So, we left Noosa on a beautiful, sunny morning, and we took off for Melbourne, the second most populous city in Australia. We only had a day in Melbourne, so we made the most of it by walking the city, participating in the city's thriving cafe scene, and having dinner and drinks on Lygon Street, the restaurant hub of the city.

Why on Earth did we only have one day in a city we had to fly to? Good question! Well, the weather had been so bad for us on the so called "Sunshine Coast" (the east coast of Australia north of Brisbane), that we decided to cut our time on the coast short and go to Melbourne in the hopes of seeing a cool city and getting away from the rain.

It rained. :)

We still had a great time, though. The streets of Melbourne had a palpable buzz. As proud as Sydney is of her harbor and opera house, Melbourne is proud of its cultural vibrancy. Funky cafes, great restaurants, good cheer, interesting neighborhoods, laidback style, and genuinely friendly people seem to abound here. We regretted having only enough time to scratch the surface of this most excellent city, but we were pleased with our last minute decision to add it, albeit briefly, to the itinerary.

The next day we put on our raincoats and had one last stroll on Lygon Street. Melbourne had such a good vibe that we honestly didn't even mind the rain. Most places were closed due to a holiday in honor of the Queen, so we found one of the few places open, had a good brekkie (breakfast), and took off for the airport to head back to Sydney.