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When the clouds cleared, I could see a carpet of glittering lights enveloping the ground. Melbourne definitely is a gigantic sprawling city by Perth standards. Over the next few days, I discovered Melbourne even more as I experienced the tram rides and graffiti laden walls by travelling from place to place.

Such was the nature of Melbourne, a place sizzling with action and colour. The city has unparalleled character due to its skyline of old gothic buildings interspersed with tall skyscrapers and trams worming throughout the city. Also, I came to notice that Melbourne is not as clean as Perth. I am not referring to the Yarra River (which is murky) but rather the public transport conditions and the abundance of graffiti that defines overpopulation (3.5 million people) and antiquity.

Day 1

On the first day, I headed straight for the Melbourne World Trade and Convention Centre. There, I grabbed maps for free from the information counter. One of them contained the Golden Mile route for tourists. The Golden Mile route takes the new tourist through most of the major attractions in the city. I initially stuck to the route but ventured further when I am struck in awe by certain buildings.

The Victoria Arts Centre with its skeletal spire structure catches the eye all too quickly. I managed to scan through the place. Obviously this place is for those who are interested in dramatic plays and artistic nuances.

A cathedral anyone visiting Melbourne could not miss is the St. Paul Cathedral that towers majestically opposite Flinders Street Station, which itself is a beauty. Not only is it gigantic the architecture is awe-inspiring.

Thinking a bird's eye view of the city would be a good idea, I journeyed up the Rialto Towers. Indeed the tower does promise a 360 degrees view of the city and the scenery was breathtaking to the extreme. Rialto Towers has 52 floors and is 253 metres high. The ticket included a short film entitled 'Melbourne the Living City'.

Victoria developed quickly due to the discovery of gold. Melbourne being the capital of Victoria was the centre of trade. The Gold Treasury, which is now a museum houses memorabilia from time immemorial of the booming gold industry at that time. Outside stood the Treasury Gardens, where I rested to regain strength from having walked all day.

At the end of the day, I managed to get into Old Melbourne Gaol for a quick view. As it was closing time, which added to its spine-tingling nature, I had to be quick, pushing away thoughts of being accidentally locked in for the night. But, at the price of a child's ticket I couldn't refuse entry. The jail historically housed the famous Ned Kelly, a hero among many Australians today. Nevertheless, I felt that the jail has lost its original nature due to tourism.

Day 2

The next day was Saturday, so my brother was free to take me around. We went to Monash where he used to study. The place is huge, with a modern touch to it. The buildings are very high and some students report that the top few floors actually sway when there are strong winds.

After that, we travelled by bus to Chadstone's, the largest shopping galleria in the southern hemisphere. One thing I noticed about Melbourne, from Chadstone's and every where else is its startling variety of things to buy. Of course, white four letter words on red big banners were just too irresistible.

Day 3

My brother took me to Queen Victoria Market, where I would acquire most of my gift souvenirs. After a quick tour, we headed into China Town and quickly retreated after noticing how dirty and crowded the place is.

The next destination on the list was Crown Casino but we only passed by and noticed the handprints of famous visiting actors on the walls. I made it a point to explore both Queen Victoria Market and Crown Casino more thoroughly by myself later on.

Then, we had a leisure walk through Daimaru, a Japanese supermarket and Melbourne Central with its interesting conical roof and hot air baloon as well as an olden-day aircraft stuck at the top of the transparent roof.

Day 4

This day was the most exciting day. I woke up early in order to prepare for my trip along the Great Ocean Road. The morning was sunny. The scenery along the way was spectacular. Unrivalled were the beauty of the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard's Gorge and London Bridge. The trip took 11 hours and we made 13 stops. We stopped for a lookout for wild kangaroos and koalas. At Cape Patton, we got out for a photography session. Also, the trip included a rainforest walk through Mait's Rest. Of course, it started to rain half way through the tour. Such was the four-season a day weather in Melbourne.

At night, I ventured alone to the Crown Casino. The casino is absolutely stunning. Colours glimmered everywhere. I had some trouble getting in but was allowed as they do not usually accept student cards. If you want to lose money, this is the place to be. I however, did no such thing.

Day 5

I went straight for the Queen Victoria Market, and after shopping around, got all the gifts I ever need. The market sells things much cheaper than what you would get elsewhere. However, I did haggle (or perhaps just once and found it in my favour).

Next, I headed to the Melbourne Aquarium and that decision was a good one. I thoroughly enjoyed it as I have a fascination for underwater creatures. They even have simulated rides into the ocean. One of which, not for the faint-hearted is a roller-coaster ride which was just as thrilling as the real thing. I went for the submarine ride too which was more mellow.

Later, I travelled by tram to the Shrine of Remembrance. The monument was erected to honour the memories of those war veterans who perished during the wars. Crossing the road, I reached The Royal Botanic Gardens of Melbourne. It wasn't the flowering season yet but still I managed to get some scenic photos. I'm just crossing my fingers that all my photos turn out all right. As there was a jolt of electricity with every step I took, I decided to call it a day and headed home.

Day 6

The final day was when I wanted to rush it all so that I can visit everything. But I decided against it. Not only was it a matter of money, it was a matter of quality. Certainly, exploring a place thoroughly, having paid for it, is much better than rushing it through and not knowing what has been seen.

I headed straight to University of Melbourne. Having lost interest with the architecture and as I was expecting something more than the tiny plot of land that the university occupied, I decided to head for the Zoo. I still think that The University of Western Australia is the most beautiful.

The zoo was fantastic. I was glad to see so many animals and some I can even touch, if I were tall enough of course. Overall, the zoo looks promising and I spent the rest of the morning there.

In the afternoon, I caught a last glimpse of the city up close and after bidding it goodbye headed for South Yarra. There, I walked along, hoping to stumble upon some interesting sites. The Jam Factory is a very colourful arcade, which houses what it claims to be one of the most beautiful cinemas in the world. Indeed, it was very colourful.

I don't know whether I am paranoid or not but I felt that people in Perth are generally friendlier (they smile more) than in Melbourne. I will forever remember the crowded trains where I travelled for 35 minutes everyday to get from my brother's place to the city. Overall, after 8 days in Melbourne (since the first and last days was spent on board a plane), I felt really relieved and fully rested. I feel very ready for the next dose of exams already.

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Erik
12th July - 19th July 2001