Arriving in Melbourne!

We landed safe and sound to a rainy day in Melbourne after a long 16hour flight with V Australia. Left LA at 8pm on Nov. 16th and arrived in MEL at 8am on the 19th. Caught up on a lot of missed episodes of TV shows and watched a few movies...my favorite was Inception. One thing we noticed when looking out of the window during landing was how green the landscape looked. Last time it was more brown and dry looking, but all the rain in Australia over the last few months really changed the landscape.

Over the next few weeks we would learn of lakes and rivers overflowing, some lakes had been dry for decades and now filled to the brim. With this rain brought lots of flooding to many parts of the country and people's homes and crops were in jeopardy.


Once at the airport and successfully going through customs and immigration, we grabbed a taxi and headed to St. Kilda, where we decided to stay while looking for a place to live. Virtually every hotel in Melbourne was booked due to the Metallica concert in town. The first night we stayed at the Cosmopolitan on Carlisle street and then moved over to the Quest on Eildon and Acland as it was more affordable and came with a kitchette in the room.

View of the Palais Theatre from our room at the Cosmopolitan

View of Sunset

It was nice staying in St. Kilda. Virtually everyday from day 1 we were on the internet and phone trying to arrange viewing of apartments and going to see them. It was nice to do this and be able to take breaks and go for strolls on the beach, or take the laptop to a local cafe to use the free wireless! At cafes, we met many travellers from all over the world. Some of whom, like us were working temporarily in Melbourne.

It took 10 days to find an apartment and move in. During the 10 days, we spent a lot of time walking around St. Kilda, enjoying the food and watching all the partyers who were full force as school had just let out for the summer.

St.Kilda Beach

The Famous Esplannade Hotel - Espy Nightclub home to live

Rock n Roll in Melbourne

St. Kilda is known for its beach culture and nightlife, as well as its streets of restaurants and cake shops. There is a rich history to this part of Melbourne as this area is a place that was and is still known as an escape from the city with its wide laned Esplannade hugging the beach which also boasts the iconic Esplannade Rock Bar and Luna Park, a historic amusement park that still runs and exists today.

The historic amusement park - Luna Park



Catani Clock Tower with Carlos Catani Bust - designed by Carlos Catani who was a young engineer from Florence who ventured to Melbourne and was hired as a land surveyor  and then later in 1886 for the Department of Public works. He planned and designed many of Melbourne's harbours, gardens, jetties and bridges. This tower stands on the Esplannade and is domed in copper.



View along the Esplannade of the Palais Theatre - Home to many concerts. We saw The Cult at the theatre last April and are looking forward to seeing the Doobie Brothers in March at this historic and intimate venue.



St. Kilda Beach - in the distance is the St. Kilda Pier and Boathouse



View of the city from our room at the Quest Hotel in St. Kilda

office bldg. overlooking the beach

A memorial to Captain Cook in St. Kilda's Catani Gardens in Australia. Unveiled in 1914

(excerpt from A History Resource on St. Kilda http://home.vicnet.net.au/~hsosk/downloads/HISTORY_KIT.pdf

The name of St. Kilda is romantically linked with a legendary picnic held in the beautiful ti-tree scrub which surrounded the beach towards theend of 1841, attended by Charles Joseph La Trobe, Superintendent of Port PhillipSettlement and other notable Melbourne residents. Governor La Trobe is reported to have
pointed to the schooner Lady of St Kilda anchored offshore and suggested that the village be named St. Kilda.


St. Kilda soon became popular as an escape from the dirty, dusty, unmade streets of Melbourne town, which had the added disadvantage of sewage collecting in the lower parts of the city. The St.Kilda ‘Hill’ offered good drainage, clean air and attractive views of the sea.By the 1840’s, St.Kildawas a thriving settlement,with excellent hotels catering to the needs of the holiday-makers, and some fine houses side by sidewithmore humble dwellings. The road connecting St. Kilda withMelbourne (St. Kilda Road)was certainly rough and at times dangerous, with the possibility of bushrangers ready to rob and ill-treat travellers. A rough
and sandy track had been worn to Brighton from what is now St. Kilda Junction.


By the 1860’s and 1870’s, St. Kilda had become a sought after area, particularly amongst
merchants and professional men, who built magnificent homes which eventually stretchedacross St. Kilda Road and High Street to the Chapel Street and Alma Road area.




View of the city at night from our room at the Quest Hotel St. Kilda





View of St. Kilda from the Cosmopolitan Hotel on Carlisle Street