We found in Melbourne, the 2nd most populous city of Australia with a population of 4.25 million, a more culture oriented and original city than Sydney. We arrived there early Friday morning under a burning 44°C – maybe not the best conditions to visit the city, but we still had a great first day.
We started off by going up to the observation deck of the Eurika Tower, the highest public ventage point of the southern hemisphere. From there we had a stunning view of Melbourne and its main monuments.
The city center with Federation Square, Flinders street station, St Paul’s Cathedral
The Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Melbourne Tennis Center
After a piano concert by François on a public piano of a bridge, we wandered in the street of Melbourne CBD to discover the city.
Jazz concert by François
Flinders street station
Checking out the small cafes along Degrave street and St Paul’s Cathedral
A break in Federation Square
The street art of Hosier Lane
Hitting Chinatown and the AC/DC lane
On the next day, we made our way to the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground after checking out Melbourne’s closest beach at St Kilda (no need for pictures, it’s nothing incredible). François and I ended up buying some tickets for the evening session of the Melbourne Australian Open.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground and kids practicing
Djokovic hitting a few balls
We had an amazing evening and great seats. The first match was featuring Tsonga vs Simon, with Tsonga clearly dominating from the second set.
We were then blessed with front row seats to watch Henri Leconte and Guy Forget competing in their Legends Doubles match against Goran Ivanisevic and Wayne Ferreira. Henri Leconte put on a hell of a funny show and all of them are still impressive players.
After this relaxing stay in a Melbourne YHA hostel, we’re taking off for some more camping the Great Ocean Road. Talk to you soon!
The Eureka Tower, on the left
