 View from our hotel room Day Thirteen April 23rd 2011 Easter Sunday To Melbourne Left the hotel 0915 for Adelaide airport. Easy check-in and we were soon winging our way to Victoria's capital, the fine city of Melbourne. Adelaide had been very good, most enjoyable, but we were keen to see more of Oz. On arrival in the great city we quickly joined our coach and made our way to the of Sofitel Melbourne on Collins. This would be our home for three nights in late April; over Easter and Anzac Day. Our room was on the 39th floor and had fabulous views over the city of Melbourne. The accommodation was very comfortable, with DVD player, modern flat screen TV and bedside lighting controls. The windows had shutters to block out all outside light if required and the bed itself was very comfortable with a pillow top mattress. It’s a great base to see the city and the hotel is served by the excellent tram service. There was an Aussie Football match in the nearby MCG and we could see the crowds from our room. The breakfast in the hotel was excellent in the cafe on the 35th floor and you could order freshly cooked dishes such as Eggs Benedict. We did not eat dinner in the hotel as there were so many other choices nearby. We did have a few drinks in the Atrium bar but found this pricey and the snack menu was limited and a little disappointing. We would stay here again without hesitation.  View of the Footie Match Crowd from our Hotel Room Again, as soon as we were settled in the hotel, our guide gave us some ideas of things to do’n’see. Here are 8 Cool Things to do in Melbourne:
Road km: 28 Air km: 641  Black swans in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne Day Fourteen April 24th 2011 Easter Monday Melbourne City Tour, Colonial Tram dinner We had a leisurely drive around this fine city with stops at St Patrick's cathedral, Fitzroy Gardens (with Captain Cook's cottage) and the Botanical Gardens (though we couldn't visit the ANZAC Shrine of Remembrance because of the ceremonies on that weekend). We saw the seaside suburb of St Kilda and back into the city we passed the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere the Eureka tower, Lygon street overflowing with Italian restaurants, the Exhibition Centre and Museum, and the Old Gaol. A good tour with a rather wacky commentary from Richie, our coach captain. A free afternoon for all. One of our group managed to wangle his way into the Aussie Football match, quite an experience. Most of us met up in the early evening and enjoyed dinner on the Colonial Tram. An excellent event, very much enjoyed by all. For AUS$80 we got a three course meal plus all drinks. We dined and drank (and drank some more) as we clattered around the streets of Melbourne. It seemed much later that it actually was when we rolled off the tram and into the transfer bus, back to the hotel. Road km: 27  Menu from Colonial Tramcar Day Fifteen April 25th 2011 Free Day or Great Ocean Road A totally free day, Charlie and I took a river cruise, then went to Melbourne Gaol, and finished up on the SkyDeck of the Eureka Tower. The views from the latter are amazing and I’d highly recommend it. The Tower itself is 297 metres high (975 ft.). High up on the 88th floor, 285 metres above sea level, you’ll find the SkyDeck. It is the highest public observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere. It offers a panorama of Melbourne’s humming neighbourhoods. It also houses the Edge Experience – a glass cube that projects out from the 88th floor and suspends visitors almost 300 meters high above Melbourne city! But many of the group partook of a long coach trip to see the magnificent scenery of the Great Ocean Road. Most took Grayline, others the smaller 'Melbourne Best Tours'. Both were very good, but the Best Tours didn't quite live up to its name as they had a coach malfunction early on. But everyone was transferred to another coach and it all worked out well.The group members who went on the Great Ocean Road Trip said that the first part wasn't too inspiring through suburban Melbourne but they soon reached the coast at Torquay and stopped for a photostop at the Memorial Arch. This is the beginning of the Great Ocean Road which is claimed to be one of the best coastal drives in the world. There was some pretty fabulous scenery along the way, cliffs, expansive sandy beaches, bays, a viewpoint at Patton's Lookout. They were treated to some fine vistas along the coast throughout the morning, and the inland part through the Otway Ranges was lovely too, with its rolling countryside. It is a long drive though and that is why Charlie and I decided to give it a miss. However, all who took part said that on arriving at the Twelve Apostles the warm, bright sunshine made it all the more worthwhile. They had the option of a helicopter ride which was an extra expense but fantastic in the wonderful weather that day. Actually there are only eight 'apostles' now, erosion having taken its toll. But this cluster of limestone stacks rearing out of the sea is a striking sight and very photogenic. Our group showed us the many wonderful photos they took. Onwards they went to Port Campbell where they made stops to see London Bridge and the Bay of Islands. The journey home was long though and they didn't arrive back until after 20:00. All in all they agreed it had been a very good day, very long but worthwhile. We went to bed excited; looking forward to our trip to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.  Charlie at the Eureka SkyDeck, Melbourne  My SkyDeck Ticket Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog post Number 57 - Continents - Australia Number 58 (2) - Countries - Australia Number 59 (7) - Hotels - Sofitel on Collins, Melbourne, Australia Number 60 (5) - Cities - Melbourne Number 80 (1) - Tall Buildings - Eureka SkyDeck, Melbourne, Australia Related Blog Posts Blog 4 - London/ Singapore Blog 5 - Perth, Australia Blog 6 - Uluru, Australia Blog 7 - Alice Springs, Australia Blog 8 - Adelaide, Australia So have you been to Melbourne? What did you enjoy most about it? If you liked this post, please share. Sharing is caring 😊
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AuthorMy name is Mary and this is my bucket list blog ...having survived a near-death experience. I hope it encourages you to "live your best life". See how I'm completing my own bucket list items. And let me know how you're getting on with yours! Archives
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