snapshots: melbourne

21st - 26th March 2012

Melbourne, Australia

On the 21st March, after an extremely enjoyable and low-cost stay in the state of New South Wales, I got down to Sydney's central station where I bid my farewells to Oli and boarded the iconic AMERICAN greyhound bus which set off for the capital of Victoria at 9am. Fifteen hours later we arrived in Melbourne. Bye bye Sydney, you've been fantastic.

Location of Melbourne within Australia.

Mid afternoon we had a brief stop in the town of WAGGA WAGGA, where I munched down a generous packed lunch 'acquired' by The Guy from his work.

Got into Melbourne at about 11pm on the 21st and after traipsing round a few hostels finally found a dorm room at Nomads for $30, which although ludicrously expensive for travellers, was much cheaper than some other places I had come across. This is the Yarra river which runs through the centre of Melbourne and is flanked either side by a motley crew of skyscrapers.

The next morning I woke up and checked out of Nomads for 10am to go catch up with a girl I had first met over in South East Asia. When I was in Laos I went tubing with a whole gang of Aussies and had already been lucky enough to meet up with Jasper while over here in Australia - see Avalon post. A girl named Sally had also been involved in the reckless antics on that river back in Laos - Tubing in Vang Vieng - and I remembered her saying that she was living/studying/working in Melbourne with her boyfriend so I dropped her an email and she was kind enough to let me crash on their couch for the four nights I was in the state of Victoria.

Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria and is famous for its comprehensive network of tram lines. This was the free city circle tram that did a loop through the central areas of Melbourne.

The iconic central meeting place for Melburnians is Federation Square which is dominated bv the striking St. Pauls Anglican Catherdral and the modern-looking ACMI building - Australian Centre For The Moving Image. An interactive centre for learning which had several floors showcasing a range of galleries that covered the development of the film and video game industries plus galleries by well known contemporary artists.

The very grand looking Flinders Street Station which is a key transport hub for getting around the city and sits proudly on the northern edge of Federation Square.

The ACMI futuristic looking building.

The ACMI was full of interactive displays such as this one which projected my image onto a white screen and by tracking my movements, added shapes to my shadow.

This is Melbourne's 'Giant Theremin' an instrument which interestingly is not controlled by touch but movement. It was commissioned by the Melbourne council and created by the audio-visual artist Robin Fox. The instrument has a sensor which picks up bodily movements within the black frame you can see in the photograph, and turns these movements into sounds. The actual concept behind the Theremin is nearly 100 years old - named after Leon Theremin its creator - and his machine amazed audiences all over America and Europe back in the 1920's and 1930's. Unlike the original Theremin which was monophonic (one voice) this new updated version is polyphonic (many voices) which means it can track up to eight peoples movements within the black frame and turn their dancing into a surreal composition of electronic whirring.

 

It's on 24/7 and rests to the side of a well used public path which means that everyone who walks past it on their way to work every day (including cyclists) receives a soundtrack to accompany their passing.

A Melbourne Alleyway.

Melbourne busker. Fair play really, he's thinking outside of the box. I've personally always wanted to see a penguin playing the bagpipes. Got my dollar.

Sally lived in Clifton Hill which was a short train ride from town so spent the days doing my usual wandering around the city streets. On the Friday night we went along to meet some of her friends at a bar on Brunswick street where a couple of local bands were playing. The Saturday night was spent at one of her friend's going away parties. The two guys, Toby and Will, were about to set off on an epic adventure on a couple of Royal Enfield motorbikes from Singapore to London!

Welcome to St. Kilda Pier. On the 23rd, after investing in a $7 multi-transport pass, hopped on the no.16 tram and made my way down to St. Kilda which according to the Lonely Planet is "more Brighton beach than BayWatch." Getting off on Fitzroy street I walked down to the main promenade and followed it round until I came across St. Kilda´s rather magnificent pier. 

The highlight, in my opinion, of the St. Kilda suburb was it´s pier and the pavilion that stands proudly at the end. First built in 1904 and then re-built in 2006, after it burnt down in an arson attack, it has been a place where Melburnians go when they want a break from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Walking along the wooden decking of the extensive pier, I passed by local fishermen  who were relaxing under the gaze of a blazing sun which had only just reclaimed the sky from a gang of ominous black clouds.

Watch out for my next post because Melbourne has some of the best street art I've ever seen. Led by Pac-Man.....