Melbourne #5

It's been a while since the last blog, but finally got around to writing one! I've managed to explore more of the city of Melbourne in between keeping up with final year studies and other commitments, which I'd like to share with you in this blog.

Laneways

In the CBD there are a bunch of narrow streets (called laneways) that are often bustling with restaurants, boutique shops, bars and cafes. They can be a nice place to wander around in and admire the shops and artwork on many of the walls. Simply take the tram into the CBD, pick a street and start walking through - no need for google maps! I used TimeOut's guide on finding which laneways I wanted to visit, and ended up visiting Hosier Lane, Royal Arcade and the Block Arcade (I think).

National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)

Melbourne is also known as the cultural and arts capital of Australia. The NGV is the oldest and most visited gallery in Australia and split into two buildings. I paid a visit to NGV Australia (located in Federation Square), again very close to the CBD so easy to get to. At the time of visiting the 'Melbourne Now' exhibition was on, which celebrates local art and design. There was also indigenous art on display too. The NGV is free to visit and no booking is required, simply turn up and enjoy. I'm personally not a huge fan of paintings and art (maybe because I don't quite know how to fully appreciate them!), yet it was still nice to visit the NGV, and I would definitely go back to have a look at the other exhibitions.

State Library

Tired of your usual study spot and looking for somewhere else to revise? Look no further than the State Library of Victoria! Established in 1854, it is Australia's oldest public library. I visited during my mid-semester break, to both study and also take a look around. First impressions when you walk in, you realise how vast the library is - there is a huge amount of study space of all types, as well as exhibitions on other floors. I barely covered any of it during my trip, so another trip is required! If you're going there to study, I would highly recommend studying in The Dome (formally known as the La Trobe Reading Room). The ambiance is really nice, with the desks extending out from a central point and the green lamps and huge space giving the space some character. Despite being a space that is open to the public, the quiet study environment is maintained.

The State Library is completely free to use and visit, with no booking required.

More Food!

I tried out the Pancake Parlour for brunch when meeting up with a friend. It's a chain of restaurants in and around Melbourne, with a couple of branches in the CBD. Pancakes were pretty tasty overall, I got the Chocnana Crunch Plantcakes - Crunchy chocolate peanut-butter, raw banana dusted with cinnamon & served with Vegan vanilla ice-cream.

As you may have seen in my previous blogs, Wednesday evenings meant the Queen Victoria Summer Night Market was on during the first few months of my year abroad. However, as we're going into winter now the market changes to the Hawker 88 Night Market and is now the Winter Night Market. The former brings a range of Asian tastes and cuisines to Queen Victoria Market. I tried the Vietnamese Banh Mi, which is kind of like a spicy sandwich, as well as some freshly made gyoza. Both were vegan and delicious!

Shopping

I'm not a huge fan of shopping trips and spending hours in shopping malls, but sometimes you do need to go out and get some supplies! Melbourne, as you'd expect, has all different types of shops regardless of what you need. For sportswear, back home in the UK common stores to go to were Sports Direct, Footlocker, JD Sports etc. Here one of the equivalent stores is 'rebel' - an Australian sports equipment chain. I managed to find everything I needed from here at prices comparable to the UK, so would recommend paying them a visit. Customer service was great too which always helps!

Haircuts

Something I didn't think about/realise when moving abroad is that my barber doesn't come with me, so it was a whole another experience finding a barber in Melbourne! There are lots of barbershops in the CBD and surrounding suburbs, with a range of prices depending on what your budget is (from $20 to upwards of $100!). The $20 barbershops sometimes have long queues, so best to get there early when they open. My friend and I found one which didn't have too long of a wait and got our hair cut there. The service and quality of the haircut was as expected and does the job - especially if your haircut isn't super complicated like mine. Funny how something you take for granted back home needs to be figured out all over again when you move away!

That's it for this blog, hope you enjoyed those little insights and sippets into Melbourne life. As always, let me know in the comments if there's anywhere I should check out/visit!

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