Diagonally opposite the Flinders Street Station is the St. Paul’s Cathedral. St. Paul’s is actually an Anglican church. While I am a Catholic, I still see to it that my guests see the interiors of the cathedral as it is beautiful. After letting my guests get their fill of the church’s beauty, I usually lead them to Hosier Lane.
I personally love Hosier Lane because that’s the kind of thing that I want to see from a city if I were the visitor. Of course, this is aside from the fact that it is very Melbourne: young, hip, quirky and artsy. This lane is filled with lots of colorful graffiti and random art - you would definitely want to have your picture taken here in every angle. Though it is just a short lane, people actually spend a lot of time here. This is a great spot to have that picture-perfect photo taken.
After mastering the art of posing in Hosier Lane, I usually lead my guests to Degraves Street. Degraves Street is a quintessential Melbourne laneway filled with cafes, al-fresco dining spots, cute boutiques and a whole lot more. I am so in love with the atmosphere in Degraves as it is always alive and buzzing.
After Degraves, I usually extend the alleyway tour to Centre Place Arcade which would then lead to Collins Street. Depending on the preference of my guests, I usually just go in-depth in Collins if my visitor likes to shop in high-end stores. But if not, like my guests to-date, we usually move along to Bourke Street which is another street full of shops on both sides but are more affordable and budget-friendly.
There’s a lot of things that I love about Bourke Street: access exclusive to pedestrians and trams, seats everywhere, buskers, the big purse at the end of the lane and the huge H&M. My female guests usually go gaga when they see how big the H&M is in there. After my guests had already shopped to their heart’s content, we then head on to Emporium then Melbourne Central.
When my mom was here, she was able to witness the marionette display dropped from the Melbourne Central clock which happens every hour on the hour. I do not know what is with older people and singing clocks but I really think that she did love it.
Walking outside from Melbourne Central to Swanston Street would give everyone a nice view of the State Library of Victoria. This is another personal favorite. I usually just direct them to visit the La Trobe Reading Room which is a delight to see especially if you go up the stairs as it gives you a nice bird’s eye view of the whole room including the dome.
And that concludes my most basic tour of Melbourne. Actually, I usually end the tour with my visitors getting full and filled up in one of the plethora of restaurants found in the city. Who doesn’t love a good eat, right?
Since I already got my car and summer is already around the corner, I think I could already expand this basic list. I just had been so busy with life and establishing the basics that I had completely set aside the need to explore and discover. Not to mention, the cold season which left me hibernating until winter season has ended. I can’t wait to discover more of the city either through walking or driving soon!