Friday night at Federation Square.

Last Friday we went in to the city to buy a few things before Sean went to Shanghai. After shopping we decided to have dinner somewhere in the city. We walked around a few lanes and streets - tried to find a place which we had heard of - got there and decided we were underdressed to go in... Walked around and up and down the same streets again, found a place which was recommended by a collegue - but they were fully booked - went to the next door place and was told we could be accommodated in 20 minutes - but we weren't prepared to wait... So we finally decided to dine at a place called "Time Out" in Federation Square. Quite an apt name after roaming the streets of Melbourne for almost 2 hours! We sat down and sipped on an ice cold Pilsner and ordered dinner...


Roaming the streets of Melbourne is very interesting - there is so much to see - and something new on every corner - no matter how many times you walk the same streets - there will always be something different. The streets are very vibrant at night, and you will find street performers from people in bunny suits to musicians to religious groups chanting their views. It is nice once in a while to walk around and take it all in - but yes it can be time consuming!

Federation Square

View from Time Out

Restaurants in the laneways 

Restaurants in the laneways

Graffiti on the walls

More Restaurants

Location, location, location!

Our apartment is located in a great area – close to shops, restaurants and the beach… There is a nail parlour just below our apartment where I go to get a pedicure done when I feel like some pampering. All the staff are Asian (Vietnamese). You sit in a massage chair while you are having your pedicure done! It is so relaxing! Your feet get soaked, cleaned and massaged while you are totally relaxed… So nice to have a place like this right on my doorstep!

Shopping in Melbourne...

There are a lot of direct factory outlets (DFOs) in Melbourne where all the major name brands can be found. The prices at these shops are supposed to be cheaper at these shops – and I suppose to Australian standards they are… There are times when they have sales on and then the prices are really good! We have bought ourselves a few things from the DFOs - skechers and levis – my first pair ever! 

A day in the Yarra Valley...

We went for a drive out to the Yarra Valley to do some wine tasting and to have lunch in the Valley. It was a very windy day. We started off at Domaine and Chandon, had a tour of the winery and then did some tasting. They make really good champagne – in the traditional method. We then stopped at another winery for some tasting and then off to Balgownie where we had booked for lunch. 

On arrival we were told that they had no power and they would not be able to accommodate us for lunch and they suggested we find somewhere else to have lunch… So off we went to another winery down the road – The Mandala – and were told the same thing – it seemed like there was a power outage in the area due to a fire somewhere. We decided to try a winery a little further away from the area – hoping that they would have power… Helens Hill winery also had no power but they were happy to accommodate us for lunch – as they cook on gas. So we proceeded to have a wonderful lunch.

It was amazing how the different wineries handled the no power situation… They all cook on gas but they weren’t prepared to make food as the extractors weren’t working. It was a bit warm in the restaurant at Helens Hill – but not unbearable – so glad they let us in to enjoy their wonderful food!

Domaine Chandon

Where the champagne is fermented...

View of the Vineyards

Mandala Winery

The Vines restaurant at Helens Hill