So now I see what all the fuss is about, St Kilda is awesome! Aside from a few unrealistic options in New Zealand such as Mt Cook and Wanaka, this is the only place I could actually imagine myself living. Shame it's too far away from home!
I'm staying at the top rated hostel called Habitat HQ. It's definitely one of the nicest hostels I've been to - the room is like a girls bedroom with bunks and the wifi is free for a change. I arrived this morning via tram from the city centre and went for a walk to see the main streets and the beach. Acland Street is my favourite - full of cafes serving wonderful cakes all day and all evening too! Tea and a cake at 9pm anyone? Definitely my kind of place!
Fitzroy St is where all the nightlife is, with numerous restaurants, pubs and clubs. There's a good cheap restaurant there which I think I'll be visiting more than once over the next couple of days... Everywhere else is so expensive!
The Esplanade is lively too, there are a couple of restaurants overlooking the beach and one at the end of the pier. Unfortunately, the marina is under construction at the moment but there are a couple of cool bars there too. Shame I've no one to go to them with!
I went shopping on Chapel St this afternoon, it's quite a walk, but is famously a great place to shop in Melbourne. There are plenty of independent boutiques, although I find it impossible to tell whether the prices are going to be ridiculous or not before I go in. I felt really silly when I walked into one or two to see a top for $300. Then it's a choice between pretending I'm actually looking and can afford the stuff or just leaving straight away!
I went for a nice walk along the Esplanade this evening to watch a beautiful sunset, before going down to the end of the pier to see little penguins coming to nestle on the rocks for the night. They're so cute and tiny! There are great views back towards the city from there. The Eureka Tower stands out on the skyline, with its glistening 24 carat gold plated windows on the top 10 floors!