I arrived in Melbourne yesterday on my Jetstar flight, oh how I missed the comfort of Emirates! I'm staying at Nomads Hostel on A'Beckett Street for the first two nights, which is just about in the CBD. The temperature here is so refreshing - a maximum of about 22 degrees, just right!

It was raining when I arrived yesterday and continued for most of the afternoon, but I walked for miles around the CBD nonetheless, taking in the main landmarks. You certainly wouldn't be struggling for a cup of coffee in this city! There's a great cafe culture, only problem is choosing one. I also went to the Suzuki night markets last night as it was the last one for the year. It was mostly food, but there were some quirky stalls selling souvenirs etc.

It's strange to be back in a big city which isn't just a tourist resort. From 5pm onwards, workers come streaming out of the offices into one of several bars and cafes, before heading home via the iconic Flinders Station by the Yarra River, or out for dinner on the South Bank. I'm beginning to realise why this is your favourite place Tim, sociable businessman that you are!

Today's plan was to tick off everything Tim had recommended that I do in the city centre before moving out to St Kilda tomorrow. I went for a very long run this morning which helped me made a good dent in the list. I started out by heading across Princes Bridge to the South Bank to run round Alexandra Gardens followed by the Tan Track - a very popular running route of 3.7km or so around the outside, yes the outside, of the Royal Botanic Gardens. I couldn't for the life of me understand why all the runners were on that track, where every quarter kilometre is marked and it has a hedge on one side and roads on the other. I went into the gardens themselves afterwards and did a great tour, they're wonderful and were virtually empty apart from one or two walkers and the odd person cutting grass or watering the plants. Only on exiting the gardens did I realise why - running in the gardens is prohibited! Oops! That makes more sense, sorry Melbourne runners, I take it all back. No one told me off though, so unless there's CCTV, I think I got away with it! I then ran up to the Shrine of Remembrance, which gives great views looking back over the city, then out on the St Kilda road to the Albert Park, where I ran another popular running track around the lake. They are setting up for the Australian Grand Prix at the moment, so the park looks a bit like a building site. By the end of my run, I'd had a pretty comprehensive tour of Melbourne's parks and popular running tracks.

I took a walk to Brunswick Street and the suburb of Fitzroy for lunch, where I ate at the highly recommended Vegie Bar (obviously not Tim's idea!) It's a really cool area with lots of quirky boutiques and cafes and Fitzroy Gardens are beautiful. I also walked to the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and home to the National Sports Museum. Unfortunately, I couldn't just go in for a quick look without paying for a tour, so I didn't bother. There aren't any AFL games coming up whilst I'm here either, Tim says that's the real Melbourne experience! Next, I visited Melbourne Park's Tennis Centre, home of the Australian Open and Rod Laver Arena. This too is a bit of a construction site as the open finished not long ago. It's not possible to go in to the arena, although I did check out the show courts. It's not quite Wimbledon, but I'm sure Phil would have appreciated it more than me!

Next stop was a bustling little lane called Degraves St for afternoon tea, then out to the South Bank for a trip up to the viewing platform on the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower, the highest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere. Despite a little rain this morning, the sun was shining by this time, so the views across the city and out to the sea and the Dandenong Ranges were fabulous. I also did what they call "The Edge Experience" where you go into a little room which takes you 3m out the side of the building, before making the floor underneath you transparent. It was quite cool, although I think the warnings about not going in if you have epilepsy or fear of heights and the free wristbands saying "I've survived the Edge" are going a bit far! Having climbed Mt Taranaki, I felt spectacularly safe up there! I did go out on to the terrace briefly, but there's a cold wind even at ground level today so I nearly got my head blown off.

I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening strolling around some more and exploring the city's famous lane ways. I'm looking forward to moving to St Kilda by the coast tomorrow, apparently that's where all the cool kids hang out...