DH2 started his sabbatical and we’re back in Melbourne. I was excited that we were headed to summer but we were graced with only 2 hot days and 3 pleasant days in the 3 weeks of January we were here. I brought summer clothes but didn’t get to wear most of them. The temperature vacillated wildly with being 97 degrees one day and 60 the next. Our apartment is on the same building/floor as when we visited last July, just facing toward the CBD instead of Parliament.
One of my goals for this trip was to post AU specific tiktoks on my AU account so I started taking short videos and photos that I thought would work for tiktok but I haven’t gotten the courage to compile a video and post. There are so many trolls and I have no bandwidth for that bullshit.
I was drawn immediately to the NGV: what was new and how things have changed? It had a cute exhibition on manga/imaginative chairs. Hard to picture, huh? I experienced my first outdoor exhibit and then had to drag DH2 to see it several days later.
I follow a few Melbourne-specific tiktok creators and a foodie raved about the flaming Camembert cheese at the Victoria Night Market. DH2 didn’t like the crush of bodies and the possibility of germ transmission but at least I had a good time. I’ll return when he’s backpacking.
I became a little obsessed with chasing sunsets. Not a bad hobby but I stood out on Princes Bridge with 100 of my closest friends to catch the best light of the day. I thought the sunset would be pretty from the Skydeck but the windows are tinted so all the color was shifted and washed out.
Brighton
I finally made it to Brighton as it had been on my list to-do for a while. The colorful bathing boxes are quite the attraction for photographers. I took a train there and enjoyed the walk up and down the beach, taking the requisite photos. Afterward, I thought, “I’ll just keep walking to St. Kilda.” It was much further than I thought and gratefully fell into a tram at Luna Park.
City
On our balcony, I have a straight line view of the Eureka Tower, so when I was on the Skydeck, I diligently scanned the city for our apartment. I thought I could recognize it but had to come home, blow up my photo and consult with DH2.
Lunar New Year
For Lunar New Year, we literally lived 60 steps from China Town so we went to the Museum of Chinese Australian History. Fireworks and street festivities started on New Year Eve plus throngs of people poured into the city. On the day of the new year, we walked outside and the whole street was shut down and tents had popped up for the day’s celebrations. We walked several blocks away and went to an American themed restaurant because we knew we wouldn’t get into a Chinese/Asian restaurant for the day. The Chinese dragon dancers/parades attracted tight pods of people whereby we were pinned into the crowd and couldn’t move! The energy was high and the concert lasted outside the apartment until 10pm.
Australia Open
This was the first year we were here for the AO. The riverfront sported two villages, one for ticket-holders and one for everyone else – meaning us. The village was lovely with white gated drinking areas, craft cocktails, and pillows strewn on a hillside so you could sit and watch the games on a jumbo-TV. It was a lovely day and we indulged in the cocktails, the grass, and the games. We’re not even sports people, but we did enjoy the overall experience.
Checkboxes Ticked
- Brighton Beach
- Saw Avatar in IMAX (this wasn’t an original goal, but as soon as I knew it was a possibility, I jumped at it)
- Museum of Chinese Australian History
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