Aussies have been telling us for months how cool Melbourne is. If we got in a food conversation, Melbourne came up. If we spoke of modern art, Melbourne came up. If we spoke of how rad we thought Sydney is, Melbourne always came up. SO, sarah had some business to do about an hour outside of Melbs and I got to tag along for the ride. I happened to design her boss's wedding invitation and she bought me a plane ticket for my work so it worked out for everybody.
I knew of how cool Melbs was from an art conference called Semi-Permanent. I remember seeing images of an entire city supporting street art and design and thought that was a damn cool city, wonder if I can see some of that one day. It's true man, this place has world famous laneways full of graffiti and approved and supported space for artists all over the city. Not only is there art, but the architecture here is unreal. Everything is modern and creative to a point that it isn't as special as it used to be. The freeways have huge sculptures and the sound deadening walls are sometimes made out of translucent vibrant plastics or powdercoated steel forms. Overpasses are neon and are well over designed, it is awesome. Melbourne is all about Laneways (small walking alleys between building with retail and cafes, very European) and all about coffee. So let's recap. Melbs is full of art and design, shopping, food, and COFFEE - pretty much a happy place for Sarah and I.
I did a bunch of research and sussed out all of the cafes and hot food spots and made a list. I pretty much based my selections on a ratio of interior design to foodie blog posts. I am now 2-2 on this technique. The first day Sarah and I explored a bit and knocked off a couple coffee spots and restaurants. I have never had a better cup of coffee in my life, Melbourne kicks the shit out of Seattle. Single origin Syphon and Aero press, I am learning it is the only way to have a $5.00 drip. We did a bunch of exploring and found that this place is like a European city placed in the wrong location. All the great cafe's and shops are in Laneways downtown and are always packed with people. It feels so exciting, I found myself just standing in place and watching people move about. The food here is also unbelievable, it seems to be the mecca for Australian cooks because I think they are all here. We had the most expensive meal we have had at Cutler & Co. but it was worth every penny. Their chef is kind of like the Ethan Stowl of Melbourne. His restaurants have incredible style and are themed to the cuisine. We also visited Cumulus for breaky before we took off, equally amazing. I had a day to myself while S worked, and had a leisurely morning watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony (Awesome! Go Underworld!) and then I headed off with my camera and a stack of places to find. I had breakfast at St. Ali where my coffee was the heaviest I have had and my eggs were cooked for 63 minutes at 63 degrees and served on a cauliflower puree with white truffle oil and prosciutto - yup! I then wondered with my Nikon and wide eyes getting lost in the sites. I found Hoosier lane which is famous for it's graffiti heritage and spent many hours wondering the streets and shops. I found myself really feeling connected with this city. I have read it is the Seattle of Australia and I can see why. The weather is colder and and can change up to 5 times in a day, the fashion is excellent, and the train system connects to everything.
Sydney still is a cooler city to us with all of it's water, but Melbourne is the better "city."
Sarah's next business stop was 3 hours outside of the city at one of the beach resorts, Torquay. It was a very cruisy city where you can tell city people have migrated too to get away, natural grocery stores, surf shops, and high-end home accessory boutiques were tucked into unassuming blocks. We met a brute of a man at a bar who knew more about Seattle history then I think we did, but he was a writer so that might have something to do with it. Funny to get NW surfing location tips from a bloke who lives in Australia.
Our last day in Victoria we were told about "The Great Ocean Highway" and how it is Australia's 101 so instead of heading back into the city we juiced up the Hyundai i30. The roads were incredible and most importantly not filled with RV's traveling under the speed limit. The cost line is more rock and cold like Oregon and just beautiful. We only drove a few hours into it, but it is high potential of taking the crown for a greater coastal highway. I could see us traveling here and renting a camper for a couple weeks to do the drive, it is worth that far of a trip to do. We stopped at Belle's Beach which is another famous surfing site for competition. It was a small cozy cove with red sand and huge rolling waves, I can see why it is famous compared to the garbage swell Surfers Paradise provides.
This trip really was a conclusion of goals for our time in Australia. We got to see everything we wanted to see besides the real outback. I still can't believe how much we traveled and how we have seen more of Australia in a year then we have seen in the U.S for our whole lives. New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria - all very different and beautiful. I think Victoria is on top for us because it feels so much like home.
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