Monday
Today we began by getting a tram to Kings Domain, a nice park just south of Federation Square, which we saw on our bus tour already but wanted to get back and see on a sunny day. Was really sunny all morning and we had a good wander round the Shrine of Remembrance and the various gardens, there were also some good views over the water and of the city skyline too.
After our bit of nature, we got on the free city circle tram, which are old fashioned style ones that loop the city, up to the borders of the Fitzroy locality. It was a good tram. Fitzroy wasn't bad either. Like the North Laine in Brighton, but spread across less roads. Lots of tasty looking cafes and cool looking bars (which weren't open as it's the afternoon - very strange that practice over here). Also lots of vintage clothing shops and quirky book, gift and stationery shops. Had a good poke about, and found lots of fantastic street art to photograph as well - very creative sort of an area, even heard art students discussing their gallery opening. There was a bit of a downpour, but we sheltered in the T2 tea shop and tried the freebie teas on offer (Chai Roibos was excellent) and then went in a very odd little book shop, where we browsed books on tattoos, crimes and depressing songs before trundling back towards the CBD when the rain stopped.
Hopped on a tram to rest legs (as Hannah rolled her foot again the other day so has a sore ankle to go with Nik's gammy knee) and ended up in conversation with an odd little man who was homosexual and homeless. He liked Hannah's nail varnish and told us why the transport was free the other day in town - apparently there had been lots of late running trains and delays, so they made all the transport free for a day to make up for it.
Wandered through the shops, didn't buy any clothes or hair dye (the two things Hannah would sell her toes for), but stopped for a coffee and a snack as the weather was biting cold by this point. Then went and walked around Hosier Lane, which is famous for it's street art (they used to have a Banksy there but the street cleaners accidentally got rid of it). It was an incredible selection of graffiti and street art - including posters, collages and paintings as well as more traditional stuff. We have many photos.
Once again struggled to think of something suitable for dinner, suitable meaning cheap, quick to make (under 15 mins) and not something we have eaten repeatedly in recent days. It is surprisingly difficult to pick stuff when we're sick of pasta and rice, don't do bread or noodles, can't do fish and there is very little in the way of ready type food available. However, we pulled off an excellent dish this evening, in the form of pork sausages (none of these rancid beef ones that Australians deem as normal), sweet corn (vitamins and fibre - rare) and instant mashed potato, which in fairness came out more like semolina but tasted fine! Backpacker dinner suggestions would be most welcome from those in the know!
We fed the hostel cat some of our leftover sausages. He loved it.