Back of Bourke: Tales from Down Under: Whirlwind Trip to Melbourne

Shortly after my recent trip to New Zealand, I took another quick trip down to Melbourne in Victoria. It was just overnight, so I had to cram as much in as I could between working and sleeping. I worked both days while I was there, and spent the evenings seeing the sights.

Avoiding a potentially-embarassing elevator debacle this time, I was able to safely make my way up to the office and meet with the sales team there. Had some productive meetings with them, and then headed out in the afternoon. Prior to exploring for the evening, I went back to my hotel. As a side note, the room was very tiny. Very, very tiny. When you open the door, it hits the bed. And if you accidentally spray water out of the shower, it soaks 3 other rooms. Ok, that last bit was an exaggeration, but it was tiny.

Oh, also, I don't have many pictures, as my camera battery thought it would be an opportune time to die on me (i.e. - I likely left it on accidentally). At any rate, I was able to get a few pics with my camera. More on those shortly.

After stopping back at my shoebox shortly with the help of the jaws of life, I went back outside to walk around a bit. Melbourne is a beautiful city with a lot of really fantastic architecture. It reminds me a lot of Sydney with trees.

Having a few hours to kill, I walked across the river to the casino. While it lacked a bit of the glitz and glamour of Vegas (and even Star City here in Syndey), it was still quite cool. I walked up and down it a couple of times while I waited for Nobu to open to have an early dinner. Once they began serving, I grabbed a table and had a very tasty dinner. A small carafe of their own brand sake, edamame, a California roll, and a sashimi sampler. It was all very tasty and I left quite content.

I still had another hour to kill, so I walked back across the river to the city center again and just wandered up and down the streets for a bit. If there is one word I would use to describe Melbourne, it would be 'funky.' Bear in mind that this is not 'damp-beach-tower-left-balled-up-in-a-suitcase-for-3-weeks' funky. Think more 'unique-and-interesting-style-all-its-own' funky.

You might be wondering why I'm killing time. Well, for later that evening, I had procured a ticket to go see Wicked: The Musical (huzzah for musicals). I had heard great things about it, so I figured I would go see it while I was down there, in the event that it never made it to Sydney. It was very enjoyable - the music was incredibly catchy, and I found myself humming the songs days afterward. From what I've been told, the book (which I have yet to read) is actually quite a bit more...mature than the play. It definitely seemed very family-friendly, but I still had a blast. 7th row seats and a glass of wine + ice cream = epic win.

The following day, it was work as usual, and in the few hours I had before my flight, I decided to check out the Melbourne Aquarium (any time I'm near a zoo or aquarium, I feel it is my solemn duty to visit said attractions). It was a relatively new aquarium (~7 years old), and had some really great exhibits. There was a massive circular tank that surrounded a large lounge area with massive sharks, bull rays, and schools of fish swimming in circles. One of the smaller exhibits - but by far my favorite - was a tank that contained several weedy sea dragons and leafy sea dragons. They are by far some of the most incredible little critters.

I also made a stop by the Eureka Sky Deck, which boasts the highest residential observation point in the southern hemisphere (88 stories). It provided some spectacular views.

Anyway, after meandering around with the fish for a few hours, I caught a taxi back to the airport and headed home.

Here are some pics:

Here's the theater where I saw Wicked.

These are the Rialto Towers, where my
office was located. Prior to the Sky Deck
being constructed, this was the tallest point
in Melbourne. I'm sure there are no hard
feelings.