I’ve known from a young age that Australia was somewhere I needed to travel to one day. When I was 9 years old, the Mary-Kate and Ashley movie “Our Lips Are Sealed” came out and I instantly fell in love with the idea of Australia. Not only was the movie super cool for a 9 year old (being in the witness protection program due to a jewel thief, living in loads of different places, before being basically exiled to Australia, which looked like the best place to grow up), I loved seeing Sydney and the various beaches.
When I decided to become an au pair in Australia, I began to heavily research the country. At first I had hoped to live in Brisbane, because the sunshine and easy East Coast travel options. Then I learned about Melbourne.
Melbourne is an incredible city. Year after year it is ranked as one of the world’s most livable cities and it is easy to see why[bctt tweet=”Melbourne is an incredible city. Year after year it is ranked as one of the world’s most livable cities and it is easy to see why.” username=”Brooklyn_0391″]. The arts are celebrated here. There is street art all over, plenty of museums, festivals, shows. You won’t be bored in Melbourne, there is simply too much to do.
I love Melbourne so much and wanted to share with you my Melbourne photo essay.
A Melbourne Photo Essay
I decided to start with my all time favorite photo that I took while in the country. While exploring the Great Ocean Road I took this photo. We were stopped for an hour or so to walk around the area. We were allowed to go swimming, but the water was way too cold. Instead of trying to brave the cold, I decided to walk around the trails up top, and I was absolutely mesmerized at this spot. Who knew that water could be so blue?!
I’m going to be completely honest with you. I enjoyed Melbourne’s public transit system. To use, you simply buy a myki card, which can be used on trains, buses, and trams. The stations in the city had character, and I actually liked seeing the different stations. (I’m weird, I know). The Flinders street station opened on September 12th, 1854, and was the very first railway station in any city in Australia. By 1926, it was the busiest in the world.
While living in Melbourne I went on a ghost tour and learned that there have been ghosts seen by passengers on the platforms. The most well known ghost is named George, and is seen on platform 10 with a fishing pole. and he’s said to seem disoriented. Where the station is located, on the Yarra River, used to be a very popular fishing spot. Theories suggest that George probably drowned in the river, and that’s why he’s seen at that spot so often.
Something that Melbourne is very famous for is the street art. There is a whole laneway in the central business district (CBD) called Hosier Lane. Only a 3 minute walk from Flinders Station, graffiti artists can often be found painting here. Since this area is a free for all, each time you go there will be new art. the higher up you paint, the less likely you’re art will be painted over. And it’s completely legal!
Though I went on a dark and rainy day, I’m so glad that I visited the Eureka Skydeck before leaving. Located 285 metres above ground, making this viewing platform the highest in the Southern Hemisphere, the elevator ride to the top takes a mere 38 seconds to get there. Once at the top, you can see a 360 degree view of Melbourne. The views were spectacular. I can only imagine what it must look like on a clear and sunny day.
And so I finally made it to Luna Park. This may not have been the one featured in “Our Lips Are Sealed” as that was filmed in the Sydney location, but as you can see, I was still pretty excited! to be honest, the park was small and not too fun for adults. If I had gone as a child I would have enjoyed it more, but as the park is free to enter, when in the area we would go get some churros and hang out. I will always remember the first time I saw the iconic wide mouth entrance.
Over 100 years ago these bathing boxes were built so that the very Victorian residents could have some privacy at the beach. Now, the Brighton Bathing Boxes are heritage buildings, and all of the 82 boxes remain nearly untouched. Most are handed down through generations, but occasionally one does come up for sale. When this happens, only locals living in the bayside area have the opportunity to purchase them and there are strict rules in place as to what they can and cannot be used for.
Most people come to the bay for an afternoon at the beach and the chance to see these colorful boxes.
These last two sunset photos were both taken at St.Kilda beach. I couldn’t choose which one to include in this post, so I chose both. St. Kilda is a cool neighbourhood for young locals and tourists aike, with plenty of restaurants and shops to check out. The beach is famous, mostly because Melbourne doesn’t have nearly as many beaches to swim at as other places in Australia.
The sunsets, as you can see, are stunning to look at, and once the sun sets you can even see penguins (specifically Little Penguins) at the end of St. Kilda pier. There are volunteers there every night to facilitate to viewings and make sure the penguins are safe. It’s so cool!
Melbourne is one of the coolest cities in the world, as this Melbourne photo essay shows, and if given the chance to visit, I highly recommend you do so!
