Whenever we travel to a new city, we love going on walking tours. We love discovering the off-the-beaten-track places that only a local will know. We signed up for a fun 3-hour walking tour with Depot Adventures in Melbourne. We explored the cafe scene for coffee, hidden speak-easy bars, Aussie chocolates, art galleries, museums, great street art, Chinatown, the history and architecture of the city. We learned how Tasmania was discovered and got its name, then finished with a beer at a local tavern. Melbourne is a dream for people who love urban design. There is a whole network of wide streets adjacent to hidden art-filled lanes, some decorated with elaborate street art. There is even Banksy art in Melbourne.
After the walking tour, we went back to view the famous painting of the nude named Chloe at the prestigious Young and Jackson Hotel Bar after hearing her story from our local guide. Chloe became the mascot of the Royal Navy frigate and is considered an icon of the city.
A friend of ours compared Sydney to Los Angeles and Melbourne to San Francisco. Of course, we added that it’s like a cleaner version of San Francisco, without the homeless problem.
Melbourne is filled with wonderful street art and many are hidden historic gems. Officially, graffiti is illegal, so it is constantly changing. The murals are located throughout the city, but you can find clusters down the famous Hosier Line, which is opposite Federation Square and Flinders Street. AC/DC Lane, Duckboard Place, Fitzroy. They are all easy walks.
Here’s a link to a self-guided tour of the street art for those who want to discover the hidden artistic gems.
Enroute to Prince Phillips Island, we stopped at Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park to see the kangaroos, more Tasmanian Devils, koala bears, and other animals and birds native to this area. Unfortunately, the kangaroos at this park are so well fed by the tourists that they don’t leap when they see strangers. In fact, they ignored our hands filled with kangaroo feed and went to sleep.
Prince Phillip Island lies just off Australia’s southern coast. We came to see the famous Penguin Parade, and saw thousands of Little Penguins marching in from the sea. They were formerly known as Fairy Penguins, but were renamed due to political correctness. After sunset (around 9:30 PM), groups of penguins come to land after a day of hunting and fishing for their babies. The penguins come in groupings called mobs, and the first few come to shore to test the waters and the danger level. If they sense any danger, they all rush back into the ocean. After a while, another mob of penguins try again to come to shore to go home. All along the coast, Little Penguins are coming home to their burrows or wooden boxes. We were sitting in the VIP stands, and quietly waited. Soon, a few bodies waddle in from the wild sea, climb up the sandy beach, waddle over mounds, and slide down the sandy hills. Not long after, there were hundreds. The official count the prior night was 1069.
Be sure to watch the video at the end of this post. There homes are everywhere along this part of the coast. Even along the plank walkways that were built for this location, the little penguins walk along side. The Penguin Parade is not to be missed.
Evelyn and Burt at Prince Phillips Island to watch the Penguin Parade. The Blow Hole is right behind us.