Melbourne has many prominent streets in its grid-like sprawling city centre. The most iconic one has to be Flinders Street. This 'ultimate walking guide' is created based on my own ventures up and down the city streets countless of times. It includes all of Flinders Street's most important stops and architecture you should look out for, not including the little lanes connecting to it., which are still important but not covered because this article will become too long!
your eyes will be naturally drawn to... Flinders Street Station
As an inexperienced tourist when I first arrived, I couldn't decide what building the city was famous for... not as striking as Sydney's Opera House or Paris's Eiffel Tower, Melbourne's representative sits innocently and functionally in the middle of Flinders Street. This station is the largest, and still serves Melbourians till date. It's glitzy and pretty outside, but quite run-down on the inside. Still very worth it to walk through it (if you are not taking the train to tour around).
a quiet time at... St Paul Cathedral
This cathedral welcomes all, religious or not! It is massively grand and comparable to the ones in Paris - not the magnificent Notre Dame but the slightly smaller ones. Walking inside always gives me a sense of serenity, especially sitting inside and just quietly observing everyone around. There is an epic giant organ inside and plays beautifully during service. Photography is strictly not allowed inside the cathedral, so all I have are these few sneaky shots.
edgy, postmodern representation... Federation Square
Juxtapositioning the classic old English buildings against a very contemporary building of Federation Square, this had got to be one of the many awe-inspiring corners of the city that showcase its creativity in architecture. There is an area for events, gatherings (protests, lol), zumba sessions and basically a place for interaction and meetings.
octopus attack! Melbourne Arts Centre
In the distance towards South Melbourne, you may notice an octopus infiltrating a building! Don't be alarmed, that's the Arts Centre...
feast for the eyes... The Forum Theatre
An elegant, timeless building - this is the Forum Theatre. I haven't been inside - I'd expect it to be more grand, but you will pass by this on the way to the most reputable graffiti lanes in the city centre...
none other than... Hosier Lane!
Lose yourself in these staggering amounts of graffiti, some towering storeys above your head on the walls of these buildings. I'm amazed at how they manage to draw so high up, and so beautifully. All these are handicraft and sprayed on painstakingly. Good 2 Go cafe is also hidden in a literal hole-in-wall fashion, selling preloved clothing at super good bargains. You wouldn't notice it unless you looked really close!
AC/DC Lane
Just down the bend, turn into ACDC lane which house some of the best restaurants in town. Take a spin inside and settle your meal here. Melbourians have a penchant for really strong flavours (saltier, sweeter than the local Singaporean palate), but more on that next time.
Yarra River
Stroll back towards the Yarra River for a scenic route and you've completed the Flinders Street's Highlights walking guide! I will be adding more to this series - including Bourke Street (and Little Bourke) and more for a comprehensive city walking guide. Have fun in Melbourne, the city I've grown to call my second home.
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ahh, Melbourne! I didn't really have a fantastic time there (found it boring) but I agree Flinders Street station is just so architecturally beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMelbourne is definitely a feast for the eyes. Would love to visit someday and just check out the graffitis haha. Cool shots! :)
ReplyDeleteYour post is inspiring me to write about my travel experience. I havent been to melbourne yet got the chance to explore sydney and like the countryside .
ReplyDeleteI loved exploring Melbourne. There was just so much to see! It must be so nice to be able to spend more time there
ReplyDeleteYour photos do tell a tale.. What a lovely place to visit and explore! The buildings are majestic and even the graffiti is cool :-)
ReplyDeleteThe street arts/ graffiti are beautiful, thanks for sharing the amazing photos... makes me feel like going to Melbourne too
ReplyDeleteaw reading this makes me want to visit melbourne and australia in general more
ReplyDeletewow ! australia. i've always wanted to visit this country.. what a view of architectural designs!
ReplyDeletewow! awesome pictures. Good thing Melbourne has preserved those medieval structures as well keeping up with the latest in architectural designs.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovey city, architecture wise! Modern, contemporary and old all mixed together - some wonderful buildings! Fab images!x
ReplyDeleteI have been to Sydney and Gold Coast, but never Melbourne... yet. If we do get a chance to visit, will definitely walk along Flinders St.
ReplyDeleteAmazing informal paintings on the buildings. Great structures! Incidentally, one of my college classmates is there now. I expect to somehow see similar photos. Hopefully, I'd be able to visit Melbourne soon. :-)
ReplyDeleteSo love the architectural buildings in Australia. There are distinctive Australian architectural designs that are recognizable as their rural icon. The European influenced really depicts in their history, you can see it through the photos here.
ReplyDeleteMixture of modern and vintage Australian cultivated landscape. Cool!
I love the area with the graffiti.So colorful. I like DIT walking tours. You can discover hidden gems not found in guide books.
ReplyDeleteI like the animated graffiti paintings on the wall. There are a lot of memorable places to visit in melbourne.
ReplyDeleteYou did such a wonderful job of walking us through your favorite places in Melbourne. I love your addition of photos and tidbits that made it very engaging.
ReplyDeleteNever heard this place. I only like the church part. The graffiti looks scary, as if it's something the gangster did. Nonetheless, there's a lot of architectural structure that can be an inspiration for some.
ReplyDeleteThat is one gorgeous street right there. The first picture had me thinking that it was from a Harry Potter set. Simply beautiful!
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