Melbourne

Featured Image By: Me

“Adventure? Alpaca my bags!”

When I think of Melbourne, I think of art, color, vibrancy; I think of incredible architecture, sporting influence and a cultural melting pot; and, of course, I can’t help but think of alpacas. Yes, really, alpacas. Alpacas and ice cream. Don’t forget the ice cream.

I didn’t actually know much about Melbourne until our visit. Basketball season had come to an end in late July of 2019, but our flight back to America was not for another month, so after a bit of correspondence with my mom’s cousin, Helen, David and I booked tickets to spend a weekend in Melbourne!

When the day finally came, we arrived later than planned (more on that story here), so as much as we wanted to sit and chat all night long, we had a bite to eat and went to bed in preparation for the packed days ahead.

Our first adventure on the list was the Central Business District (American Translation: Downtown) where Helen gave us the grand tour of Melbourne City Centre. After a short walk to the train station we took about an hour ride into the city. Upon departing the train, our first sighting was the City Circle Tram.

The route of the City Circle Tram is designed to make a full circle around the Melbourne City Centre and pass many of the main attractions within an approximate time of one hour. We thought to jump on the tram right away, but first, we had to explore Flinders Street where Flinders Street Station, Duke of Wellington Hotel, The Ian Potter Centre, Hosier’s Lane, and St. Paul’s Cathedral all reside – just minutes from each other!

Flinders Street Station is an icon of Melbourne – recognized by its arched entrance, protruding dome and face clocks above its wide staircase. Flinders Street Station is so popular Melbournians are often heard saying “I’ll meet you under the clocks”, or “I’ll meet you on the steps” when discussing a convenient meeting place.

Sitting on the corner of Russel and Flinders Street, The Duke of Wellington Hotel is Melbourne’s Oldest Hotel and a popular social spot of Melbourne’s City Centre Life today. The Heritage Council of Victoria registration label on the side of the building states, “This rare example of pre-gold rush Melbourne Hotel was built in 1850 and demonstrates the small scale and corner location typical of such buildings. It was used as a boarding house until a license was granted in 1853.”

That liquor license eventually led to the Melbournian-coined phrase, “Have an ale with the Whale”, when the football hero, Brian ‘the Whale’ Roberts, held licensee in the 90s. Although we didn’t stop to eat, I’m sure The Duke of Wellington Hotel reputation doesn’t hold just from its historical value. Thus, I would very much recommend stopping in for a real Aussie pub experience if you ever get the chance!

A short walk through Federation Square and we arrived at The Ian Potter Centre which houses the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia (NGV) – a stunningly glorious art gallery (of which I respectfully obeyed the rules of not snapping any photos while inside). Even if you don’t ever make it to explore the confines of the incredible collection, just standing outside in Federation Square screams creativity and ingenuity – words that, to me, clearly define Melbourne.

How fitting it was to walk out from The Ian Potter Centre and spot one of the best-known alleyways of Melbourne street art – Hosier Lane! We knew we wanted to see the street art that Melbourne is so well known for, but we didn’t actually know where we could find it. As soon as our eyes wondered across the street, we knew we struck gold! All I can say is, if you’re an art guru, Melbourne is your place! I was just enthralled by all the color!

After so much walking, we were getting pretty hungry and chose to stop in at Chapter House Coffee – a cute little café, squeezed into Chapter House Lane right next to St. Paul’s Cathedral. I had one of the best buddha bowls I’ve ever tasted. Being in Melbourne, that’s no surprise, but also being in Melbourne, we couldn’t not try the coffee! Not to mention, we needed something to keep us warm, as the bipolar Melbourne weather was choosing to be very cold at that particular moment.

Utterly satisfied with the delicious food and coffee, we made our way to St. Paul’s Cathedral; another place where photos are not permitted inside – understandably so, but unfortunately so as well, because the magnificence can simply not be put into words. In any case, we were able to enjoy walking through the towering framework – admiring the beautiful glass-stained windows. All the while, a live musician generously played the pipe organ – creating an awe-inspiring, priceless, and holy resonance.

After posing outside the Cathedral for a perfect angle of the adjacent Flinders Station, we strolled around the Melbourne Arcade (American Translation: sheltered walkway in a shopping mall) and hopped on the City Circle Tram. Destination? Docklands Waterfront!

You simply have to see this place in person, because the architecture is awesome in this area and it just so happens to be home to Marvel Stadium. Plus, who doesn’t want to see a cow up a tree? (More on that in a sec!)

Marvel Stadium is one of the five international standard sporting facilities – making Melbourne the only city in the world to have that number. Fitting for the city that is considered the unofficial sporting capital of the world.

Did you know that the first pick in the NBA draft has been from Melbourne 3 times since 2005? No other city has had 3 number 1 draft picks in the history of the NBA. Most Melbournians would say basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in Victoria behind Aussie Rules Football and Cricket, however, Melbourne has the highest participation in basketball per capita in the world. In other words, the title “sporting capital of the world” should be official.

Another fun fact that could contribute to this title is that Australians owe their gratitude of their beloved Australian Football League (AFL) to Melbourne, as it is here that Aussie Rules Football was invented!

Across from Marvel Stadium is the sculpture “Cow up a Tree” created by John Kelly – an Australian artist famously known for the use of cows in his work, including “Man lifting Cow”, and “Three Cows in a Pile”. I honestly didn’t know what to make of this sculpture as I approached it. I didn’t know it was a cow at first, and when I did realize it was a cow, I became confused, humored, then fully invested in finding out the story behind it.

Here it is: Basically, Kelly’s work is a sort of Australian inside joke referring to the ridiculed paper-mache cows created by the Sir William Dobell during WWII. These cows were intended to be a sort of diverting mechanism, so Japanese bombers wouldn’t spot the “camouflaged” airfields. I guess Australia deemed them useless.

This specific paper-mache cow up a tree is a combination of that humor and an unsettling reflection of the frequent Australian floods that often result in serious disorder such as a cow entangled and stranded up a tree.

Random at first glance, but, whether you find the story good or not, the statue has to grow on you. I found it to be quite interesting and perfectly fitting for the city of Melbourne.

We continued our adventure by walking through the renowned Crown Melbourne; beautifully located along the Yarra River south bank. We stopped for more coffee and, of course, a pose on a red lip sculpture designed as a pathway bench (why not?). Then it was time to meet up with Helen’s husband and daughter, Kevin and Hannah, for dinner.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there are not enough meals in a lifetime to try all the food selections in Melbourne. We walked through the Chinese Precinct to get to the Greek Precinct on Lonsdale Street where we had reservations for Tsindos – a Greek family-owned restaurant. We were especially excited to try the Greek food in Melbourne as, not only is Greek food my favorite cuisine, but we had heard Melbourne’s Greek food to be the most authentic due to the fact that there is no other city in the world with a higher Greek population outside of Greece. We were not disappointed! The food was exquisite, but even more of a treasure was the time the waitress took to tell us a little bit about her Greek heritage!

Speaking of heritage, the next day was our family day! First, we went to pick up my great Aunty Ann on our way to Hannah’s house for the mini family reunion. When we arrived, we met Hannah’s husband, Brad and their two kids, Archer and Raggerty; then we met Owen (Helen’s son and Hannah’s twin brother!); my mom’s cousin Sian’s (who was in South Africa at the time) kids James and Lori-Ann; James’ wife, Rita and their daughter, Sari-Jade; Lori-Ann’s husband, Robert, and their kids Ash and Holly, my mom’s cousin Brent and his wife, Manuela, and their two kids Matthew and Talia.

Did I get them all? Haha, it was incredible, to say the least! There is nothing like being surrounded by a group of strangers and automatically feeling welcomed and connected simply because I’m Gae Southey Zeller’s daughter, and family is family in this family.

Our final adventure in Melbourne was spent with Helen, Kevin and Aunty Ann out in Yarra Valley. Even though Sian was overseas, we drove to see her alpaca farm first! If I don’t go back to Melbourne for the city, the beautiful country, the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted from the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, or even my own family, I’ll definitely go back for the alpacas!

Seriously though, if you have never spent time with an alpaca, you need to put it on your bucket list! It’s no wonder Sian rents her farm out for birthday parties and even weddings! These animals are such fun-loving creatures that will steal the heart of any sane human being. Not only was the view priceless, with the green rolling hills that seem to go on for miles; the alpacas create a quick bond of friendship with you and, I swear, I could have sat there for hours just soaking in the serenity of such a scene.

As you can see, I became quickly attached to my alpaca friend who seemed to have chosen me. Her name is Princess. Princess wore a tag labeled with the number three, and, call me cheesy, but I think the best part is that, for basketball, I’m also the number three, because that’s my favorite number.

We were destined for each other!

I’m not kidding when I say this part though; Princess was genuinely sad when we had to leave. After all the serenity, snuggles, and selfies I could muster, we walked up to the house, I looked back, and there she was standing up behind the fence with her gaze intent on me; as if to say, “Are you really leaving?”

Like I said, Melbourne, I’m coming back for the alpacas!

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Cheers,

Joyful Jot