I got my flight quite last minute as I wasn’t sure if I will be able to make it due to work commitments. Went with Qantas Airlines in the end, which had a 10% discount! Took a late evening flight and reached Melbourne in the morning, a 7.5hrs flight. Was a little upset I didn’t manage to grab a window seat for this flight, as it was almost fully booked by the time I got my tickets.
Dinner was served at 11:30pm with three options – Shanghai Noodles with Veggies, Stir-fry Pork with Rice, or Roasted Chicken with Veggies. I went with the chicken option and it was REALLY good! Glad that chicken thigh was given instead of the usual breast meat, along with some roasted potatoes, spinach and cherry tomatoes, as well as garlic bread and orange pound cake. About 1hr prior to arriving in Melbourne, we were offered another round of drinks and a veggie pastry – really good as well.
Immigration procedure was very, very quick, all done in 5-10mins, all thanks to the S’pore passport, one of the countries that can go by the electronic gantry. Then, I headed to Optus to get my data SIM card. I got the 60GB 30-days plan on 5G network, which was the next best option after the $1/day for 1GB (not 5G) – I don’t think 1GB/day is enough for me. Then, I proceeded to take the SkyBus to city, Southern Cross Station. As my Airbnb wasn’t ready for check-in yet (still occupied in the morning), I stored my luggage at the train station first before I proceed to start my day.
First order of business, a good cup of latte! Headed to Higher Ground, which was just opposite, and the queue was INSANE! So I decided to pop by Archie’s All Day first for lunch, and come back to Higher Ground later when picking up my luggage. Archie’s was really crowded as well with a continuous queue, but thankfully waiting time was short. Came here to try their Ricotta Hotcakes! I loveeee lemon curd, so I was really excited to try their version of pancakes! It came with roasted white chocolate, coconut rice crisps, mascarpone, and yuzu meringue as well.
ARCHIE'S ALL DAY
18 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
0800-1500hrs (daily)
Next is Melbourne Museum, I came here on my previous trip 7yrs ago, and it was one of my favourite spots! It was a HUGE museum and unfortunately, I didn’t manage to finish the museum the previous time even though I was here for more than 4hrs! So here I am, back here again. It was really crowded today, and they have a summer pop-up event for kids, with some activities and food trucks. I realised there were a lot lesser exhibits now, was done within 2hrs.
How Melbourne trams used to look like!
MELBOURNE MUSEUM
11 Nicholson Street, Carlton VIC 3053
0900-1700hrs (daily)
Admission: $15
Took a walk around Carlton Gardens. Also located within the park is the Royal Exhibition Building, UNESCO awarded and the first building in Australia to be awarded. It was completed in 1880 as part of the international exhibition movement. A representative of the money and pride Victoria had in the 1870s. It was definitely a really beautiful building!
Was extremely exhausted by now, with not much sleep on the plane. My neck, back and tailbone were aching badly after 4-5hrs, and people onboard were snoring. Another reason I love to go for window seat is so that I could sleep on my side, facing the “wall”. You can’t really do so if you have people sitting on both of your sides, you can only sleep facing straight. Thankfully, my airbnb host texted that the apartment is ready to check-in now. Decided to cut short my day and proceed to check-in after going back to Higher Ground. Higher Ground is set in a beautiful heritage-listed 19th century power station with a 15m high ceiling and semi-open kitchen concept! Was a little underwhelmed as it was quite dark inside, was expecting lots of natural light shining through those windows. I really love those exposed brick walls, I must say.
HIGHER GROUND
650 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
0700-1600hrs (Mon-Wed), 0700-2200hrs (Thu-Fri), 0800-2200hrs (Sat), 0800-1600hrs (Sun)
Website | Instagram
After which, I headed back to Southern Cross Station, took my luggage and headed to Brunswick where my Airbnb is. Took an Uber, which cost about $22, not too bad. I found this listing, a separate space from the owner’s house with its own entrance from the back, equipped with its own bathroom and kitchen. You can still hear some noise from the main house since we are technically in the same space, but it still feels private.
Took an apartment tour video and laid down to upload my IGS and fell asleep halfway! Slept for 7hrs straight, waking up at only 12:30AM! Was planning to go do some grocery shopping after taking a short break, while I guess I’ll do this on day 2 then; and that’s it for day 1!
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Pre-trip Expenses
Flight: $2,154.20
Airbnb: $771.50
VISA: $19 (AU$20)
Travel Insurance , inclusive of covid: $65.25
2-way SkyBus Airport <> Southern Cross Station: $30.61 (AU$32)
Great Ocean Road Tour: $112.03 (kkday)
Phillip Island Tour: $121.13 (kkday)
Luna Park: $42.59 (Klook)
TOTAL: $3,316.31
Expenses for Day 1
Optus Card: $30
Luggage Storage at Southern Cross Station: $20
Myki Card top-up: $50
Archie’s All Day:
- Ricotta Hotcakes: $23
- Iced Latte: $6
Melbourne Museum: $15
Higher Ground, Flat White: $5
Uber to Airbnb: $22.17
TOTAL: AU$171.17 = $155.61
Total as of Day 1: $3,471.92