Making the Most of Melbourne

We woke up after a reasonable and much needed night's sleep. Keen to get out and see the city, we headed to the south of the CBD to pick up some bikes. 

It was another sunny day in Melbourne – we were very lucky. We practised cycling along the shared pedestrian and cyclist path, following the Yarra River. In South Yarra, we found our way to a coffee shop that a friend had recommended. The Lawson Grove was tucked into a street of the same name, green leaves adorning the front. We parked up and took a seat outside. I had a coffee, and Esme a juice. We looked over the map, tracing our route along the river.

We planned to complete the Yarra trail, heading up to a lookout in the park. Cycling along the river, we saw the environment change from high rise buildings to wetlands, to industrial and residential. We stopped along the route to learn about birds from some information boards, and then eventually for some lunch. We bought refreshing drinks to accompany our packed lunch, absorbing the sunshine. We relaxed a while, and soon realised that we didn't have the time left with the bikes to actually venture the whole route. Instead, we were able to enjoy a leisurely cycle back. We had the pleasure of going down the hills we'd previously pedalled up and as we approached the city the skyline bloomed with skyscrapers over the river. The water sparkled in the sunshine and we took a final pit stop to soak it all in.

We were in Melbourne at a really exciting time, and not just because of the unprecedented sunshine. It was also the Melbourne Fringe Festival! And we had a show to see. I'd seen Mel & Sam's work before, their cabaret Shit-Wrecked! was at Adelaide Fringe Festival earlier this year, so I was excited to see their new show High Pony at Trades Hall. Wandering through the venue, various shows starting and ending in different rooms throughout, I was filled with the excitement and frenzied anticipation of Fringe. I'd missed it. Mel & Sam's shows are queer, comedy cabarets, so we knew we were in for a fun night! Both artists are talented performers and their riffing off cultural icons provides great humour.

We treated ourselves to dinner after the show, back in Fitzroy at Red Sparrow, a vegan pizzeria. We shared two pizzas, both of which were very tasty, plus a side of buffalo "chicken" wings, which came with pickles. We were both very impressed with the "chicken" and took half the pizza with us to eat the next day!

The following day, we had a slow morning in Fitzroy. Esme needed to buy some boots to take to New Zealand, and there was an outlet store we’d missed the other day. We got coffee at Alimentari, and then productively browsed the shops. Esme bought some Blundstones, which she’d been recommended by someone back home and someone else in our hostel dorm. 

In the afternoon, we made our way to St Kilda to take a dip in the ocean. We made that two dips each. It was shallow for quite a way out, but there was plenty of water to dive into. We spent the afternoon there, finishing off with gelato as we walked along the coast. 

That night we were at another theatre, for an immersive production called Love Lust Lost. Loosely adapting the story of The Little Mermaid, the show took us on an underwater journey with song, dance, and playfulness. We really enjoyed the experience, feeling part of the action and affected by the characters and their stories. We also had great moments of connection with others in the audience, like when we discovered a room filled with a bouncy castle and jumped and laughed like children. 

Our time in the city was racing by, but we were making the most of it.