Travel

Melbourne, Revisited: A Second Chance at First Impressions

by Brenda D.

Okay. This needs an explanation.
2.5 years ago, end of December 2022, I landed for the first time in Melbourne, Australia. Imagine, I have been working for 6 years at Ansell (an Australian company) . Where all my colleagues were painting Melbourne as THE best city, not only in Australia but also as the most livable city in the world. They were describing it as a city, full of culture, amazing people, food, sports and lifestyle. Wouldn’t you have great expectations of it?

Well, the disappointment hit hard when realizing that besides the people and the food, nothing was like they portrayed it. The city was dead, most things were closed (sometimes permanently), nothing was on, and it was even dirty. Looking back I do understand that I was just unlucky. We arrived right after COVID and Australia opened up again. We arrived right after Christmas, meaning you are in the middle of the school holiday. The weather was cray-cray. Going from 38 degrees to 15 degrees in one day. And let’s not talk about the awful jet-lag I had. So yes, we did not choose the right timing.

That’s why this time, it was all about redeeming Melbourne. We decided to spend most of the 3 weeks in Melbourne, rediscovering the city, the suburbs and visiting family/friends. I took advantage of my boss working in Melbourne to work too. I wanted to have the feeling of what working in Melbourne would be like. And no regrets there. It reminded me a lot of my time in Washington D.C.. It was easy, and I loved feeling all the chaos in the city during business hours. So this time, I was being a local instead of a classic tourist. That way is the best way to have a true feeling of the city.

This is what we did:

  • Work : I did like most of the locals do. They commute from the suburbs by train into the CBD. Go have a takeaway breakfast and have a quick lunch in the many places you can find in the city. Favorite moment: having lunch with my sister in-law on a day we both were working in the city.
  • Went to an AFL game: I finally saw a football game! The rules are complicated (at least to me) but the atmosphere was definitely great. Had my first pie at the footy and our team even won! My theory is that I’m just Tom’s lucky charm since I’m invested in supporting his teams. Anyways, totally recommend if you get the chance.
  • Going to the beach: You know what’s great, is that you are so close to different beaches. And I love the idea of being near water. The first time we went to the Mornington Peninsula and the Great Ocean Road. This time we went to the more local beach, Saint Kilda. They renovated the pier and I even saw 2 little penguins. From the city, you can just take a tram and you can even go to the Luna Park. Which I believe is the oldest one. Don’t quote me on this.
  • Went to the markets: The markets are pretty cool. It’s a mix of produce market and food stalls. We went to the South Melbourne Market, which is perfect for lunch. The food was all really good and looked really good. Then I couldn’t not go to the Queen Victoria market and enjoyed the vibe a lot. Food was delicious and I had to try the famous Doughnut with Jam. The sugar spike got real, really quickly! But it was so worth it!
  • Went to see a musical: Okay, I did that last time too. in 2022 we went to see Hamilton and this time Belle and the Beast. That’s definitely something that I miss in Belgium and the Netherlands. And can not wait see more musicals.
  • Had food, a lot of food: This is something I did get to enjoy the first time. The food. The food is good! Their matcha not great, but food amazing. In particular, the fusion restaurants. Nothing was bad, and I love how they make the plates look so beautiful. If you ask me what their specialty food is, I would say fusion is the food style in Melbourne. Here is my little list of places:
a collection of pictures of Melbourne. picture of the city, victorian house, food, murals, AFL game, a couple and the city at night

In conclusion, if you are a tourist, you will probably not see all that Melbourne has to offer. Melbourne is, after all, a city to live in. I’m happy that I was able to enjoy it more this time. It opens up a whole new possibility and a new adventure. More soon.

In the meantime, can’t wait to tell you all about our weekend trip in Tasmania!

with Love,

Brenda

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