Melbourne
"In Adelaide, a new acquaintance will ask where you go to church. In Melbourne, they ask where you went to school. In Sydney, they ask about your bank."
That is an Australian quip of some sort, shared with me by Lynn and Trevor, in part meant to highlight Melbourne’s ascribed intellectual character. In a week I wasn’t able to discern the character of Melbourne society, but I was left with a strong impression of a rational grid city with a great mix of interesting old and new buildings (many of which catered to a fine pedestrian scale), a heathy infusion of art and greenspace, and lively activity on the streets -which added up to a marvelous city.
Along with Colleen and Bernie, I'd spent two fun, comfortable, conversational nights at Lynn and Trevor’s farm home about 90 minutes from Melbourne. Our final morning, they were going into the city anyway, and kindly dropped me off at a suburban railroad station. It was a bit disconcerting to be completely on my own again, after weeks in the care of Colleen and Bernie.
Lynn and Trevor had given me the heads up about the Myki card for transit fares, and I’d preloaded an electronic version into Google Wallet on my phone. In Sydney, one "taps on and taps off" to engage fare collection; in Adelaide it is "tap on" only, and in Melbourne it is "sometimes you tap on and sometimes you don't, and never tap off" (there is a fare-free zone in the CBD which is quite handy). Through the fare gates, and off I went.
As the train barrelled down the tracks, the first thing I noticed was something that I hadn't seen before in Australia - graffiti on every reachable vertical surface. I'd not seen much in Sydney (5.28M, 2023), or Adelaide (1.367M, 2023), but it is everywhere in Melbourne (5.235M, 2023). Much of it looks skillful and beautiful.
Flinders Street Station
The train buzzed a dozen stops past tight houses and red brick retaining walls, and upon arrival at Flinders Street Station, a sizable multi-modal rail site, I checked my bags (yes, they can do that in Australia still) with the Travelers Aid office, A$14 for two for the day, a bargain. Then, a faregate required me to tap out of the station (so confusing), and it didn't work...so the kindly faregate minder smiled and let me through, as Chicago plays on the loudspeaker. A mitzvah and a transcendent moment.
Stepping out of the station at late morning on the 4th of July, the sidewalks were busy with people. It felt good to be in a big city again.
My target destination to spend time until my afternoon AirBNB check-in - almost next door to the station, just over the Yarra River - was the NGV; the National Gallery of Victoria. This quick-and-easy walk set the tone for the week in Melbourne: anything in or near the CBD is easily walkable, and if not a walk, then a short trolley ride (usually free).
The NGV
Animated birds and museum patrons
On a slightly rainy, cool day, the Gallery was crowded with families - ah yes, school break week - but the line at the cafe was somewhat reasonable. I was ready for a decaf flat white and some lunch. Art gallery lunches across the world, I've found, are reliably good. This very-fresh veggie rollup proved the case.
Fortified, I set off into the galleries. The architecture of the building and some of its larger installations - simple but effective gallery spaces, a water wall or a giant stained-glass ceiling in gathering spaces - were compelling. The range of work exhibited from the permanent collection included lesser works of the masters, and great works of the lesser knowns (to me anyway), including many Australians. Two of the more striking pieces were a two-screen film depicting the desecration of the Amazon rainforest and its people (Richard Mosse, "Broken Spectre"), and some bird animations outside of the building. A new NGV Contemporary is in design behind the original building (see the proposal here).
My AirBNB was a modest, comfortable loft apartment dead center in the CBD; could not have been more convenient. I largely had the place to myself for the week. I'm finding that, for one person, I can do better in terms of cost, location and amenities by renting a suite or apartment through AirBNB, than with a hotel. I know that the word "share" strikes fear in people's hearts, but I've found far less sharing required than expected, as the owners have vacated the premises for my time there three times (I do opt for my own bathroom when I can.)
Walking the city streets for several days, I saw same-sex couples holding hands again; something I’d been missing in the rural areas, thank goodness for cities. Melburnians love their "beanies" (stocking caps) as a fashion statement, and walking, as evidenced by an early Saturday morning walk along a teeming Yarra promenade.
I’ve noticed hints of the proximity to Asia here. I noticed many varied Asian influences. The crowd seemed to be primarily a mix of caucasians and asians, including many tourists from all over. In whatever Australian town or city, plentiful asian food shops make dumplings, sushi, noodles, ramen, or Thai food available, and the cities will have Asian groceries as well, generally more than one. There is a large "Chinatown" district in Melbourne, plus much of the new retail development across the city carries interesting asian-themed products - manga, graphics, clothing styles, collectibles.
A central dome in the Central Station retail development
One of the newer retail centers was built at Melboune Central Station. First the transit part of the story: every train coming into the CBD circles the CBD and goes through three stations; in the morning, the trains go clockwise, and in the afternoon, counter-clockwise. Radical. So, something like twelve train lines go through Central (Flinders is also on the circuit), in addition to access to trams and buses. Then, development: the area around/over the station has been remade into multiple - five? six? seven? so many I could not keep track - levels of retail, including at least three below grade. Each level was vibrating with activity. Who here can picture three retail levels below grade anywhere in the U.S. but NYC?
A laneway
Similarly, Melbourne trades on its "laneways", which are basically alleys (often with a hadnful of attractive building facades to add character)transformed into retail, restaurant and cafe destinations, with tables under awnings or umbrellas to extend the use. In winter, the outdoor tables were filled to capacity (Australian winter is not so cold, high-50s and a very warm sun when it is out, but Australians complain about the cold all the time). These pedestrian connections continued through buildings in the form of old and new arcades, also dense with shops, cafes and tables. A true cafe society.
A magical arcade
That is an astonishing thing about Australian cities; they make so many of the tiniest alleys and courtyards, and stories way above and below grade into active, successful retail. I'm not sure why it works. One factor is, I think, that the level of personal safety and security here is so much better, so that walking down an alley does not automatically strike fear into a person's heart like it would in the States. But that is not the only factor; the "visibility" that U.S. businesses claim to need (street frontage, parking in front of their building, high numbers of passersby) does not seem to be a factor in the city centers here. Greater density of people? More pedestrian activity? It would require more study.
In a novel fashion, the street hierarchy in the Melbourne grid features streets and little streets (i.e. Bourke (pronounced "Burke") Street and Little Bourke Street, Collins Street and Little Collins Street) at larger scale tiers than the laneways. The little streets are again a scale that resonates strongly with the pedestrian's eye for charm, with smaller shops and restaurant/cafes. The big streets seem a "normal" size for a major city,
Other destinations:
The Queen Victoria ("QV") market, a vast and growing market complex featuring produce, prepared foods, butchers and fishmongers, and nice-quality goods
Federation Square, a series of indoor/outdoor public spaces near the River
The State Library, with a grand round reading room under an immense dome, as well as an exhibit on "the world of the book" with first edition Shelleys and Ruskins, among others
The pedestrianized, closed-to-traffic Elizabeth Street mall (every Aussie city has one, and the US struggles to make them work)
St. Paul's Cathedral (Anglican)
South Melbourne, a hip, uptown-sort-of district, with a few blocks of shops and its own Saturday market that was a popular meeting place
Sports games and theater productions, including matinees
I don't recommend a river cruise - there just wasn't enough to see to make it worthwhile. Better to stroll along the river and relax at a cafe or on the grass.
A walk through the new Docklands redevelopment district, including a charming new public library at the end of a pier
St. Kilda's beach town, which in the middle of winter still revealed a hippy nature, with a lovely retail area and beach. A short trolley ride from downtown, the neighborhood in between revealed empty storefronts I'd not seen yet in my Australian travels.
The Exposition Hall
A Sunday I spent there was fairly quiet, with fewer businesses open but enough. I took in a craft show at the Exhibition Hall (in part to see the building as well) and was impressed by the creativity of the goods on offer - small-designer clothes, pottery, illustrations/paintings, jewelry, toys, you name it. It was further evidence of a prosperous and educated society.
Going to the airport
In a fairly rail-centric city, I was suprised to find out that Melbourne has no trains to its airport. Instead, a Skybus coach leaves frequently from Southern Cross rail station (ground level, enter a bit to the right of the escalators at Bourke St.) with online ticketing and a reasonable fare.
Melbourne has three domestic terminals - all of Terminal 2 is Virgin Australia, and all of Terminal 3 is Qantas. Both Virgin and Qantas have systems where you tag your own bag and drop it. Bags get processed so much more quickly, and then to security. For Australian domestic flights, no concerns about liquids or plastic bags or shoes off (unless you are wearing boots), and I've only taken my computer out for my one Qantas flight. However, weight restrictions are real; 23 kg on Virgin/20 kg on Qantas checked, 14kg Virgin/10kg Qantas, carry on. (I’ve only had my carry-on’s weight checked once; again, Qantas.)
I was in Terminal 2 for Virgin this time, and emerged from security into a new, convenient food and shopping court. It was more food than shopping, more of a place than a mall, with multiple places to pick up coffee and a something, and have a seat before finding the gate.
For the first time in a long time, we boarded from the tarmac, which signaled to me a reasonable climate and a small flight and destination. On my way to Hobart, Tasmania, on a much smaller plane - the next installment.
