Wandering Fel

Home All post

Continuing on my adventure from Flinders Street Station, I walked across a bridge which led me into the Southbank, an inner urban neighbourhood of Melbourne. I could not really tell that Southbank is used to be an industrial area because the area is now dominated by high-rise buildings such as Australia's tallest tower, Eureka Tower and other office/apartment towers. Some of the big names who are headquartered at the Southbank are Treasury Wine Estates, Crown Limited, Alumina, The Herald and Weekly Times.

13D Australia Summer Trip: The Southbank, Melbourne

You will be able to see the Yarra River, which borders Southbank to its north side. The Southbank Promenade runs from Princes Bridge along to Queens Bridge Street and Queens Bridge. If you start to wonder how many bridges are connecting the Central Business District (CBD) area of Melbourne to the Southbank, you are not alone. Lee and I were kinda confused on which bridge we should take to make our way across but eventually we decided to cross from the Princes Bridge. Other than the abovesaid bridges, there are two other bridges connecting Melbourne's CBD to the Southbank, the King Street Bridge and Spencer Street Bridge.

Yarra Promenade at the Southbank Melbourne

We saw a number of several buskers and a pavement chalk artists on the promenade, this includes a busker in Elmo costume. Right near to the promenade is the Arts Centre Melbourne, one of the famous landmarks in Southbank. This is also Australia's largest and busiest performing art venues. The art centre has been house to many orchestra, dance performances and music concerts. On Sundays, it becomes the house of local crafts market. Restaurants are available inside the arts centre too to make sure visitors can enjoy their visit longer.

Arts Centre at the Southbank Melbourne Australia

Despite its obvious height, I still need to activate my Google Maps to navigate myself and Lee throughout this corporate jungle to our next destination, Eureka Skydeck, the tallest building in Australia. I even stumbled upon the firm where I used to work, PwC near to the Skydeck. That kinda brought back memories. Ironically, the PwC Tower is the building which led us to our destination. I wonder why the designer of Eureka Skydeck chose golden wasps as the tower's decoration, do wasps bring good fortune? Hmm.

Eureka Skydeck at Melbourne Southbank Australia

You would need a ticket to access the observation deck of Eureka which is located at level 88. There are two different categories of admission which you can select from: Individual and Family package.

Individual Admission for Skydeck:

Adult Ticket - AUD 20

Concession Ticket (must show valid student, Health Care or Seniors Card on arrival) - AUD 15.50

Child Ticket (4 - 16 y.o., <4 free admission) - AUD 11.50

Family package deals:

2 adults + 2 children - AUD 46

2 adults + 1 children - AUD 46

1 adult + 2 children - AUD 34

Extra child - AUD 9.50

View from level 88 of Eureka Tower at the Southbank Melbourne

The observation skydeck is located 285 metres above ground and yet, it only took us 38 seconds to get up there. It is no wonder that Eureka Tower is known to have the fastest elevator trip in the Southern Hemisphere. You can enjoy the view of many attraction sites of Melbourne City from Albert Park Lake, Port Phillip Bay, and the Dandenong Ranges and beyond. With 30 viewfinders available around the Skydeck, you will definitely spend at least 45 minutes in the Skydeck. One of the viewfinder show me the aerial view of the white Government House and its surrounding greens, the Royal Botanics Garden of Victoria. The Government House was completed back in the year 1876 and it was called the grandest house in Australia back then. Its Italian architecture-inspired tower can be seen from miles away. It was the largest governor's residence in Australia and it is designed in a similar way to Queen Victoria's palatial Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. If you are interested to find out more about the house, a guided tour will take you to the grand Ballroom, State Dining Room and Billiard Room in the house.

Aerial view of Government House and Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

The Royal Botanic Gardens which surround the Government House is an extensive greens which extend over 36 hectares and it has a huge diverse collection of over 50,000 plants from around the world, including rare and even threatened species. If you visit Melbourne with kids, you may be interested to visit the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden where kids can play in the ruin garden, meeting place, wetland area, bamboo forest, gorge, plant tunnel, rill and kitchen garden. Other highlights of the Royal Botanic Gardens include the National Herbarium, Tropical Hothouse, Plant Craft Cottage and the Guillfoyle's Volcano water reservoir. It's really too bad we had no time to visit the garden during our visit to Melbourne.

View from the skydeck of Eureka Tower Melbourne

Eureka Skydeck is located at:

Riverside Quay,

Southbank Melbourne,

Australia

Eureka Skydeck's opening hours:

Daily 10AM - 10PM

(Last entry 9.30PM)

Christmas day and NYE 10AM - 5.30PM

(Last entry 5PM)

Royal Botanics Garden Victoria is located at:

100 Birdwood Avenue,

Melbourne, Australia

Royal Botanics Garden Victoria's opening hours:

Daily 7.30AM - sunset

Melbourne is such a fine city and I am really quite happy with my hotel's location which is just a tram ride away from the city centre of Melbourne. Oh right, how does Melbournian do their travelling by public transport? It seems that the main transportation used in the city is the tram. However, if you come from Sydney, you would need to buy another type of travel card because you will not be able to use your Opal Card in Melbourne. The reusable travel card which is valid in Melbourne is called Myki and you can use the card for taking trains, buses and trams in the city. You can buy and top up your Myki at any convenience stores in the city (we topped up at 7-11 along Elizabeth Street).

Once we have gotten our Myki, it's time to explore the city. I wanted to check out the famous Flinders Street Station but in order to reach that station, it seems that I have to pass through the city centre of Melbourne. While we could take the tram for free since the city centre of Melbourne is a Free Tram Zone (FTZ), Lee and I decided to walk instead because we could do sightseeing in a more chillaxing vibe this way. The first landmark that we passed is the Queen Victoria Market. The market was already closed though because it's Sunday and the market closes earlier on Sunday at 3PM. Sadz. Another time then, my Queen.

13D Australia Summer Trip: Flinders Street Station, Melbourne

While the market was closed, a lot of people were still chilling at the cafes on Elizabeth Street. It seems that some cafes open until 5PM-ish in Melbourne. Elizabeth Street is one of the main streets in the central business district of Melbourne and the street is famous for its retail shopping and cafes. Other then the Queen Victoria Market, the street is also connected with key shopping and tourist destinations such as Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne's GPO, and Melbourne Central Shopping Centre.

Elizabeth Street in the city of Melbourne Australia

As the weather is so hot, I took a shortcut at somewhere along Little Bourke Street and Little Collins Street and was transported immediately to the Royal Arcade, a historic shopping arcade in Melbourne's CBD. This is the oldest surviving arcade in Australian and it is known for its elegant light-fitted interior.

The Royal Arcade in Melbourne CBD Australia

There are so many clocks inside the Royal Arcade but ironically instead of the famous one, we only took picture of this clock. I suppose more researches are needed to be done if you really want to explore one place in detail. If you have the chance to visit the Royal Arcade, you may be interested in checking out their Gaunt's Clock which is guarded by Gog and Magog. Not very sure on the exact reason of why Gog and Magog are selected as "timekeepers" for a special clock in the Royal Arcade because as far as I'm aware, Gog and Magog are not exactly nice fellas in the Bible story. They were gonna invade the Israelites with their armies, I think.

Clock in the Royal Arcade Melbourne Australia

There is a gallery of the Art of Dr. Seuss inside the Royal Arcade. But unfortunately, it was already closed by the time I found out where it is located. You can see the paintings from "The Secret Art Collection", "The Unorthodox Taxidermy Sculpture" and the "Illustration Art". After all, Dr. Seuss is famous for its quirky quotes such as "If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good." I hope he's not referring to some drugs though.

The Art of Dr. Seuss at the Royal Arcade Melbourne

Right outside Little Collins Street, you can finally see the oldest railway station in Australia, Flinders Street Station. The station was used to be Melbourne's favourite meeting place and the locals even had a catchphrase for it "meet me under the clocks". There are a lot of takeaway stands in the concourse level such as sushi, hotdog, donuts and even newspaper kiosk. Meanwhile, the upper floors of the train station is used to house a library, gym and a lecture hall, later used as a ballroom.

Flinders Street Station at Melbourne Australia

The unique yellow facade and the green dome of Flinders Street Station has often made into a lot of postcards of Melbourne because after all, it's one of the symbol of the city of Melbourne. If you ever need an internet connection, you can tap on the station's free wi-fi which is accessible on the station concourse and from every platform.

Dome of Flinders Street Station at Melbourne

Melbourne is known for its strong coffee culture and there are so many available choices of cafe in this most livable city in the world. It was kinda no brainer for Lee and I to choose the nearest cafe to our accommodation in Melbourne, Ibis Hotel. Seven Seeds Speciality Coffee ("Seven Seeds") is located just a few blocks away from Ibis Hotel and the cafe was pretty much busy on a Saturday afternoon.

13D Australia Summer Trip: Seven Seeds Speciality Coffee, Melbourne

Seven Seeds is set up in a pretty industrial way (some hipster cafes in Singapore has started adopted this style too, I notice) to make the cafe looks like a warehouse and yet, it is a cafe. The cafe was crowded at 2 in the afternoon as it was Saturday. But, Lee and I managed to get seats right opposite a couple. I have heard about the friendliness of Melbournian but to be honest I was quite surprised that the girl opposite me started to initiate conversation with us. She was quite excited upon knowing that we flew from Singapore to Melbourne and start sharing about some of the popular cafes in town. She even gave us some recommendation on what to order from Seven Seeds.

Seven Seeds offers a number of brunch items such as PB & J French Toast (AUD 18) consists of brioche french toast, peanut butter ganache, rhubard and mixed berry compote, coffee chocolate sauce, and seasonal fruits; Avocado Smash (AUD 17) consists of Persian feta, Vegemite dust, poached egg, bush dukkah and rye; and Smokey Beans (AUD 14) consists of fried egg, bacon crumbs and sourdough. Despite so many selections available, I stick to my all-time-favourite brunch dish, Eggs Benedict.

Eggs and Waffles Benedict from Seven Seeds Melbourne

Seven Seeds' rendition of Eggs and Waffles Benedict (AUD 18) consists of smoked pulled pork and cheddar waffle, poached eggs and chipotle hollandaise. I love everything about this dish despite this is the first time I eat eggs benedict on top of waffle. The eggs are poached perfectly with the runny insides oozing out of the two eggs. The waffle's batter is mixed with pulled pork and cheddar making it to be different from the usual plain waffle while the hollandaise has a zesty tingy flavour due to the addition of chipotle to the mix.

Good Morning Breakfast Burger from Seven Seeds Melbourne

On the other hand, Lee chose to have a burger instead. Her Good Morning Breakfast Burger (AUD 14) also comes with a twist, it looks Western and yet pretty oriental like Thai or Vietnamese burger. Seven Seeds uses housemade chorizo, cheddar, fried egg, chilli pepper chutney, spring onion and pain de mie roll for the bun. She enjoyed her burger too although I personally think that my order wins the dish of the day. #suddenlycompetitive

While the food is awesome, you must not miss the chance to order Seven Seeds' coffee. It will be a sin to visit Seven Seeds without ordering their coffee, to be honest with you. I notice something about the coffee culture in Melbourne here at Seven Seeds. Turns out whenever you order an iced coffee, the order will come with an ice cream inside your coffee. Omaigat. Iced coffee is considered as scoops here in Melbourne and an order of iced coffee/ mocha (AUD 6.70) will be made like coffee float. I am in coffee heaven indeed.

If you prefer their non-caffeine fix, you may want to go for their Storm in Teacup Tea selection such as Earl Grey, Spring Tonic, or Houjicha (each at AUD 4).

Seven Seeds Speciality Coffee's address:

106 - 114 Berkeley Street,

Carlton Victoria

Melbourne

Opening hours:

Monday to Saturday - 7AM to 5PM

Sunday - 8AM to 5PM

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )

Wandering Fel

13D Australia Summer Trip: The Southbank, Melbourne

13D Australia Summer Trip: Flinders Street Station, Melbourne

13D Australia Summer Trip: Seven Seeds Speciality Coffee, Melbourne