Having visited Melbourne recently, staying on the industrial South Bank, I have fond memories of the lively and colourful South coast city. It is truly the arty heart of Australia.
Coffee culture
The coffee-drinking and brunch-eating culture is an important part of life here. You can’t go far without feeling the need to grab a medium trim latte with gluten-free, sour-dough bread topped with crushed avocado and cherry tomatoes with a side of a super grain salad.
Artistic hub
On every corner you’ll find a vinyl store, while down every alley you’ll find murals and graffiti art, and along the bricked streets you’ll find jazz musicians and street performers of every kind.
Craft beer brewers are boasted at pubs, married up with their homegrown, organic skewered burgers. It’s like a bohemian, creative hub that attracts street artists of every nature – whether it be food, drink, painting or music.
Markets
It won’t take long before you stumble across a market filled with tent after tent of clothes and food and coffee stands, all tucked between and around fire-breathing magicians, Mexican bands, 1920s-style musicians, and exotic pet shops (selling snakes and spiders).
Quirks
Back in central Melbourne, you’ll find the major shopping mall has a 50-metre-tall brick tower growing beneath the mall’s glass ceiling, which is known as Coop’s Shot Tower built in the 1880s.
With the likes of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, a beautiful beach, you will find Luna Park. Luna Park is a theme park that sports a wooden rollercoaster that celebrated its 100th year in 2012. It’s these quirks that makes Melbourne’s famous white-sand beaches so special.
Health and well-being
Possibly linked to the healthy brunch habits of ‘Melburnians’, I couldn’t help but notice their active lifestyle. I saw more people taking their dogs for a run along the beach than I did sun-worshippers. On every corner was a gym, and 100% fruit and veggie smoothies were available on tap.
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