I fell in love with Melbourne straight away... I wish to take nothing away from Sydney, which is also a fine city but, Melbourne just has that special something. As Australia's 2nd largest city, Melbourne is a cultural melting pot. There are fine old Victorian buildings here which intersperse with modern glass skyscrapers. All the worlds' flavours are reflected in the food and the sporting venues, clubs, theatres and exhibition centres make Melbourne a hub of entertainment.
There has always been a rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney. Both cities used to take turns at being the country's capital but Sydney has always had more attention. Realising that they couldn't keep swapping their capital between the 2 cities, the powers that be decided to build a totally separate capital, hence Canberra was built and Australian parliament moved there in 1927
Melbourne is still thriving though and is a fantastic place to visit. It is situated on either side of the 240km long Yarra River and much of the central section of the river was rejuvenated in the 1980s. Lots of restaurants, bars and entertainment centres have sprung up and a cosmopolitan atmosphere prevails.
We took a cruise down the Yarra, it is a fabulous way to see the city and its' fantastic bridges and gardens. River cruises are inexpensive and relaxing here and there are several of them to go at, each visiting different parts of the city. We had a good 3 hours of messing about by the river and afterwards we decided to try and get a good view of the city from slightly higher ground.
Well, they don't get much higher than Rialto Towers. This is the tallest office building in the Southern Hemisphere with 58 floors above sea level and 8 below, it is about 830ft high. We took the lift up to the 55th floor observation deck and WOW!!!!! What a fantastic view... There are a couple of large balconies to go out on but I have to say, it was bloody windy up there.. Worth it for the view though..
Here are some views of Melbourne from the top of Rialto Towers and a couple of river views of the city.
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The views expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of my family, friends, employer, this site, my neighbours, hairdresser, dentist, GP, next door's dog or anyone else who knows me..