Sprouting into one of the most biologically various regions in the world, with a beautifully bright climate, Western Australian beliefs and lifestyle are what makes this extraordinary place an unforgettable holiday experience.
On our first few jetlagged days, I toured, my family round my desired apartment.
Melbourne Short Stay Apartments is an 8-minute walk from Melbourne Convention Centre and a 15-minute walk from the galleries, shops, and restaurants of Federation Square. Etihad Stadium is a 5-minute drive away. With fully air-conditioned apartments provide all the comforts of home.
The spacious living area includes a large flat-screen TV and a DVD/Blu-Ray player. We adored stunning views of the city or Yarra River.
Southbank is my favourite option in entertainment, restaurants and shopping for clothes. Featuring an indoor swimming pool and a fitness centre, Crown Casino is a 7-minute walk from the Apartment. This 43 level residential tower offers stylish apartments with a balcony and floor to ceiling windows.
We started with breakfast, with a baffling choice of coffee and delicious patisseries -- how do Aussies keep so fit and fine? Must be all the running, pedalling and roller blading - and the climate helps. The Bay is just a tremendous beauty spot - why would none come here to spend holidays? There're sand and sea for the asking and not an ice-cream van in sight. We experienced a calm atmosphere; no fuss, no pretension, and everyone had a great time. And yes, the food was tremendous.
The Queen Victoria night market was a surprise. Queued with food stalls from countries and cultures of the world, the place hummed. We were lured by Spanish, Iranian and Turkish dishes, but finally fallen for a roasting plate of Caribbean chickpeas with spicy sauce.
Melbourne raids me as a place that has got its steadiness. It's got old-style trams and charming Victorian shopping galleries alongside a beautiful skyline punctuated with the Rialto. Fabulous Melbourne, a really bewildering city with wide streets and attractive shops and crowded with full of life well-dressed and friendly people.
We discovered the City armed with a map, and if we looked lost a passer-by would reach us with, ‘May I assist you to mate?' And we'd soon be talking like long lost friends. Australians are reliably big-hearted and lavish with their time -- there's no other big city like Melbourne where I've met this level of hospitality.
I like the way the city spreads out with space to breathe. I and my family roamed along the wide riverside paths and saw the city in all its beauty -- its bridges, elevated buildings, and spreads of green.
So those weeks into the holiday I can state that we were getting on fine, and the food? Fabulous! We gorged on peaches, guavas, melons, fruit so juicy it ran down to your elbows. Too starved to drive any further one day, we pulled up at a doubtful roadside cafe, from a young woman with such magnificent good looks it summed up the Aussie gift for sarcasm and became a tag for the whole trip. She served us with roast chicken, rested to delicious perfection.
Did it work as a family outing? A definite yes! We lived together, but it was in Melbourne that we discovered the love within us. Where to next time? The experiment is on to find somewhere that comes even close to Melbourne, which was a matchless experience for us all.