Now, let's me share with you what can you do and see in the heart of the city of Melbourne. In case, time constraint is the main reason that pull you off from travel so far away from the city center such as to Great Ocean Road, Phillips Island and Mornington Peninsula, you still can enjoy as much as you want. From art galleries, museums, sporting complexes to aquarium and zoos, you will definitely find something unique and fascinating about Melbourne.
One of my favourite would be infamous Queen Victoria Market. A trip to Melbourne is not complete without a visit to this market which has been the heart and soul of Melbourne for more than a century. It's not just the city's market that host an impressive range of fresh produce but it's also a historic landmark, a popular tourist attraction and a Melbourne institution.
Also known affectionately as 'Vic Market' or 'Queen Vic'
This is where the where Melburnians shop for everything from Australian fruit and vegetables, and local and imported gourmet foods, to cosmetics, clothing and souvenirs.
Once I arrived Melbourne on the first day itself, my friend brought me here and without realised it, this market has instantly took my heart away. Why I adore this market? Unlike our Malaysian local markets, over here all the stalls and shops were well-organised, clean, dry and even smell nice too, eventhough most of the local tagged along their dogs to this market. At some point where I was looking at those local bringing their dogs roaming around the market, this is where how I wish my lil puppy could fly over here with me and enjoy the life like the local (only in my dreams)
The market is made up of the Deli Hall, for artisan cheeses, dressed meats and takeaway food; the Meat Hall; Fruit & Veg, with seasonal produce throughout the year; and Organics, specialising in organic fresh produce, meat, coffee and wine.
For non-food related market, there are shops and stalls selling diverse range of souvenirs, clothings, shoes, jewelleries and handmade arts and crafts can be found in Victoria and Elizabeth streets, the F Shed laneway and String Bean Alley.
This is where I found tons of freaking dirt cheap souvenirs here. For a piece of Australian T-shirt that cost AUD$5 per piece, in return I bought 2 pieces for myself as the quality was pretty good and worth of buying. Not just for myself, I also bought for my whole family members as well. As for fridge magnet lover, you can get as low as AUD$10 for 8 pieces of fridge magnets here. I spend almost three hours here when I went alone for second time and trust me, it's still not enough for me to hunt all the souvenirs like T-shirts, keychains, fridge magnet, photo frames, plushie and more. This is definitely one place to hunt for all the cheap souvenirs, so I highly recommended you to stay nearby this market.
Queen Victoria Market is open five days a week except for Mondays and Wednesdays.
From Queen Victoria Market, I walked to another defining landmark of Melbourne - Flinders Street Railway Station. It took roughly around 20 minutes of walking and with the kind of weather which was windy and chilly air, I wasn't complained at all but instead, I enjoyed each and every single steps I took.
Row of clocks above the main entrance indicates the time-tabled time of departure for trains on each line. This spot has indirectly becoming the famous meeting point among Melburnians.
From here, I took the free city circle tram for my next pit-stop. Can you guess where it was?
