After just four days of settling into my new summer home, Sydney, I was ecstatic to start traveling! My family, who would be staying in Australia for two weeks, and I set off to explore another well-known city, Melbourne. I was surprised to find that it is noticeably different than Sydney. One of the first things I realized was that Melbourne is more known for its night-life compared to Sydney!

As far as food and shopping, Melbourne is without a doubt a dream! I enjoyed unique spins on classic food and even spent my time in one of the most amazing markets I have ever been to! The Emporium Melbourne had every store I could think of and was interesting to walk through. 

One of my favorite parts of Melbourne was the free walking tour. I only take these when I’m with my mom traveling because she is obsessed with them, but this one stood out to me because of the witty and sarcastic guide that made landmarks more entertaining than your average tour guide. This one made me realize that I should take these tours more often because they always lead you to hidden gems in the city that I would be very unlikely to cross paths with otherwise. One of these gems being this charming coffee shop that is beloved by locals and the walk-up sushi places that were on every other block.

I have a passion for art and I have a slight obsession with seeing other peoples’ works of art, especially street art. Melbourne is recognized for its street art, which I took advantage of seeing. There were a ton of artist at work while we were there also! It was incredible to observe such a clean city like Melbourne embracing street artists and their talents. 

One of the other amazing adventures we took was going to Fisher’s Island to watch the smallest penguins in the world (literally) venture out of the ocean and into their burrows where they sleep. I was so happy we did this unique excursion because 1) the Penguins were one of the cutest animals I’ve ever laid my eyes on, 2) the island we were on was where the Hemsworth brothers grew up, and 3) the sunset was incredibly beautiful and reminded me of home. Unfortunately, they do not allow photos of the penguins because they are very sensitive, but I did have the chance to capture the sunset! 

EATS

I have become known for finding rooftop bars in almost every city I have visited on my Australian adventures (& I am not complaining about it).This rooftop bar stood as one of my favorite ones I have ever been to. Not only was it refreshing to see a new view, but it was also warm winter weather in Melbourne while we were there (65° F), which made for a beautiful, sunny day to take in the city views and indulge in this burger! 

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate the mouth-watering burger and addicting french fries (or “chips” as the Aussie’s call them) that they served and I devoured. I am so happy my co-worker, who used to be a Melbourne local, pointed this place out to me. If you are in Melbourne, I would say you must stop by this place and get a drink and a burger. I ordered a rosé sangria (and I enjoyed every sip), the cheeseburger, and chips! 

I am such a big fan of markets! The idea that small retailers are selling their specialty goods makes me so much happier than purchasing lunch from a long-time chain restaurant. Not only is it supporting local businesses, but most of the time it is a lot tastier! 

Queen Victoria market was not only the biggest market I have been to (there are clothing and food trucks outside of the building in a huge parking lot), but it was also the most charming! There were hundreds of locals with little baskets to carry their purchases and really unique displays that I have never seen anywhere else. These croissant and coffee stands stood out to me for two reasons. The first being the handwritten signs under the pastries shows such a personal touch as opposed to all of the perfected marketing signs seen in chains all over the city. The imperfection really speaks to the character of the stand. Secondly, if you tell me all of these mugs are not the most charming display you have ever seen you must be lying to me!

Notably, there were many different meat stands in the market that showcased a lot of different treats! My mom actually purchased some classic salami and cheese that was so delicious, however, our location called for a unique type of meat that was at every stand! Yep, kangaroo jerky was not only in every one of these meat stands, it is also been in every grocery store that I have walked into (next to the emu and crocodile jerkies, of course). Can you say culture shock? 

I spent little time in the produce section because it was full (and I mean wall-to-wall people) of locals purchasing their goods for the week, or next few days. It is fascinating to me that people in different countries, like Australia, grocery shop at beautiful markets like this one, while I make it a one-stop trip to my local Trader Joe’s.

This Italian restaurant is super popular in Melbourne and I can confirm it was worth the hype! It is named after the finest grade of flour milled in Italy, Tipo 00. Highly recommend stopping by this restaurant and making a reservation!

One night, we ate at this super modern sushi restaurant called Saké and it was crowded with dinner guests around  9 PM. I don’t know about you, but back home I’m used to 7 PM dinner reservations. This was super fund to see Melbourne nightlife in action! There’s multiple locations of Saké including one in Sydney.

STAY