Melbourne is a beautiful place. There seems to be more art and vibrancy here that is kind of fun. The pics on the right side show our hotel view to the streets below, a picture of the river from the downtown walking bridge, and the train station at night.
On the day we arrived, we had a lovely Italian dinner at one of the famous “lanes” in Melbourne (Degraves Street) with Carl Cottrell’s daughter, Janine, and her husband Steve.
The next day, we took a one hour train ride to Lilydale, where Steve and Janine drove us to the nearby Yarra Valley to experience this wine region of Melbourne. It is truly similar to being in Napa!
We first stopped by an apple cider house with small batch beer brewing, then a winery known for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and then ate a meal at a third location in this lovely valley. Sue was very happy with her tasting tray of four ciders! It was a great day with Steve and Janine. Steve then took us back to a train station via a drive through the Dandenong National Preserve area and Sherbrooke Forest. The eucalyptus and fern trees make this area rather magical with a dense forest, yet it had a lightness to it.
The next day we explored the downtown area and strolled through the rest of the famous Melbourne “lanes”. We rode the classic, bright and shiny, electric trolley around the “free zone” loop. We visited the Queen Victoria Market (perhaps the largest farmers market in the Southern Hemisphere) where we walked down the rows for 90 minutes and never saw all of it. Then it was on to have lunch at a cafe next to the river. In the evening, we explored the annual Greek Festival, had dinner, and ended the day with a relaxing cordial in the hotel bar.
On Sunday attended Hillsong worship in the “City” location for Melbourne, which is in a musical theater less than 100 steps from our hotel. Then, we began our three-day drive up the Great Ocean Road toward Adelaide. We loved being here.