moresueandstevestravels: 2-8 FEBRUARY 2016: MELBOURNE

'This will be the place for a village': 1835 John Batman on the banks of the river Yarra.

In May 1835 farmer John Batman made a treaty with the Wurundjeri (the Aborigines of the Kulin clan) and 'bought' around 240,000 hectares (592,800 acres) of land on Port Phillip's shores, giving them blankets and trinkets in payment. Batman and businessman John Pascoe Fawkner then founded a white settlement on the banks of the Yarra river. Two years later the settlement was named in honour of British Prime Minister Lord Melbourne. By 1840 there were more than 10,000 Europeans living in the Melbourne area and in 1847 Queen Victoria declared Melbourne a city. The discovery of gold in central Victoria in 1851 triggered a gold rush and population explosion, 75,000 gold-seekers arriving in the colony in 1852 alone, and the resulting wealth that lasted until the depression at the end of the 1880s built a city of Victorian-era streets, parks and buildings that was known as 'Marvellous Melbourne'.

Arriving

Five years after our first visit, we had decided to head for the Antipodes again, but this time taking in Australia for more than a mere plane stop-over. Flying from Birmingham seemed a better option than trecking down to Heathrow, so we set off from Birmingham to Melbourne via Dubai and Singapore for brief stop-offs. Over 20 hours in all but broken up into 3 manageable time slots.

Alto on Bourke:

Where to stay in Melbourne? Luckily our friend Lin had recommended a hotel, Alto on Bourke, and it proved amazingly easy to reach (Skybus from airport to Southern Cross station, then 3 minutes walk up Bourke St.).

Comfortable and ideally centrally-located, the Alto also proved to have a fascinating history. In 1860 the first European built structure on the site was the Railways Hotel which, in 1914, was purchased by the Victorian Railways Union and demolished to make way in 1916 for the union Head Office. Costing close to £15,000 to build, it was designed in a style described as neo-Baroque and built mostly of brick, with a granite and bluestone facade, with voluntary labour provided by the union's membership.

The union's hierarchy, especially in the inter-war years, was devoted to the education of their rank and file members. Groundbreaking initiatives centred on the hotel included the establishment of a library for members and their families (1933), physical education classes for girls (1944), and the holding of English classes for the many migrants arriving in Melbourne (the 1950s).

By the late 1980s union membership had declined and the building was too large for the union's needs. In 1999 the building was sold to its current owners and redevelopment began in 2004. Recognised as being of state significance, the building was placed on the Heritage Register in 2005.

After a couple of hours sleep we headed off for our first look at the city, nothing too strenuous. We walked to the Yarra River and came upon a bike race which was being televised. Didn't recognise any of the riders (no Chris Frome or Bradley Wiggins) but it was an excellent introduction to this outdoor-loving society......

.......and a chance to get a look at the skyline which is a fascinating mixture of modern and Victorian.

Old Chums:

When we saw them 18 months ago in the UK, we agreed with Nic and Lin that we would go over to see them again in New Zealand in 2016 and that we would all also meet in Australia before that.

We had arranged to all stay in the Alto, and we arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday morning and they came on Friday lunchtime.

Chinese New Year:

By a fortunate coincidence, it was Chinese New Year (the Year of the Monkey) shortly after we arrived so we were able to witness many of the colourful - and noisy - celebrations.

Unexpected architectural gems:

One of the delights of walking around Melbourne, as opposed to using the excellent (and free) tram, is the many Victorian buildings that you see on so many streets in the CBD.

Whether by luck or design, they mostly blend in seamlessly with the modern buildings that frequently tower over them, enabling Melbourne to be a living city enjoying the best of both worlds.

Flinders St Railway Station:

Meeting friends 'under the clocks' at Flinders St Station is a long and proud Melburnian tradition. The banded -brick-and-render facade and copper dome have dominated the southern gateway to the city since 1854. A beautiful neoclassical building with stained-glass windows, pressed metalwork, zinc cladding and open-air platforms overlooking the Yarra River, it is the famous row of clocks at the main entrance that draws most attention.

Young & Jackson:

Opposite the station is one of Australia's most famous pubs: a three-storey bluestone building constructed in 1853.

Federation Square:

Also opposite the station, Federation Square was built in 2001 to commemorate the centenary of Australia's Federation. Far from square, its controversial design was inspired by Melbourne's arcades and lanes, and its undulating and patterned forecourt is paved with 460,000 hand-laid cobblestones from the Kimberley region. 'Fed Square' hosts major public events as well as being somewhere to celebrate, protest and just hang-out.

The Ian Potter Centre:

This is the second half of the National Gallery of Victoria, set up to showcase the gallery's collection of Australian art. The permanent Aboriginal exhibition was stunning, ranging from traditional bark paintings to modern canvases, all with a strong under-tone of protest.

Deakin University:

Also just outside the gallery we came across our first reference to Deakin University, where Louise spent 5 very happy months in 2013. Later on our stay we were able to meet up with Tiff (her professor) and Liz (her landlady during her stay), and it was a pleasure to meet both of them and to finally be able to put faces to names we had heard so much about.

Birrarung Marr Park:

This 20 acre, three-terraced park is the first major area of parkland to be created in the city for over a century. It features grassy knolls, river promenades, thoughtful planting of indigenous flora and great views of the city and the river. There's also a scenic walking route to the MCG via the 'talking' William Barak Bridge: great fun.

Jet-lag got too much for Steve and he had to take a rest

Hosier Lane:

This is Melbourne's most celebrated lane for street art. The guide books call its subject matter 'mostly political, edgy and counter-cultural'. Must admit we weren't too convinced.

Treasury Museum:

Considered by many experts to be Australia's finest public building, the Old Treasury Building was designed in 1857 by 19-year-old John James Cl;ark from the Public Works Department, and completed in 1862. The basement vaults were initially built to house the millions of pounds worth of loot that came from the Victorian goldfields but ironically never did so as the Gold Rush had ended before they were completed. The vaults now feature interesting multi-media displays of gold-rush stories. Upstairs was a fascinating exhibition about the Australian Government's ill-conceived post World war One scheme to resettle the many disabled and unemployed demobbed soldiers. Very sad stories here.

Docklands:

When the Victorian State Government agreed to a private-sector redevelopment of this area it insisted 1% of the development costs be dedicated to an urban art programme. This led to 29 public artworks being commissioned.

Immigration Museum:

The museum is housed in the Customs House, a classically proportioned building constructed in two phases between 1856 and 1876. There are a number of displays, all showing fascinating, and often sobering, stories of the many and diverse migrants who have settled in Victoria. Very ironic in 2016.

19th century accommodation.

The 1950s equivalent.

Melbourne Cricket Ground:

No visit to Melbourne would be complete without coming here, a veritable sporting shrine. Known to Melburnians as 'the G', this massive structure stages international cricket matches and Australia's hugely popular 'Aussie Rules' football. It was also the main venue for the 1956 Olympic Games.

We took the one-hour guided tour of one of the largest stadiums in the world, with a capacity of 100,000.

Indoor nets.

Then it was on to the National Sports Museum, covering 20 sporting codes.

Steve's bowling demonstration ended in a close encounter with a glass display case!

Cousins' Reunion:

The 'Irish Diaspora' is still alive and well!

While planning our trip, Sue was able to get in touch with her first cousin Carol (daughter of Sue's aunt Louie) who has lived in Melbourne for nearly 30 years. We'd never met before and we arranged to meet Carol and her husband Gerry in a pub called the 'Drunken Poet' near Victoria Market. Amazingly we recognised one another immediately and had a wonderful time discussing the Hanafee family photos Carol had brought along.