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If I told you that, in the middle of March, I had sizzled in temperatures of 40 degrees, one of the last places you would guess I had visited is Melbourne – and who could blame you? Given Melbourne’s location just an ocean away from Antarctica and the fact that March in the southern hemisphere is theoretically autumn, you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
The phrase ‘four seasons in a day’ is how Melbourne’s weather is often described to visitors. Tourists are jokingly advised to carry a sunhat, a waterproof poncho and an ice pick, ‘just in case’. During my stay however, the city seemed to liquefy in the haze of a two-week heat wave.
As you leaf through a guide book, you will read that Melbourne endures colder winters than most other Australian capital cities and that during spring and autumn it enjoys extended periods of mild weather and clear skies. Summer, which runs from December to the end of February, can be hot and sticky, but there is often relief in the way of showers and cool breezes. Unfortunately, there was no such relief for those of us visiting Melbourne for the love of Formula One racing, as track temperatures soared to 52 degrees Celsius.
Each year Melbourne plays host to tens of thousands of interstate and overseas visitors who, just like me, come to enjoy one or more of the city’s festivals, art exhibitions, musical extravaganzas or first class sporting events. The latter include the Australian Open Tennis Championships, the Australian 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix, the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Football League Grand Final and, of course, the Australian Grand Prix.
Unfortunately, the latter could now be in jeopardy. Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone issued an ultimatum earlier this year threatening to move the Grand Prix away from Melbourne if the race is not run at a time better suited to European television audiences. Following this year’s scorcher, I would say he now has yet another valid reason to lobby for a twilight start; drivers and spectators alike would certainly appreciate it too.
This year saw a 3.30pm start and, in unseasonal, record-breaking temperatures, I watched Massa pull in after just 29 laps and Raikkonen follow after 53; thankfully, I was in Melbourne, a city that offered many distractions to compensate for my Ferrari frustrations.
Known as Australia’s style setter, Melbourne is the capital city of the state of Victoria. Covering an area of just over 7,000 square kilometres, the city is home to 3.2 million people from 140 nations brought here by four main waves of migration. It was evident by the large number of Italian and Ferrari flags at the circuit, that the city has a huge Italian population. I have since discovered that the city actually has 300,000 Italian speakers and over 185,000 Melbournian students learn Italian at school. Melbourne’s Greek community is also thriving and is the largest in the world outside Greece while the Arab contingent is well represented with, in particular, many Lebanese who now call Melbourne home. To top it all, the city’s own Lord Mayor, John So, is Hong Kong Chinese.
Consequently, and not surprisingly, Melbourne is noted for its diversity but also for its vitality and European-style sophistication which, together with excellent infrastructure, makes it one of the world’s most liveable cities – an accolade it has won many times.
As you would expect from such a well regarded hub, the city boast many attractions and, according to a recent Melbourne Airport Survey, the city’s most visited landmark is Federation Square followed closely by the Queen Victoria Markets and The Crown Entertainment Complex on the south bank of the Yarra River.
Federation Square is Melbourne’s most prominent meeting place and was described in my travel guide as ‘a unique cultural area’. This precinct brings together a mix of attractions, museums and galleries with many restaurants, cafes and bars secreted in its ‘innards’. Federation Square is a hub of Melbourne activities with over 2000 events held here annually. It is also where you will find the tourist’s equivalent of the Holy Grail – the Melbourne Visitors’ Centre.
I was not as impressed with Federation Square as the guide book promised I would be. The square itself undulates on many levels and the buildings are disjointed, irregular and none enticed me to enter – in fact, it was difficult to see where a way-in would be into most of the buildings.
The Queen Victoria Market however lived up to expectation. This historic landmark is a Melbournian institution that first opened in March 1878. Spread over seven hectares (that is the size of around 14 soccer fields), it is the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere. Almost one thousand traders sell everything from fruit and vegetables, gourmet foods, meat, fish and poultry, to hardware, shoes, clothing and authentic Australian artefacts and souvenirs. The Queen Victoria Market is a friendly and unpretentious place that is enjoyable to people of all ages. My husband and I browsed souvenirs and post cards before catching up with the day’s news with a newspaper and a cappuccino, while our teenage son and daughter were rapt with the fashion and the music stalls.
The most popular destination to our teenagers however was the Crown Entertainment Complex situated on the south bank of the river. The complex combines gaming, hotel, convention, restaurant, retail, cinema and many other entertainment facilities in one glitzy venue. ‘The Crown’ as it is known locally, is open and buzzing 24/7. While our children took in a movie, we played Black Jack and while we enjoyed fine dining, our teens opted for a McDonalds’ meal followed by a game of tenpin bowling for dessert.
The Crown includes at least two food courts and a popular children’s entertainment area called ‘Galactic Circus’ which has many electronic games that you play at the swipe of a pre-paid card. Venture towards Crown’s exclusive retail strip and you will find world famous designer boutiques and signature brands such as La Perla, Gucci, Prada, Versace, DKNY and Armani. This is undoubtedly an excellent entertainment destination and the hotel rooms above are said to be the lavish with a ‘typical’ room being around 50 square metres, which is large by international standards, but decidedly average by the UAE’s norm.
Across the river from The Crown, you will find the Melbourne Aquarium which is as much about education and conservation as it is about visitors’ entertainment. Aquarium staff are currently involved in a Grey Nurse Shark breeding program aimed at conserving this endangered species, as well as the rehabilitation of turtles washed down to the cold Victorian waters where they cannot survive.
Melbourne Aquarium opened its doors in January 2000 and is the world’s only southern ocean aquarium. It looks less like a building and more like a ship moored on the north bank of the city’s Yarra River. Purposely designed not to be imposing at street level, the building is set some seven metres below the surface. At its centre is an ‘oceanarium in the round’ where visitors become the spectacle to the marine life swimming around them.
The Melbourne Aquarium is currently undergoing a major expansion due for completion in the later half of 2008. The new section will feature Antarctic King Penguins and Gentoo Penguins, as well as many other Antarctic fish. The exhibits will feature real ice and snow to simulate polar conditions and will take visitors on a virtual expedition to Antarctica.
Zoos also have the potential to be much more than a mere entertainment facility and the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens have certainly maximized this potential with many educational and conservation programs in place. Opened in 1862, Melbourne Zoo is the oldest in Australia and is regarded by experts as one of the world’s best.
Located just four kilometres from the city centre and covering 22 hectares (equivalent to a whopping 44 soccer fields) of botanic-style gardens, the zoo is home to more than 320 animal species from around the world. Here we wondered through the Butterfly House, viewed the Gorilla Rainforest and saw historical buildings including the heritage listed Elephant House. Recently renovated and adapted for use as an overnight facility, the Elephant House is where ‘Roar and Snore’ sleepovers take place. These are very popular with the public and allow overnight guests to see and hear some of the zoo’s nocturnal animals on guided tours with the keepers. It must be wonderful to wake in the morning to the calls of gibbons and exotic birds and to enjoy breakfast in such an extraordinary setting. Had we known about this in advance we certainly would have booked it. Guided tours are also available in daylight of course (between 10am and 3pm) and operated by very knowledgeable ‘Friends of the Zoo’ volunteer guides.
Zoos Victoria (www.zoo.org.au) manages Melbourne Zoo as well as the Werribee Open Range Zoo and the Healsville Sanctuary. Each zoo has its own focus but, according to their website, all three work towards the commendable goal of “building enduring relationships between people and wildlife for a future in which people live in balance with the natural world.”
There are many sightseeing opportunities in and around Melbourne and top of the list with fans of the soap-opera ‘Neighbours’ is a trip to Ramsay Street. ‘Neighbours’ is filmed at Global Television Studios in Nunawading, a suburb of Melbourne and the cul-de-sac that doubles as Ramsay Street is just a few minutes’ drive from the studio.
Ramsay Street’s real name is Pinoak Court and is located in Vermont South which is approximately 30 kilometres east of Melbourne’s CBD. All the homes on Pinoak Court are real and the residents allow the Neighbours’ crew to shoot the outdoor scenes on their front lawns, back gardens and driveways while the indoor shots are filmed in the studios.
‘Neighbours’ has an average daily audience of 120 million viewers and is shown in 57 countries including Ghana, Bermuda and Malta. It is therefore not surprising that tours to Pinoak Court sell out fast. Tour companies such as Neighbourstour.com.au offer three hour trips to Ramsay Street for around Dhs 185 per person and these include a drive by Erinsborough High School which features in the show and many photo opportunities.
There is much more to see in the city of Melbourne than a mere article could possibly list. One of the best ways to take in a bit of everything is to hop on one of the free City Circle Trams; the service runs every 12 minutes and operates 363 days a year (not on Good Friday and Christmas Day). You can hop off this service at various landmarks around the centre or stay on board for a full circuit to get an overview of the city.
Frequent trams and trains also link the suburbs with the centre and if you would like to venture further a field, you have the option of hiring a car or joining an organised tour to one of many regional attractions. Browse VisitMelbourne.com and, like us, you will soon have a list of sights, shows, wineries and events that you simply ‘must-do’.
Unfortunately, our ‘must-do’ list was far too long and we ran out of time. As we boarded our flights home, I spared a thought for the Formula One teams who – with just six days to spare – had to pack away – and then unpack – millions of Dirhams worth of equipment (sufficient to fill six jumbo jets) for the next Grand Prix meet in Malaysia.
The disappointment of having witnessed Ferrari’s worst start to a Formula One season in sixteen years will fade, just as their form will undoubtedly improve, whereas memories of the time spent in this vibrant, multicultural city will remain for many years.
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