Melbourne: Initial Reactions
I’ve now spent 72 hours in Melbourne (it is pronounced Mel-bin and not Mel-born) and I love it. It is unlike any city I’ve ever experienced. Many aspects of it remind me of Europe but it is so unique as well that I cannot even offer another city as comparison!
A Little Bit About Australia
In case you’ve forgotten, Australia is both a continent and a country. Geographically, it is huge. Australia is the sixth largest country behind Russia, Canada, China, the USA and Brazil. Australia is about the same size and the continental United States!
Australia is officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia and it is divided into six states: New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QSD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA). For reference, Melbourne is in Victoria.
Melbourne Coffee
I was told my multiple Guests at The Westin that the coffee scene in Melbourne is amazing. So far, I have not been disappointed. I have mainly been drinking flat whites, which are an espresso drink made by pouring steamed milk with fine bubbles over espresso. I’ve had mine unsweetened the past few days and I have really enjoyed them. I reckon I’ll add sweetener at some point but I have wanted to really taste the delicious espresso. Shout out to Lt Billy for the convenient location and scrumptious coffee!
Iced drinks are not very prevalent here and initially I thought that might be because it is early spring. However, after having a single origin cold drip and talking about iced coffee with my friends, I learned that it is quite uncommon to find in Australia. My coffee drink of summer is not the coffee drink of summer in Australia.
Food
Wow! Such delicious food. Melbourne is filled with cafes, restaurants and markets. I’ve eaten meals at all three locations. Breakfast pastries are such a real thing here. Cafes have glass cases filled with croissants, danish, and donuts. Donuts here are better than in America. They are much less sweet and fill me up a lot more than a morning donut would at home. Honestly, I don’t even like donuts at home very much but the two I’ve had in Melbourne have been great.
Markets
I’ve been to three markets so far and none of them have disappointed. The Queen Victoria Market is open five days a week and has both food and artisan stalls. From my friend’s flat, it is less than a 12 minute walk. I was craving Asian food so I had delicious noodles with sweet and sour pork and sesame chicken.
The University of Melbourne has a food market every Wednesday and I enjoyed the most delicious and fresh falafel wrap. It was incredibly filling since it was stuffed with four fresh falafel, veggies, hummus and other sauces. The tent operated under a magnificent production line. There were two people at the back rolling falafel and frying it. Then there were people cutting the top off of the pita pockets and stuffing the wraps. Finally, a girl took orders and called names when each person’s food was ready. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Finally, I went to the Queen Victoria Winter Night Market. It runs on Wednesday nights in the winter and it was amazing. All of the food looked amazing and so many wonderful scents tingled my nose. I settled on the Pasta 4 Formaggi from That’s Amore Cheese. It was spaghetti covered in ricotta, bocconcini, scamorza and parmesan all tossed in a parmigiano cheese wheel! I felt as if I were living a social media dream as I watched the pasta being tossed around and coated in cheese.
Weather
It is unpredictable. Since Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, its seasons are different than in the US. When I arrived on September 4th, it was only the second day of spring. It was windy, gray and cold. While waiting for my friend to pick me up from the airport, it was only 42 degrees with winds over 15 mph. Coming from Pittsburgh where the highs were still in the mid 70s, I was freezing.
Melbourne is known to get four seasons in one day and I thought it was an exaggeration. However, after being here for ONE day, I learned it is the truth. Pittsburgh and Michigan as a whole have varying weather than can change quickly but it is nothing like Melbourne. My friends and I will pop into a cafe for coffee and it will be sunny. Within three minutes it will be raining and by time I can point the rain out it will have stopped and sunshine will be peeking through the clouds.
Getting Around
Melbourne is a very walkable city and it has great public transportation. The city center (CBD) has a free tram zone where anyone can hop on and off the trams. When out of the zone, people can purchase a Myki card and preload it with money. It’s like any subway station I’ve ever used in the US, except with trams that run above ground. Additionally, there are plenty of buses.
Fun fact: they say that getting hit by a tram is the same as being run over by 30 rhinos to be aware of your surroundings!
What Do You Want to Know?
Did any questions pop into your mind as you read? If so, I am here to provide answers as best as I can!
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#PeaceLoveEd
