A Trip to the Fashion Capital

Day 1

Pen and I flew down to Melbourne for the Anzac Day long weekend. It was my first trip to the shopping and fashion capital of Australia so I was really excited to embark on my three-day retail (and sight-seeing) adventure.

Our trip started off slightly rocky – I had to drag myself out of bed at 4am because we were catching a 6:15am flight. Why so early you ask? Because we were on standby and the previous night’s flights were all fully booked due to the long weekend, so in order to guarantee ourselves seats, we had to get on a “less popular” flight. It was still a very full flight nonetheless and we were very blessed to get onboard. In fact, they only allowed four standby people on the flight.

Upon arrival, we realised that not only were we on standby, so was our baggage! They left my bag and the 7kg of longans (from Uncle Albert to Lou) back in Brisbane. Good one. My resentment was soon appeased at the sight of our friends Kev and Lou who so kindly came to pick us up for breakfast.

They took us to Retro Cafe at Fitzroy, a picturesque nostalgic coffee shop with furniture that looked like they had been around since the 70s. I had an Eggs Benedict and Pen ordered a massive hangover meal. It was soooo yummy and I knew we were off to a good start. Lou didn’t waste any time and immediately helped me plan my shopping route for the next two days.

Breakfast at Retro Cafe

After breakfast, we had a quick Underbelly tour around North Melbourne and also stopped by Lygon Street for gelati. Setting foot on Lygon Street is like stepping into little Italy. There were rows and rows of Italian cafes and restaurants, alternating with a heap of Gelato shops.

We finally checked-in at our hotel Holiday Inn at 1pm. Still no sign of my bag. Arrrgh. We rested for a while and then jetted off to DFO (Direct Factory Outlet), just across the road. We didn’t stay there long as the shops were all similar to the ones in Brisbane. We wandered around the city streets, albeit a little quiet due to Anzac Day, taking photos and soaking in Melbourne’s old-town sights.

Our hotel

Melbourne tram

In the heart of Melbourne Central

Venturing into Chinatown

Dinner at Sambal Kampung - a Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown

In the evening, Pen took me to Crown Casino along Southbank. He was really keen on showing me the “fire” at Crown. The whole time, I thought it was just a small area of burning flames. Turned out there were actually six tall towers with flames going off every half hour or hour. Think Lord of the Rings, Return of the King’s lighting of the beacons.

Walking towards Southbank Crown Casino

Big flames!

Day 2

We met up with Nick and Lou for brunch at Collingwood Children’s Farm. It’s a “city” farm located just 5km from the CBD, specially established so kids could experience rural life without driving miles from home. Yes yes, people in Melbourne are BIG on breakfasts and brunches. A weekend with friends is almost never complete without one of those.

We ate at The Farm Cafe, a country-side eatery owned by one of Nick’s friends. The cafe is famous for using only produce from the farm – so you’ve got your free-range eggs, organic cereal, goat’s milk, etc. You’ve also got some other “organic things” left behind by the farm animals at the door so patrons have been warned to watch where they walk.

Breakfast at The Farm Cafe

At noon, we went to Bridge Road at Richmond, a street well-known for its warehouse-type shopping. Think Stones Corner but bigger, longer and definitely livelier! We visited shop after shop, with Pen cheerfully tagging along. My poor husband must have been so bored but he didn’t say a word, just stuffed himself with Subway cookies and whatever else he could find in between boutiques. After three hours, I only bought a cardigan, a long-sleeved top and a belt. The shopping was great but there weren’t many things that really caught my eye.

We headed down on a tram to Queen Victoria Markets next, determined to find some bargains for ourselves. Comically enough, the moment we stepped into the market’s compounds, an announcement was made over the PA system telling shoppers they were closed! Arggh! Pen and I scurried through the aisles and aisles of stalls selling fresh fruits, vegetables, chickens, eggs, etc. It felt just like my Eunos market in Singapore, only much drier. The retail part of the market was exactly like a pasar malam, from the set up right down to the products! Fake Hello Kitty stuff, cheap-looking bags and This Fashion-type clothes. Cheh! They don’t fool us.

On the tram

Deli at Queen Victoria Market

Chickens for sale

After another fruitless shopping trip, we walked to Lygon Street for dinner. The Italian food was so authentic and Pen’s pasta was exceptionally good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. After that, we had a pear and cheese crumble at Brunetti, a dessert wonderland! It was so delicious that I totally forgot to take photos!

Pillow-filled pasta with pumpkin and ricotti

Pen's yummy pasta

At 9:30pm, back at the hotel, we got a call from Lou inviting us for dessert at Max Brenner. So off we went again for more food! Seeing it was raining and cold as, it was definitely appropriate weather for a nice cup of hot chocolate. We also shared some chocolate fondue and dark and milk chocolate suckao. Yes, Melbourne is also a food capital.

L to R: me, Kev, Nick, Lou and Pen

Day 3

The temperature went down to about 14 degrees topped with cold wind chills. Time to layer up!

We strolled to Southbank, had breakfast at the Southgate food court and visited the markets. The markets were somewhat disappointing - I had expected it to be better than Brisbane Southbank's but it wasn't.

Walking to Southbank from another bridge

Southbank Markets

Walking back to the city

We went back to the city centre after that and explored Flinders Lane, a small street in the heart of Melbourne's CBD with a rustic feel and boasting numerous quaint little boutiques. Now we're talking! In the thick of atmospheric cafes and bars, there were fabulous shops selling fun and quirky fashion imports. This old alley is really a treasure cove for shopaholics! Times like these, you'd wished you had really deep pockets. What a pity we only discovered this street on our last day - but we certainly shopped till the very last minute.

Old church building

Standing at Federation Square with my shopping bags

Pen looking terrified of the haunted bookshop

It was definitely good to get away for the weekend. Melbourne is such a vibrant and trendy city compared to sleepy town Brisbane. Now that we've conquered shopping, we'll do the Great Ocean Road drive the next time we visit.

There and Back Again

Time certainly flies when you’re on vacation. My holiday to Singapore is over and I’m back in Brisbane again. It was heart-warming to spend time with my family, hang out with the girls and catch up with the LEWIS gang. I managed to check off everything on my shopping list, snapping up bargains from Raffles Place, Chinatown, City Plaza and other suburban malls.

One of the main highlights of my trip was definitely meeting my niece E-Yan. She’s so lovable and I really dread the day she turns two and doesn’t recognise me. :( Hopefully frequent visits and toys will prevent that. Going on the Singapore Flyer with Pen and my family was also an eye-opener. Oh and I also added two new items to my Tiffany collection.

I meant to blog much sooner but was waiting to resize all my holiday photos first. Two weeks have gone by and I still haven't done that. Yes yes, I will put them up soon so you can see how much fun I had. Fingers crossed.