Melbourne

[naija 2957]

Who has been and what did you do?

This is a long-ass trip and can't say I am looking forward to the flights at all

[staboner 5062]

flight over isn't that bad. the jetlag from Melb back to the US is really bad though.

When are you going?

Melbourne is like Austin in and that its a city for the people living here, not so much for tourism. Music, local festivals, great food really rounds it out I think the best. Great Ocean Road to the west is a must do. Rent a car and you can do that in like 1 to 3 days, depending on pace. Ottway park (on the GOR) is great for nature. Wilson's Prom also great for nature and seeing animals. 

what is your timeline like?

[LCHorn 2735]

I spent a few days there freezing my ass off before I wised up and headed north.  

[South Austin 52928]

Sneks. Lots of them.

[52-80 19363]

melbourne...more like melbournt, amirite?

Edited February 18, 2020 by 52-80

[staboner 5062]

or Smelbourne

[Spoosner 87]

Had a fantastic meal at Cumulus.  I believe it's a tough reservation, but I was by myself and was able to walk in and sit at the bar.

Echo @staboner in that it would be great to have a local with you.  They're known for their hidden bars and rooftops, which are somewhat tough to find on your own.  I'm sure there's some guidance in the interwebs though.

Try to attend something at MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground), ideally Aussie Rules Football IMO.  It's one of the more heralded stadiums in the country.

[staboner 5062]

maybe @naija is still on the flight!? 🤣

[naija 2957]

On 2/17/2020 at 11:39 PM, staboner said:

flight over isn't that bad. the jetlag from Melb back to the US is really bad though.

When are you going?

Melbourne is like Austin in and that its a city for the people living here, not so much for tourism. Music, local festivals, great food really rounds it out I think the best. Great Ocean Road to the west is a must do. Rent a car and you can do that in like 1 to 3 days, depending on pace. Ottway park (on the GOR) is great for nature. Wilson's Prom also great for nature and seeing animals. 

what is your timeline like?

it's a relatively short trip ~ 1 week. going end of March and will be mostly work related. just not looking forward to the flight really.

[Blotto 23876]

I kicked off my Australia backpacking trip there but it was damn near 20 years ago.  Seemed like a real pleasant place to live, but we were ready to get on with the trip after about  3 days. Coolest thing we did was attend the season opener of Aussie Rules football at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. We had a damn fine meal somewhere in the Italian district, but I'll never remember the name of the joint. Played a round of golf at some goattrack for like $10.  Drank a fuckton of VB. Thats about it. We also  killed a couple of hours at the botanical gardens with  bunch of these huge fuckers hanging around.  Sydney>>>>>Melbourne as a tourist.

 

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Blotto

[Grimas 673]

Great Ocean Road along the coast to the the 12 Apostles (3-4 hours sw of MB).Philip Island to the the Penguins come onshore at dusk.  Wine country SE of town near Red Hill...

And holy crap, the amount of flies...  (Maybe the recent fires killed them all off...)

Spent 3 weeks driving an RV with wife and 2 year old twins from ML to Sydney a few years back...  Idea was coastal towns along the coast and buying fresh seafood and grilling every night -Shrimp on the Barbie”.  Uh, no.  All seafood gets sent to Sydney... (Fantastic seafood market if you make it there!) And because of the fire hazard, all parks have a frigging flat metal pan that you insert coins in to fire up the gas to hear the metal plate rather than a “barbie...”  Screw the concept of “ Throw another shrimp on the Barbie...”  Still a fantastic country that still felt like the US in the 50’s... (Every small town shuts down at 6pm...)

if you want recommendations in MB itself, my best bud is a foodie and lives in town and I can ask him what’s hot these days...  Tell me what part of town you will be staying...

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Grimas

[staboner 5062]

20 hours ago, naija said:

it's a relatively short trip ~ 1 week. going end of March and will be mostly work related. just not looking forward to the flight really.

i assume if work related that you have some friends or colleagues that you will be here with?

e/o March is a great time. Sounds like a road trip is out of the question if you are working? if you do get even just a day and the weather is good then do some of the great ocean road

outside of that i would recommend exploring some of the various areas of town

- CBD (Chinatown in particular has some great food and bars. don't order a corona)

- Church Street / Chapel street is a great street to walk. Runs from Richmond all the way to Balaclava. Walking it from Prahan to Windsor to Balaclava is good fun. Lots of action there. Also tram up and down that street is good

- Fitzroy for some music and hipsters

- St kilda / south melb for some beach

Between those areas that is plenty to explore given your timeline

Food - eat vietnamese, chinese, indian, greek and italian. All are worldclass in Melbourne. 

here are some good live music listings to follow

https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne-concerts.php

https://www.eventfinda.com.au/concerts-gig-guide/events/melbourne

Edited February 20, 2020 by staboner

[naija 2957]

Thanks. I'm going to visit a hospital, so that will occupy my weekdays. Nope, don't have any friends or colleagues there.

I will have one weekend free and then fly back on Tuesday. So any exploration will on that Fri night/Sat/Sun. Sounds like the Great Ocean Road can occupy on of those days and then exploring the town a little the next.