Stormy Melbourne
Old and new buildings
Some of the fancy buildings in the city centre
Sculpture at the Docklands
Docklands
Docklands
Docklands
Docklands
Docklands
Irish centre
Older churches in Melbourne
Tram
Building in the centre
This sculpture features in a lot of pictures of Sydney
Church
My street
Museum
Sculpture at the Museum
Me
Imax
Flinders street station
Federation square
View from Federation square of St PaulsI leave Christchurch mid afternoon for the airport. I'm travelling to Melbourne, Australia to start the Aussie leg of my journey. The weather in Christchurch is beautifully clear and warm. Bloody typical. After a 4 hour flight I arrive in Melbourne early evening. The weather here is 26 degrees Celsius and humid. The sky is black from gathering dense rain clouds. I'm waiting outside for a shuttle bus and an announcement beams over the airport speaker system - "thunderstorm alarm will sound..." then an air raid style siren is sounded. Pretty weird happenings when you're a bit disorientated from flying....
I'm driven to my hostel which is outside the city. I'm staying in St Kilda which is a trendy suburb of Melbourne. The hostel is brand new and fantastic. The beds are lush and their are so many showers!!!! I share my room though with a stinky man who doesn't wash. He was basically going out at 7pm and getting back at 7pm. He spent all day in the casino and then in bars. He got back and then went to sleep and then did it all again. Needless to say I changed rooms....
I head into town on a tram. I bought a ticket from the hostel and put it through the machine when i get on the tram. We are close to Flinders street (my intended stop) and a woman and two blokes get on the tram. They each get on one of the trams three doors. They are wearing raincoat style jackets and all look very suspect. I start to think that they may try and hold up the tram. The bigger bloke shouts out ticket inspection and the other two pull out passes and wave them to the bus. The whole tram (except me tuts loudly). Bloody hell is the city run by the mafia? They work through the train and the big man, obviously there for any trouble makers watches over the tram. Bizarre happenings.
I jumped on the free tram that takes you through the city centre. I jumped off now and then and had a bit of a walk around. There are many historic buildings in the centre. There are also a number of buildings that are heavily decorated and brightly coloured. I stopped at the Queen Victoria market which sells everything from food to touristy crap. Pretty huge market but its too warm and so I leave empty handed. Melbourne has a laid back feel. Very cosmopolitan and full of shops and eateries. Melbourne is a very diverse city and there are many immigrants from the Indian subcontinent and China. Curry houses are everywhere.
In the evening I walked to the nearest Supermarket which is just 10 minutes away on the main street. On the way there I spot two prostitutes walking the street outside the hostel. I also step over a used syringe on the main street. I was a bit shocked - I've gone from NZ which has 4 million people to a city with over 3 million!!! It feels quite safe though. On the way back one of the prostitutes tries to talk to me and I just say "No thanks" and walk on without really hearing what she said. I walk away and she calls out to me and has a go at me for being rude. It was too dark along the street to stop for anyone.
Pretty eventful 24 hours really....
I'm driven to my hostel which is outside the city. I'm staying in St Kilda which is a trendy suburb of Melbourne. The hostel is brand new and fantastic. The beds are lush and their are so many showers!!!! I share my room though with a stinky man who doesn't wash. He was basically going out at 7pm and getting back at 7pm. He spent all day in the casino and then in bars. He got back and then went to sleep and then did it all again. Needless to say I changed rooms....
I head into town on a tram. I bought a ticket from the hostel and put it through the machine when i get on the tram. We are close to Flinders street (my intended stop) and a woman and two blokes get on the tram. They each get on one of the trams three doors. They are wearing raincoat style jackets and all look very suspect. I start to think that they may try and hold up the tram. The bigger bloke shouts out ticket inspection and the other two pull out passes and wave them to the bus. The whole tram (except me tuts loudly). Bloody hell is the city run by the mafia? They work through the train and the big man, obviously there for any trouble makers watches over the tram. Bizarre happenings.
I jumped on the free tram that takes you through the city centre. I jumped off now and then and had a bit of a walk around. There are many historic buildings in the centre. There are also a number of buildings that are heavily decorated and brightly coloured. I stopped at the Queen Victoria market which sells everything from food to touristy crap. Pretty huge market but its too warm and so I leave empty handed. Melbourne has a laid back feel. Very cosmopolitan and full of shops and eateries. Melbourne is a very diverse city and there are many immigrants from the Indian subcontinent and China. Curry houses are everywhere.
In the evening I walked to the nearest Supermarket which is just 10 minutes away on the main street. On the way there I spot two prostitutes walking the street outside the hostel. I also step over a used syringe on the main street. I was a bit shocked - I've gone from NZ which has 4 million people to a city with over 3 million!!! It feels quite safe though. On the way back one of the prostitutes tries to talk to me and I just say "No thanks" and walk on without really hearing what she said. I walk away and she calls out to me and has a go at me for being rude. It was too dark along the street to stop for anyone.
Pretty eventful 24 hours really....
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