I arrived very jet lagged to Melbourne on Saturday, March 13th after spending 18.5 hours over four flights from Calgary! I’ve been fortunate to get an once-in-a-lifetime three month work assignment in the city, which is a mixed blessing since while I get to travel for work, I’m also going into another busy season and also away from family for three months. However, as long as I am here, I am going to enjoy one of the most livable cities in the world!
Melbourne (pronounced Mel-bun) is four-million citizens strong, and is located on the south-east tip of Victoria and also the country. The closest major city is Sydney, which is a whopping 10 hours away. By comparison, Calgary to Regina is only 7 (boring) hours away. University semesters run from February to November at 5 months each, and average highs vs lows are 26°C and 14°C in the summer, and 13°C and 6°C in July.
Melbourne, like most major cities, have some excellent restaurants. Unlike most major cities, Melbourne prides itself in keeping the best places hidden from plain view, via alleyways and lanes. Melbourne’s Tourism office even has this sick sense of humour advertising to tourists discover these local gems! For those who don’t consider themselves adventurous (or have an irrational fear of alleyways), there are more than enough visibly safe areas with great food – for example, Lygon St., north of downtown the CBD.
Australia has its own well-developed local vocabulary that most tourists don’t bother to learn until its too late – I am no exception to this rule. There is no downtown in Melbourne, just the CBD (Central Business District). Lemonade is Sprite. Footy is Australian Rules Football, which is nothing like European and American football, and has even more complex rules. Arvo is afternoon. I’m a bloke. While lattes exist, its cousin without the foam is known as a Flat White. And cafes are everywhere – literally two on every block within the CBD. Italian, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese restaurants litter the streets, and all are authentic in their execution.
You would think that having such healthy competition would drive down prices for coffee, food and generally everything. In fact, Melbourne has some of the most expensive food costs I have ever experienced! Lunch downtown in the CBD would exchange for a tenner, as long as you don’t opt for a $3 drink. Normal sized shampoo is $8. A local cafe’s small flat white is about $3.50, and a basic pair of Oakley sandals is about $80.
To be fair, I am currently drinking a delicious $3 local bottle of wine from the bottle-o. The Flat White is always fantastic, no matter what cafe I walk into. I’ve yet to have a bad meal, even considering quick-serve food court stuffs during lunch. Add the hustle, bustle and never-ending activities of the city, and I’m simply glad to be in such a beautiful place for three months.
[Melbourne 2K10 Photo Set]
Blog post cost: $2.00 = $0.013/MB x 150 MB (photos, typing, proofing and “general internet”)
This sushi seems ridiculously awesome!!!
Enjoy, man!
Thanks man – The sushi is fairly decent considering its instant and efficient! I’m still split on the whole F1 experience…