Retrospective

Planning this trip to take place near the middle of Allan's seven weeks in France and Spain was a brilliant way to break up the time on my own. It gave me something to look forward after Allan left and the end was in sight when I got back.

So grateful to Nicola for accompanying me. We hadn't travelled together before, but I think we were pretty compatible!

I do love Melbourne - it is so pretty with its old buildings, and wide streets.  It had changed quite a bit since I was last there in 2018 - signs of the economic downturn, especially in Bourke St Mall, where there were a number of empty shops.

Nicola has much more energy than me, and I didn't want to hold her back but that was easily managed. We would come back to the apartment mid to late afternoon, and I would have a rest, and Nicola would go out for another wander (or postcard hunt).

If we were out and about, we would find seat with a view and sit in the sun and natter for an hour while my batteries recharged!

On the other hand, I was a slightly better navigator than her, so we generally got to where we were going without too much bother.  Two exceptions - we lost each other in Myers when we arranged to meet at the cafe, only to find that there were two cafes on different floors, and I didn't have roaming on my phone so we escalated up and down until our searches coincided.  The other was when Nicola was out on her own and got on a tram that was going in the opposite direction to that she had planned but she did manage to get back albeit in rush hour tram traffic.

The Victoria State Government had made all public transport free until the end of May to mitigate the hardship caused by the petrol price increases. It did increase the patronage so some of the trams were absolutely packed, but it was great to be able to get out to Geelong without even having to get a ticket.

My highlights were:

The vibe of Melbourne (love it!)

The day trip to Geelong (exquisite!)

Wandering the main street of St Kilda (replacing the calories we burned with those we ate and doggie bagged)

The nights out - two great shows and a good movie. Feels grown up to be out on the town in the dark!

The company - loved our chats, our laughter and our experiences.  We were pretty compatible in our decision making as in what to do next so our programme for the week just fell into place.

One last comment - our accomodation was brilliantly located - tram stop at the door and train station just a few minutes away. We had two bedrooms, each with glorious views from floor 54, and good lounge and kitchen space, so the living was easy.

13 May 2026 - The End is Near 😔

Sadly, our sojourn in Melbourne is nearly over. Packing our suitcases was a bit more of a mission than it was on the incoming journey, but we managed to squeeze everything in and comply with Jetstar's draconian weight limits (the baggage, not us!)

We had checked in online so just had to get our bag labels and get the bags on to the conveyor belt.  First choose the correct machine...then (in my case) try to get the label onto the suitcase without scrunching the barcode.  Then figure out how to make the bag move on from the first conveyor to the one that would take it to the plane. There was the occasional huff and puff from the Jetstar staff who had to come to the aid of two dazed and confused Kiwi chicks!

We didn't fly until 11.20 am so we had a leisurely wander before boarding.

Throughout my four flights (WLG-CHC-MEL-CHC-WLG), there was barely a bump in the sky, which was very pleasant.

When we got closer to the South Island, I could see some snow capped mountains and three lakes, so we worked out that we had travelled further south than expected and the lakes were Hawea, Wanaka and maybe Pukaki.  Nicola hadn't flown that far south on a Christchurch bound flight either so it was quite a treat for us both. NZ is beautiful!

Mark was there to pick us up and wrangle our bags, and I flew back to Wellington the next morning.

A great break!

12 May 2026 - Docklands and Dinner

Sadly, our last full day.  Its been a great week.

The last place we wanted to explore was Docklands - this the port area that has been being developed over recent years with shopping, dining, apartments and high rise buildings and a lovely waterfront. We were blessed with gorgeous weather, so after a cursory glance around the shops, we just sat in the sun and chatted and solved the world's problems.  It was a nice respite and a leisurely wander. 

Back into the squashy tin can of a tram, (and from memory) we went back to the apartment and ate left over bread rolls for a late lunch.

Nicola went out for a further wander (without her bodyguard - me!) and got properly lost for the first time. She got on a tram to get back but unfortunately it was going in the opposite direction, so she had get off and wait for another squishy ride, but did make it back in one piece.

We were of to the famed Hardware Lane where Allan and I always eat when we visit Melbourne. It was a lovely mild evening which was good since all the eating is outdoors.  The street consists of a couple of blocks of eateries with the menu on display and a host encouraging punters to pick them.  When we have been, they have worked very hard to entice people with freebies like a free entree or a glass of wine, with Allan being our key negotiator as you would expect.  I resolved to do what he would have done, so we to dithered over the menu so the host would have time to offer an inducement! None was forthcoming so I boldly asked if there were any enticements on offer, only to be told that all of the businesses had got together after Covid and decided to stop offering temptations - oops! I was a bit disappointed, if only because it was always so entertaining to watching these interchanges between host and punter - and host and next door host who sometimes appeared close to coming to blows. 

The meals were great by the way!

I did keep and eye on him to make sure that he had been telling the truth - he had!

Nevertheless, both of us really enjoyed our meals and the occasion. 

11 May 2026 - the day we went to Bangor (and all for under a Pound!)

We got away on the 9.10am train which was a good effort. We did get chucked off moments after we sat down because the train 'wasn't boarding yet'. Just got to the exit doors, when the train 'was boarding now' so we were back on our seats in 15 seconds flat.

The weather was glorious, not a cloud in the sky and the train comfortable and a smooth ride.

It was just over an hour until we were at Geelong's main station - when Allan and I went in 2018. I think we must have got off the train at the wrong station (G North or G South) - this was a much shorter and pleasant wander down to the waterfront.  

What a magnificent sight. There was barely a ripple on the sea and the waterfront area had been developed a lot from last time. Along with the famed Bollards, the grounds were beautiful and the ambience just lovely.  There was a little train (with wheels) which we rode to the far end where there was a Ferris Wheel, a swimming pool and seawater lagoon. 

 Along the way, we spotted a lovely looking, but very busy restaurant and decided to make lunch our main meal of the day.  I ordered barrimundi with fries and salad. Unaccustomed as I am to complaining, I pointed out that my fries were stone cold, so I was delivered a large bowl of very fresh and very tasty fries, all before Nicola's steak had been delivered.  I tried a Muscato wine with my meal - a lovely drop, especially if you like a sweeter wine as I do.

A little napping may have happened on the train ride home.

All in all a fabulous day out.

10 May 2026 - and now for some sightseeing

 Another free tram ride - to St Kilda this time.  Allan and I always head out there when we are in Melbourne.

The weather was still a bit gloomy and leaning towards showery so we skipped the Market and went straight for a wander along Ackroyd St.

Interestingly, the weather forecast has several times predicted '0% chance of NO rain' - seems a bit back to front to me!

I took Nicola to Allan's favourite bookstore out there.  A lovely store for browsing but not many of us still buy paper books these days.

The St Kilda cake shops persist but many have changed from Greek and Continental ownership to Asian ownership.  Not much change to the offering except real cream has been replaced by mock cream which is a bit disappointing.

We departed with 5 cakes between us - 1 and a half in our tummies and 3 and a half for 'later'.  The leftovers were spread over 3 nights so we didn't feel too guilty.

Then we had an oops moment when we accidentally bought tickets to another show! We saw that 'The Book of Mormon' was on so we grabbed tickets. Again, an entertaining show and an excellent performance and great staging. The storyline was interesting with a bit of language and a bit of questionable content, but overall a good night out.

Might have a night in tomorrow night!

 

9 May 2026 - just a little bit more shopping

Shopping is only an incidental part of our holiday (yeah right!) but we hit the outlet shops at Southern Cross station.  Just a short walk out the back door of the apartment and across the road.

Neither of us bought heaps but some decisions take longer than others.  Discovered a Sketchers shop and there were literally thousands of pairs - I got a pair that I was happy with after trying on a fair number. Just a little hesitant to wear them here while I am walking lots in case I get blisters.  They have an interesting firm back heel which allows you to slip them on with no hands.  Will christen them back at the Village.

We were tempted by a movie - the Devil Wears Prada - Two. Don't remember loving number one, but this one was a riotous romp. A very comfortable cinema and a nice Red Wine and Cider between us. The movie was good fun.

Dinner was at an 'English' pub, the Elephant and Wheelbarrow. It was warm enough to eat outside and we both got a Seniors' Roast of the Day - nice that we older Kiwis are appreciated.

A couple of loopy people at the tram stop but no direct threat to any of the 50 odd people waiting.

The tram network is phenomenal - we seldom have to wait more than 3 or 4 minutes for any journey. I would say that nearly every tram is running at 150% of capacity, but entry and exit are totally manageable and its not often that we don't get a seat. The free ride certainly boosts patronage - would be good if our government made it available during the fuel crisis (not withstanding the fact that most transport is free for me in NZ already!  

8 May 2026 - The holiday starts here

 After a pretty good sleep, our body clocks were reasonably aligned with the rest of Melbourne so we were off to the Queen Victoria Market.  Did a quick scoot around, succumbing only to new phone covers for both of us, but if we are being honest, we were there for the hot donuts, and they didn't disappoint.  We queued with fireys and policemen who obviously enjoy the treat too.  For the whole time we were there, there would have been around 30 people in the queue.

We had awoken to what we thought was a pea soup of fog. Nothing at all was visible - no buildings or lights, just a white wall of nothingness.  Some hours later, we realised that it wasn't fog - we were just living in the low clouds because we were so high up (floor 54 of 65).

We wandered down Bourke St looking for lunch - the area has lost some of its large format stores, but still had a nice vibe.

We found a pizza/pasta place which we enjoyed.  Figured we could have a light dinner before the show that Nicola had booked from NZ.

The show was 'Waitress', which had apparently been a huge hit on Broadway and the Westend, but I had never heard of it.

Both of us loved it - a heart warming story, lots of humour and a great cast. We came out buzzing and I would definitely see it again in a heartbeat.

Our accommodation is at the bottom end of Collins St so it is a straight hoon down the hill from the top end.  My goodness, the crowds that squashed in to that tram - talk about mashed potatoes! In fact, nearly every tram we have taken so far (and there have been plenty) has been like a sardine can, mostly  (we think) due to the free rides, No complaints about that!