If this had been 20 years ago, the biggest draw of Melbourne would have been a tour of the Neighbours soap opera set. Aside from that, I’ve often been told that Europeans usually love Melbourne: it’s the cultural capital of Australia, artsy, international, and the number one city in the world according to The Economist’s “liveability index”. While I enjoyed my stay, I have to say: I’m definitely a Sydney girl.











But where is the ocean?! My favourite part of Sydney, or of any city, unfortunately missing from Melbourne city centre. As a result, I took a boat trip out to Williamstown, a suburb of Melbourne, to get closer to the sea (and I had fish and chips again!).





On my last day in Melbourne, my flight wasn’t leaving until 3am and I had already checked out of my apartment the previous morning. What to do? Late night cinema showing of Interstellar, of course. (For the record, as much as I love wormholes and relativity and space in general, I really didn’t get this film for all the hype it’s had. Nowhere near as good as Gravity, which really moved me as well as being ground-breaking in terms of the filming itself.) Although my flight was a little delayed, my free upgrade to business class made up for the inconvenience. A glass of champagne and a short sleep on a horizontal bed later, and I arrived in Kuala Lumpur for the next part of my trip…
The practical bit:
National Gallery of Victoria: The Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition is on until 8th February 2015; $22 for an adult ticket.
Williamstown Ferry: The ferry leaves from outside the Southgate shopping centre; $28 for an adult return ticket.
Apartment: I booked a studio at Melbourne Short Stay Apartments and got a free upgrade to a one-bedroom with a balcony. Very nice, and great location by Southbank.