"My Australian home" a Melbourne Travel Page by MishyM

If I had to pick one place in Australia to move back to, Melbourne would be it.

I think of Melbourne as the cultural centre of Australia - Sydney is the business centre, but Melbourne seems a little more laid back, and a little more focused on good theatre, ballet, cafes and so on. Don't get me wrong, it is still a busy city, with plenty of work opportunities and plenty to do, it just seems more relaxed to me, which is why I love it.

Melbourne is a beautiful city, with lots of big old trees everywhere, beautiful architecture (well with the exception of the hideous Federation square, which contrasts heavily with the beautiful old Flinders Street station across the road). A great way to get around Melbourne is its tram service. This is especially good in the centre of the city, and will take you past most of the main sites there, as well as the best places to go shopping (Swanston street).

Some of my favourite locations in Melbourne are The State Library – ahhh the hours I spent there when I was at university…. But even as a tourist you are able to go in and take a look, it is absolutely beautiful inside, especially the dome. Also, while I am talking about university, quite close to the Library is my old uni, The University of Melbourne. Despite some very ugly brick buildings at the front, if you take a walk a little further into the campus you will start finding some very lovely buildings – it really is a gorgeous campus!

And just near here you will find one of the best streets in Melbourne if you want to go to a café or have dinner- Lygon street. This place is where I became addicted to coffee and is packed with amazing Italian restaurants, as well as a fantastic chocolate shop (try there hot chocolate if you dare) as well as bakeries, clothing shops, book shops and cake shops. One place you must not miss if you like desert is Brunetti's. (it is actually on Faraday St, but this is just off Lygon street) This place is a Melbourne institution, and rightly so. It is amazing, really, I would move in there if I could. It has almost every type of cake known to man, as well as a large section of biscuits and chocolates. The white forest cake is to die for (check the restaurant tip section for a picture of it) as well as the tiramisu – in fact I don’t think you can go wrong there as I am sure my friends and I have tried almost every there!

A great place to go for a walk is along the Yarra River. I would recommend you go to Warrandyte and then walk along the river there, there are also some great bakeries there, and fish and chip shops so you can have a picnic on the grass beside the Yarra.

Another nice area along side the rive, but actually in the city is Southbank. This is where the Crown casino is, as well as plenty of restaurants, the Victorian Arts Centre and quite a few night clubs are located. This is also the best place to go of new Years eve if you want to see the fireworks in Melbourne.

Also, do be afraid to ask for directions if you are lost, people in Melbourne are really friendly (well most Aussies are in general) don't be surprised if they start recommending places for you to visit or eat at, or to go for a drink at.

There is just so much to do and see in Melbourne, and it is by far my favourite Australia city!