Tag: Melbourne attractions

Remembering the Fallen

October 30, 2009 • • 2 comments

One of Australia’s largest war memorials, the Shrine of Remembrance located at King’s Domain on St Kilda Road was built to commemorate the valour and sacrifice of Australians who died in both World War I and World War II. Built in the classical architectural style reminiscent of the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon in Athens, the memorial served as a reminder of the heroism of soldiers who fought for their ideals amidst the then oppressors. Every year, it is the site of two significant ceremonies – ANZAC Day on 25 April and Remembrance Day on 11 November.

Like many wartime memorial sites, the shrine was serene and peaceful, providing a quiet place for reflection and contemplation. It was an oasis of stillness and introspection, where the woes of war are remembered with a fervent commitment not to ever let such atrocities overtake mankind ever again.

This lone “soldier” guarded the path to the memorial, standing proud against a wall.

Rural Delights @ Collingwood Children’s Farm

April 27, 2009 • Blog • 1 comment

On the 3rd day of our Easter holiday, my family and I went to the Collingwood Children’s Farm at the recommendation of Tim Richards, to experience its pastoral pleasures just minutes away from the Melbourne CBD. Apparently, it has a farmer’s market every second Saturday which offered fresh farm grown produce (many organic) from participating farms in the greater Victoria region which surrounded the city of Melbourne. What this meant was that the farms could sell directly to end consumers (many of them were small family-owned establishments) without having to pay middle-men like retailers and distributors their share of the pie.

For a flat fee of just $2 for adults (free for kids), you can visit both the animal farm itself and the farmer’s market too. That’s pretty cheap considering that normal admission prices are about $16 for adults and $8 for kids. Certainly, a delightful way to spend a Saturday morning!

Alleys, Alcoves and Alcohol

March 27, 2009 • • no comments

Through the kind invitation of Tim Richards (who incidentally has a nice travel blog here called Aerohaveno), I had the privilege of visiting two of Melbourne’s famous street pubs and bars, located off the side streets from the junction of busy Elizabeth Street and Little Bourke Street. According to Tim, there are some 200 to 300 of these pubs and clubs located throughout the city. Like Singapore’s Boat Quay and Clarke Quay watering holes, many occupied previously disused warehouses, government buildings, and offices, and gave these cobbled recesses a new lease of life as F&B outlets.

Many of these bars are pretty modest outfits. The one I visited only had one or two staff manning the bar counter. However, they apparently have a fiercely loyal clientele, and I understand that the crowd usually moves in on Fridays and Saturdays. While these places weren’t overflowing to the gills during my bar hopping on a Wednesday night, there were a couple of customers.

Australia’s Largest Public Gallery – NGV International

March 3, 2009 • Blog • 2 comments

Last Sunday, I decided to make a trip down to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) International at St Kilda Road, having heard so many wonderful things about it. What I experienced was truly inspiring, and I spent more than three hours wandering and exploring its fascinating and sprawling galleries occupying three storeys. The scale of this attraction rivalled that of the Melbourne Museum, another masterfully built museum.

Established back in 1861, NGV International is the oldest and most sizable public art gallery in Australia (and most probably the Southern Hemisphere). Located in the arts and leisure precinct in Southbank of Melbourne, it has a significant collection of about 63,000 artworks and artefacts. They include artworks from masters like Rembrandt, as well as ancient collections from Pre-Colombian America, Egypt, Rome and parts of Asia. The gallery has a sister museum – The Ian Potter Centre of NGV Australia at Federation Square – which focuses on Australian art. Due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to visit that but I’ll definitely make a date to patronise it soon.

Where Did Prostitutes and Drug Addicts Hang Out?

February 25, 2009 • Blog • 2 comments

The answer was St Kilda’s Beach – well, at least in the past. After many years of gentrification, the bayside resort area just south of Melbourne city has become a fashionable and swanky beach neighbourhood, attracting families, singles, seniors and anybody who wanted to spend a day at the beach. Other than the beach, the precinct also had a nice F&B and shopping belt along Acland Street, and a nifty little theme park (Luna Park). In a spirit of wanderlust, I decided to check it out last Sunday morning and bought a Sunday Saver tram pass (which cost AUD 3.10) and decided to explore this destination at the City of Port Philip.

Palm-lined roads greeted one along the ocean front, with festive carnival stalls on a Sunday peddling art souvenirs, T-shirts, and other wares.