last few months (even Sydney which had had the worst summer for 20 years saved a week of sunshine just for us). Undaunted I plan a city centre tour starting with the best latte in town on Desgraves Street. Harley gets a long overdue haircut and a pair of green Converse whilst Ruby sports a yellow pair. Now I feel left out as the only member of the family without the trendy Converse/hoodie combo. We pass the pristine yellow and red of Flinders Street Station and the quaint Royal Arcade (1869) en route to a risotto and glass of red in Block Place. After lunch we browse through Block Arcade crammed with designer names and on towards the Yarra river via the ultra-modern and unique architecture of Federation Square (cf Aesop’s Fables). We cross over to Southbank for a glass or two of Jansz Rosé and enjoy watching the busy Melbournites rush past as the kids expend some energy nearby. We leave next morning for Lorne and as we span the massive Westgate Bridge with great views back across to the city and urban sprawl, I reflect on how unattractive Melbourne really is. Maybe, rather like London, it’s the weather that doesn’t help; maybe we’re just unlucky – anyway we’ll be back after Tasmania to give it another chance….