Yesterday, we have arranged shuttle pickup via the receptionist and informed them that we shall check-out early this morning.
We woke up early, checked-out and waited for shuttle to fetch us at 7:00 AM from hostel to airport. The shuttle fare is 13 AUD which is cheaper than taking train or taxi. We could have saved on fare, however we forgot to claim our key deposit :( This is another lesson learned, next time we will need to add reminder.
Today we bid Sydney goodbye and hello Melbourne. The plane departed 10:00 AM and arrived Melbourne at 11:35 AM. After claiming our luggage, we proceed to Bus Zone M, where we took Starbus. It took around 30 minutes and will drop you us off at Discovery Melbourne. Tickets are 13 AUD per person however it was refunded on check-in since we stayed for more than 3 days. Don't forget to ask the bus driver for receipt. :)
We woke up early, checked-out and waited for shuttle to fetch us at 7:00 AM from hostel to airport. The shuttle fare is 13 AUD which is cheaper than taking train or taxi. We could have saved on fare, however we forgot to claim our key deposit :( This is another lesson learned, next time we will need to add reminder.
Today we bid Sydney goodbye and hello Melbourne. The plane departed 10:00 AM and arrived Melbourne at 11:35 AM. After claiming our luggage, we proceed to Bus Zone M, where we took Starbus. It took around 30 minutes and will drop you us off at Discovery Melbourne. Tickets are 13 AUD per person however it was refunded on check-in since we stayed for more than 3 days. Don't forget to ask the bus driver for receipt. :)
Discovery Melbourne is a large international youth hostel conveniently located right in the heart of the city. They offer free guided tours, some events and parties. I love this hostel. They give FREE breakfast which is available every 7 to 11 in the morning. There are bread, cereals, spreads, coffee, milk and tea. Our daily breakfast favorite was toasted bread with peanut butter and strawberry jam. I completed it with fresh milk, while my partner preferred coffee. Another nice feature in this hostel is their swipe card key for our room, toilet, bathroom and to any doors there is in the hostel.
After we checked-in and settled our things, we headed out and looked for something to eat. The Borek Bakehouse caught our attention since a lot people were buying. It is located at 481 Elizabeth Street. They serve traditional Turkish breads and snacks, including lamb gozleme, spinach and cheese borek, and Middle Eastern dips and sweets. Borek is a family of baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo (or yufka). It can be filled with cheese, often feta, sirene or kasar; minced meat, or vegetables. We ordered 2 Lamb & Zucchini Borek and 2 Chickpea borek which costs 10 AUD and is delicious and filling.
From here we passed through strip of mostly Asian restaurants until we reach the #35 free city circle tram stop. The City Circle tram service operates within Melbourne's central business district. It operates in a circular route passing major tourist attractions, as well as linking with other tram, train and bus routes in and around Melbourne. Trams run in both directions approximately every twelve minutes between 10am and 6pm Sunday to Wednesday and extended hours, 10am - 9pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Clockwise service: Flinders Street > Harbour Esplanade > Docklands Drive > La Trobe Street > Victoria Street > Nicholson Street > Spring Street > Flinders Street.
At 2:00 pm, we took this tram to Parliament Station (St. Patrick's Cathrdral). St. Patrick's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and seat of its archbishop. The building is known internationally as a leading example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture.
From here we can walk towards Fitzroy Garden > Old Treasury Building > Parliament House > Parliament Station. Let us guide you...
Head east on Cathedral Place towards Lansdowne Street and Fitzroy Gardens awaits you. The Fitzroy Gardens are 26 hectares located on the southeastern edge of the Melbourne CBD. The gardens are bounded by Clarendon Street, Albert Street, Lansdowne Street, and Wellington Parade. The gardens are one of the major Victorian era landscaped gardens in Australia and add to Melbourne's claim to being the garden city of Australia. Set within the gardens are: an ornamental lake, Conservatory, Cooks' Cottage, Sinclair’s Cottage, Model Tudor village, Fountains and sculptures, Band Pavilion, the Rotunda and the fairy tree
Head east on Cathedral Place towards Lansdowne Street and Fitzroy Gardens awaits you. The Fitzroy Gardens are 26 hectares located on the southeastern edge of the Melbourne CBD. The gardens are bounded by Clarendon Street, Albert Street, Lansdowne Street, and Wellington Parade. The gardens are one of the major Victorian era landscaped gardens in Australia and add to Melbourne's claim to being the garden city of Australia. Set within the gardens are: an ornamental lake, Conservatory, Cooks' Cottage, Sinclair’s Cottage, Model Tudor village, Fountains and sculptures, Band Pavilion, the Rotunda and the fairy tree
From the gorgeous flower filled conservatory, head south, turn right toward Treasury place and Turn right into Spring St.then you shall reach The Old Treasury Building. This is a famous building, designed by a 19 year old and housing the original Melbourne gold vaults. There's a lot to see here including seeing a copy of the biggest gold nugget ever found in the world (found here in Victoria), and there's also a lot of history about Melbourne. The Old Treasury Building closes at 4pm by the way and isn't open Saturdays so plan accordingly.
Walk few meters north of Old Treasury Building towards Macarthur St. and visit the Parliament House. It has been the seat of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia, since 1855 (except for the years 1901 to 1927, when it was the seat of the Federal Parliament of Australia). There is the Queen's Hall where you can find statue of Queen Victoria, Legislative Council, Legislative Assembly, Library and more. They offer free tours, just join the queue or walk right in if there isn't a queue. Tours are available 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.45pm........ Get to experience the virtual tour here.
Then we headed towards Parliament Station and met a friend and his wife. It was raining!!! Well, as they say, they experience four seasons in a day in Melbourne. From nearby there is free circle tram stop, we hopped in towards Flinders St. but we were asked to alight the tram at Docklands. It was raining and it was freezing, and we were anxious whether there was still tram service as it was already 6PM. We waited quite a long time before the next tram arrived. We alighted at Flinders Street Station and walked towards Swanston st.
We had dinner at Pho Bo Ga Mekong Vietnam at 241 Swanston Street. We had Chicken Special, Beef Special and some Spring Rolls. Dinner was perfect for winter season and we walked out very full.
It is time to head back home and have a good rest! Till tomorrow :)
Posts
