Melbourne: A city that calls itself the most liveable in the world..
Written: Feb 11 '06 (Updated Feb 11 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good public transport system and modern infrastructure.
Cons: There is nothing really standout about the city. The lack of major sightseeing is noticeable.
The Bottom Line: Melbourne wants the worlds attention. It puts lots of money into luring tourists. However, it lacks that MAJOR DRAW to lure you from the other side of the world.
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| actonsteve's Full Review: Melbourne |
Melbourne shouts pretty loud. Over here in Europe we can hear the claim of "most liveable city in the world", "sporting capital of the world.." or simply "greatest city in the world..". These are high claims especially set against Europes great old cities so how does Melbourne compare? Is it worth all the hyperbole?
It is a "nice" city with cafe culture, good shopping, skyscrapers, clean streets and a beach in its backyard. Its a city determined to impress, money has been spent freely creating glittering skyscrapers, marble riverwalks and cutting edge sport stadiums. It was a city built on the proceeds of the 1850s gold rush and Victorian bombast pokes through occasionally amongst all the chrome and glass. Melbourne can be a hard city to define? Melbourne can be genteel and European but at the same time has a skyline which resembles Dallas or Los Angeles. Melbourne is a mixture of 19th century civilisation and 21st century get-up-and-go..
Melbourne keeps itself happily amused. You have everything you want here - blue skies in summer, the Melbourne Cup, cricket at the MCG, festivals in parks, ethnic quarters down Lygon street and and an alternative beach scene at St Kilda (where the TV series The Secret Life of Us was filmed). It is one of the few cities in Australia not to be founded by convict labour and has a genteel sophisticated air. It does put alot of emphasis on art, culture and learning. It thinks itself deeper and more intellectual then its brasher sister city up in New South Wales. And the 19th century trams are a pleasure to rattle around in.
Transport
The advantage of being a modern city is that the travel infrastructure is very good. With an impressive rail network, wide motorways, two major stations,and hundreds of trams - there is no excuse for not getting around in Melbourne.
The fulcrum of this public transport system seems to be Flinders Street station/Federation Square. The area outside the domed entrance is where trams arrive before heading into the far flung suburbs of South Yarra, Collingwood, Toorak or the beach at St Kilda. Special "greeters" are there to make sure you get on the right tram. And a journey costs about $2.70 within zone 1, punchable when you board the tram.
The airport, Tullarmarine, is quite a way from the centre. The Melbourne tourist board lay on a "Skybus" for $14. This will take you to Spencer Street rail/bus station where they lay on a free doorstep minibus for those staying within the CBD. For those of us who had bookings further afield then there is a taxi rank nearby.There is an extensive rail service connecting the suburbs with the CBD 'loop'. This also connects the two interstate stations Spencer Street (currently being renovated for the Commonwealth games in 2006) and Flinders Street. The rail journey from Sydney to Melbourne takes 11 hours.
Spencer Street Station and Federation Square
Flinders Street Station, I would say, is the most distinctive building in Melbourne. A major rail termini dating from Victorian times and the expression of meeting "under the clocks" is a Melbourne legend. The frontage of the railway station itself overlooks where Flinders and Swanston streets meet. Its facade is neoclassical and topped with a dome but the entire thing is a mixture of light brown and yellow - it shouldn't work but it does. Its a very impressive building.
Snapping on its heels is the young whippersnapper across the St Kilda Road.. Federation Square.Its an ambitious set of buildings designed to give Melbourne a focus. I liked it, in fact I would say it was my favourite thing in Melbourne. It is modern architecture at its most adventurous. A whole city block between Flinders Street itself, the station and the Yarra river has been transformed. It resembles a puzzle made out of titanium housing buildings with weird angles covered in zinc or sandstone. The floor is actually covered in ochre or iron and rises into a horseshoe shaped space hemmed in by buildings. A huge television screen oversees everything and people mill about trying to decide whether they like it or not. I think it is a real distinctive hodgepodge of everything - strange angles, glass facades and zinc coverings. The place actually glistens in the rain.
Yarra Riverwalk and Crown Casino Complex
The Southgate centre is its focal point and is a upmarket shopping complex with lots of attractions such as smart cafes, restaurants, boutiques and art galleries all overlooking the Yarra river. I rather liked the Yarra river with its mustard coloured water. It was a dirty silty river that reminds me of the Thames. It stands in wonderful contrast to the chrome and steel of 21st century Melbourne. The one remaining thing in the city which is outside their reach of gentrification.
The riverwalk can be reached through numerous ways. Buses and trams up from St Kilda pass over Princes Bridge which has staircase access the river. And there are numerous bridges across from the CBD. My favourite was the pedestrian bridge from beneath Flinders Street station which is a modern piece of art. This was where they wheeled their bikes across the river to take advantage of the cycle paths along the South Bank promenade. And the views here are extraordinary - the long sweep of the river with the skyscrapers as a backdrop. If you look to the west there stands the 55 floors of the Rialto towers which is quite a sight when the sun catches it on a cold spring day.
The promenade itself is impressive. Millions of dollars have been spent to create a pleasant recreational area. Marble and polished stone has been laid out and made an impressive walkway decked with potted plants, arclights and modernist statues. From here you can take boat trips down the Yarra or most likely find you legs propelling you to the Crown Casino Complex. Escalators will whisk you up to a huge entertainment room with a waterfall under strobe lighting and a lamborghini revolving on a podium. Its a rule around the world that a casino must try for class but end up as kitsch and this was no exception. The purple decor was blinding and the carpet was so deep you were in danger of losing your feet.
The Melbourne Museum
The Museum costs $6, and is pretty big so it is worth deciding what you want to see most first. I thoroughly recommend the Forest Exhibtion A gigantic Australian temperate forest is recreated within the museum confines. Glass ceilings throw light onto soaring trees, gurgling streams and loamy black earth. The whole thing is environmentally controlled and tunnels led under the stream beds allowing you to view what lives there. And every couple of yards were small tanks containing indigenous snakes and creeping hairy spiders.
But it was the second level which interested me. Most interestingly were the media and newspapers that Melbournians subscribed to in the 20th century. I personally liked the record produced by Barry Humphries during the 1956 Olympics. The government asked people to put up foreigners in their homes, Humphries asked if you could choose? And if so....could he have a red Indian? But the museum seemed to celebrate the cities suburbia with the "Neighbours" kitchen set on lone from Grundy Television. They had a copy of the script on show - not a wise move because all those pauses and verbal contractions you see during the show are actually written into the script. And I thought it was just bad acting.
So how to some up Melbourne?
You must take it as it is. It is nothing like the great capitals of Europe. There aren't mega sites every few yards, there isn't oodles of history to drown yourself in. Its a nice clean ambitious city that wants to make its mark on the world. In reality, until it comes up with something distinctive it has little chance of doing so. It goes on about its "lifestyle" - its cafe culture, its shopping and beaches but most cities now have that.
Melbourne is a nice place to live...but to visit? Well, there are more distinctive destinations in the world...
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Singles
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
actonsteve
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Member: Steve Cassidy
Location: Acton, London, United Kingdom
Reviews written: 62
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
Completely fanatical writer and Londonophile.Found usually at bar in Vauxhall Tavern supping good ale.
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