A long weekend in Melbourne isn’t on the ‘plan’ but as good friends are visiting relatives here, I find myself in a cab from the airport. The driver asks which route I would normally take. Really ?!
Arriving in the suburb of Yarraville, I have stepped back in time. Houses are wooden, colonial style, single story with a tin roof, verandah(s) and a nice little garden plot. Many still have their decorative ironwork and picket fences. Very attractive. All slightly different styles, the area is an architectural patchwork quilt. As with the UK, renovating old properties is popular. It’s a little slower coming here, but ‘heritage colours’ are all the rage and good ‘tradies’ who can do your ‘reno’ are in heavy demand. I later find Sydney does it in competitive style.
Yarraville is laid back and artsy. Think Hoxton or Shoreditch. For some there is a shabby chic, for others only paint chart pristine will do. My friends have rented an artist’s house, complete with furnishings and decor clearly collected over years of visiting ‘Op shops’ (opportunity or charity shops). But it’s very well done, homely and great fun. And near a tempting run of shops, bars, restaurants. There’s even an art deco cinema my friend remembers fondly from his Australian childhood.
Next day we take a small ferry into the city. This is a tiny wooden launch, holding about 20 people. There are many ferries, but this is fun. From our low vantage point we see it all, the seaplanes, the docks, the bridges, countless other ferries and the city skyline, looming larger with a Cunard Queen taking centre stage. This is a big city. As we get closer my English friend gasps at the high-rise developments absent from her last visit only a handful of years ago. Melbourne is growing fast. We glide under lower and lower bridges through the heart of the city, finally alighting near a couple of heliports. How the other half live !
Ashore we ride the old trams for free, shunning the newer versions. ‘Ting-ting’ is much more fun! Some of the older buildings are magnificent and we could be in a large UK city. We head for the Victoria markets. A Saturday institution in foodie Melbourne, it seems you can buy almost anything. Stalls groan with fabulous produce. It’s bustling and many young folks are dragging patterned old-lady style shopping trolleys on wheels after them. How the hip & trendy of Melbourne get their precious provisions home. A Turkish food stall provides some cracking lunch options, which we take to the park where there’s a cottage transported from Great Ayton in Yorkshire, purporting to be Captain Cook’s. Well, some of his family did live in it, so it is given the full Cook treatment. And it’s a nice little place, too ! The city centre is much like any other – shops, shops, shops – but it has a good vibe. It’s very English developing fast. The 2008 financial meltdown didn’t really touch Australia.
Next day we head down to the shore, taking in a windswept seafront before having probably one of the best smoked salmon/scrambled eggs/avocado breakfasts I’ve ever eaten. A slow day as jet lag catches up with my friends. We spend a couple of hours wandering around the Yarraville area, taking in the locations of my friend’s childhood. He is delighted to find many buildings still standing, including his childhood home, despite the renovation fever. Later it’s back to find more places to eat in the area. Spoilt for choice, we do well and retire back to the artist’s residence with some local wine.
After such a depressing end to my time in Tasmania, Melbourne is exciting and I wish I had longer, There is much I have not seen. One for the ‘next time’ list…