MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

i had the good fortune to spend a little over a week in Melbourne during a visit to Australia. I spent 2 weeks in Sydney which i enjoyed a great deal but i have to admit i feel in love with Melbourne. There was something about that town that just made me feel so comfortable there. It's beautiful and has class its casual and chic. I would never think of returning to Australia without scheduling more time in Melbourne this time around. If you haven't been do yourself a favor and check out this charming beach town you won't regret it.

I had a blast in Melbourne but it is also close enough to so many other daytrips nearby so that made it extra special. Any traveler will find more to do than they can handle which is always a good problem to have. I highly recommend this city for a visit. I managed to get a great sampling of Australia using Melbourne as homebase. In Melbourne I saw Midsummer NIght's Dream at the Royal Botanical Gardens (gardens are great); visited the Melbourne Zoo Healesville Sanctuary and a koala sanctuary where I ALMOST cuddled with a koala (sharp claws!); took a dinner tram tour of the city; and visited St. Kilda Beach/Luna Park; gambled at a casino near the docks; went to a city party; visited some museums; and dined at various places among many other adventures in town. In a short enough drive I went to Phillip Island to see the fairy penguins come in droves(amazing!); visited the Nobbies; swam in the crystal waters at Point Leo Beach east of Melbourne; drove the countryside to Port Campbell by way of places like Red Rocks Cobden and Camperdown ... and drove back (soaking up the phenomenal views) along the most amazing Great Ocean Road. Down the Great Ocean Road trip back I stopped to savor places like Loch Ard Gorge (where they did \The Tempest\ on the beach) the amazing Twelve Apostles rock formations Apollo Bay ... and so much more. I have not been to Sydney yet but folks in Melbourne were exceptionally nice. Even the stars in the sky were a fabulous show. I'd never seen the Milky Way so clearly. I almost felt at home (if only I didn't have to ride on the 'wrong' side of the road. :) The only negative was that I while I enjoyed finding lots of Aboriginal art/items around town I only saw one dark-skinned Aboriginal person the whole time I was there. That's probably indicative of the poor treatment the native Australians have traditionally received ...not much unlike the Native Americans here in the U.S. But hey I just notice these things. Loved it though.