And again, another beautiful day. Decided to head down to St Kilda's beach on the tram to check it out. trams are excellent in Melbourne. Since the start of this year all the city centre trams have been free. For those going out of the city you have to buy a Myki card for $6 and then you load it up with cash from a machine and tap on and off on the tram so it knows how much to deduct. A bit like an Oyster card in London.
Not really sure what to make of St Kilda's. Reminded us a bit of a bustling UK seaside resort in the 1950s. Yes, we can just remember that long ago. The view over the bay is OK if you ignore the industry. The beach is sort of OK but I've seen a lot better. Acland Street is a stretch of small boutiques, cafés and loads of cake shops, again I've seen better. Lots of tattoos on display!
However, also on Acland Street, the best fish and chip shop ever. Certainly the highlight of St Kilda's beach as far as we were concerned. Make your selection from the array of fish in the window or the counter inside and it is cooked fresh for you. I started with a skewer of 4 big succulent prawns and E had a dozen oysters before we chose our fish. Barramundi fillets, beautifully cooked, very moist, Eddie opting for crunchy chips and me a spinach and beetroot salad on the side. Sat out on the pavement in the sun to eat. Around 24 degrees.
Decided we had seen all St Kilda's beach had to offer so took the tram back a couple of stops to the Esplanade. Well, that was the plan but the driver closed the doors and drove off leaving Eddie still on the tram and me on the pavement. Oops! Caught up with one another by the next stop!
Carried on into the city centre to find those Lanes we missed yesterday. Success! Not all are attractive but some are, including Royal Arcade and Block Arcade. Got a bit of a feel for why Melbourne is said to have a café culture, particularly the cafés along Block which have a bit of a Parisian feel. Haven't had time to get up to Lygon Street or Fitzroy both of which are supposed to also have that café culture.
Back to hotel, footsore and weary. Took a tiny detour to look at the Polly Woodside, a tall ship dating from 1885, built in Belfast and now moored in South Wharf. We can see its masts over the roof tops from our hotel room window.
On then to our room. Time to pack up and prepare to move on to Apollo Bay tomorrow. Just planning a drink and canapé in the hotel's exec lounge tonight as we've already had a meal today. We are so fortunate to have this facility - all thanks to E's previous business travel.