Day 1 Afternoon Walking Tour:

The Yarra River Promenade provided my first impressions of Melbourne with its upscale shops, restaurants and hotels, including The Langham where I was staying.

The popular Southbank pedestrian bridge was covered with thousands of “love locks”. Since my trip, the Melbourne City Council had the estimated 20,000 padlocks removed in May 2015 due to safety concerns. The footbridge leads to the Flinders Street Railway Station, the city’s commuter train hub.

Day 2 Morning Walking Tour:

Our Melbourne City Tour did not depart until 9 AM, so I took advantage of the time by continuing my scenic walking tour along the Yarra River. I crossed the footbridge to the northern bank of the Yarra River, where I had great views of my hotel, the Southgate restaurant and shopping center, and Hamer Hall, Melbourne’s premier concert venue.

Walking further east and looking back, this is a view of The Langham, the footbridge and Eureka Tower. The Eureka’s observation deck is the highest public vantage point in a building in the Southern Hemisphere.

I spotted my first Australian birds along the way.

Common myna

Silver gull

Federation Square is notable for its striking architecture and houses several art galleries and museums, including the Ian Potter Centre and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.

Day 2 Afternoon Walking Tour:

After we returned from our city tour, I went back to the promenade and headed west toward the Immigration Museum. The Sandridge Bridge, a historic former railway bridge, features giant steel sculptures depicting the waves of immigrants who made Melbourne their home.

After visiting the Immigration Museum, I continued west on the promenade, but by the time I reached the Convention & Exhibition Centre the sky had clouded over and the rain began, so I decided to turn around and headed back toward my hotel. It was mid-afternoon, and the restaurants were closed, but I browsed the menus as I walked by. The minimum wage here is $22/hour, and it is definitely reflected in the meal prices (about 2-3 times higher than at home for a comparable lunch or dinner).

WTC Wharf office complex

Polly Woodside Maritime Museum