It’s been a busy, mostly sunny week here in Melbourne!

Melbourne Cup

Tuesday was a public holiday in Victoria for Melbourne Cup. We didn’t go to the cup, but I was a little jealous when we went out to get a coffee and were surrounded by cup-goers in their race day best. I was not so jealous later that evening when the streets were full of women stumbling home, high heels in hand, and dignity somewhere near the south pole.

“Why don’t female jockeys race in the Melbourne Cup? Surely they’d be a natural fit,” I asked David, flicking through the paper as we sipped coffees in South Bank on the morning of the race.

I didn’t realise it at the time, even as I flicked through the full-page spread of illustrations of this year’s Melbourne Cup jockeys, but there was a woman in the Melbourne Cup this year, Michelle Payne. At around 3:05 pm that afternoon she made history as the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup.

The thirty-year old Victorian jockey called racing out as a chauvinistic sport and thanked the horse’s owner and trainer for giving her the rare opportunity to race in the cup. “I want to say to everyone else ‘Get stuffed’, because women can do anything and we can beat the world,” she said proudly after claiming victory on the racetrack.

We started our day off with a flat white & reading the paper at World Bar, watching the well-dressed world go by, then headed to Arbory Afloat for a drink and some more general people-watching. It was such a beautiful spot in the sunshine, I hope they get their permit approved to stay till March! Naturally, the weather changed and it got cold, so we went home for jackets before heading to the recently-renovated Star Hotel in South Melbourne to watch the race. Afterwards, we spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out at home.

Exploring Melbourne’s Bayside

We were meant to do a day trip to somewhere in regional Victoria on Saturday, but the weather was gloomy, so we thought we’d save a bigger day trip for a more beautiful day. We hopped in the car and drove for about 30 minutes to Black Rock, a bayside suburb south of Melbourne, where we got a coffee, checked out the beach and then went for lunch and a drink. It was a nice day by the time we arrived and I liked getting out and seeing more of my new city. The beach at Black Rock is pretty average by Australian standards, I’d rather hop a bit further south down to the pretty bayside suburb of Parkdale where the water is clearer.

Catherine The Great’s Hermitage Art Collection at the NGV

I only just made it to Masterpieces from the Hermitage: The Legacy of Catherine the Great at the NGV this weekend, which closed on Sunday. Catherine the Great ruled Russia for 34 years, during which time she led a period of enlightenment in the region, due to her passion for arts and education. She was an avid art collector, and her collection makes the basis for The Hermitage today, one of the greatest art museums in the world.

The exhibition includes the best collection of Flemish and Dutch art to come to Australia. I was glad to see this great art collection but personally prefer 19th-century art. The Dutch masters aren’t really my jam. I loved the collection of Chinese artefacts at the end, many of which reminded me of something you’d expect to uncover in a mermaid’s bedroom – intricate mirrors and boudoir decorations made out of tiny shells and shaped to look like dragons and sea creatures.

As usual, the NGV put on a fantastic show, completely transforming the exhibition space to reflect Catherine the Great. Turquoise, powder blue, pink and rich red rooms whisked visitors out of Melbourne to Russia.

Eating & Drinking

1806, CBD

This prohibition-themed bar celebrates the Year of the Cocktail, it’s namesake, but it’s encyclopaedic cocktail menu goes right back to the beginning of cocktails in the 1700s. The menu is divided by cocktail eras, with a cocktail for every decade and whim. It provides style and substance, evidenced by a collection of awards, including  World’s Best Cocktail List in 2008. I met David for drinks there after work on Friday night, it’s my new favourite bar in Melbourne! Warm, friendly service, knock-out cocktails and a great atmosphere, classy and cool without feeling pretentious.

Ebenezer Coffee & Wine Bar, Black Rock 

We drove for half an hour to get to Black Rock, so I had fairly high expectations by the time my grumbling tummy & I rolled into Ebenezer. We got a prime window seat facing the bay in the small, modern cafe. The coffee is top notch and the Thai poached chicken salad was insanely delicious, perfectly balancing the fresh, zesty and zingy flavours that makes Thai so special.

True South, Black Rock

This craft beer & cider brewery is just down from Ebenezer, so after a quick jaunt down to the beach we stopped in at True South for a drink and a snack. Since I don’t drink beer I had their apple cider, which was fruity, crisp and not too sweet. So many ciders these days are starting to taste like mildly alcoholic soft drink, so this was a refreshing change. They kindly gave us complimentary bread and almond dip, which was delicious and piping hot, fresh out of the oven.

Banoi, Docklands

I hadn’t been to Docklands since we were apartment hunting back in January this year. My friend works in the area, so I met her for lunch during the week at Banoi, which is my new favourite Vietnamese spot in Melbourne! It’s a really modern little restaurant, with fresh, authentic Vietnamese food. I had the lunch special for $15, which is three crab & prawn spring rolls, a cup of beef pho and half a pork banh mi, with a glass of kumquat lemonade. Best $15 I’ve spent this week.

Star Hotel, South Melbourne – This recently renovated pub is a multi-level venue, complete with indoor palm trees and a rooftop terrace. I’ve visited a couple of times now, and can confirm that their pork belly sliders are tasty and their beef burger is delicious.

Old Faithfuls – This week I also returned to Arbory for the first time since I’ve been home. It’s one of my favourite spots for a drink in Melbourne, but I’ve been easily distracted by Arbory Afloat down on the river. David & I planned to get dinner at Tazio on Sunday night, but when I arrived I found it closed. We walked down to Fed Square to eat at Beer DeLuxe instead. Beer DeLuxe is a reliable spot in the city where you can find an interesting menu and a great range of beer and ciders at a reasonable price. The venue is huge, so it’s always pretty easy to get a table. It’s good to have a reliable Plan B like Beer DeLuxe up your sleeve!

In other words I still eat out too much. Here’s hoping this list is much shorter next week!

Melbourne: Photos of the week

Note to self: Take iPhone back to Apple and ask to get the foggy camera fixed – a common iPhone 6 fault.

On Instagram

Your favourite photo on @thewanderbugworld was of the pretty spring flowers in Swanston St. Spring suits you, Melbourne.

Fresh off the press

After two visits and years of meaning to get around to it, I finally wrote about Versailles in France on the blog this week with Why visit Versailles? Exploring the France’s last royal residence

There are rumours that Arbory Afloat has applied for a permit to stay afloat in the Yarra till the end of March! Read why this is the best news in Blink & You’ll Miss it: Melbourne’s floating pop-up bar 

Road trips are the epitome of valuing the journey over the destination, which inspired my photo-heavy tribute, Celebrating the In-betweeners on Waterfall Way.

One of my favouite splurge meals in New York was at the old-world Balthazar Restaurant, which I wrote about in Paris meets New York: Dining in the best of both worlds at Balthazar, NYC

Reading

• Paris to the Past by Ina Caro – History buffs and francophiles will love Ina Caro’s engaging, insightful journeys through Paris, through the ages.
• Loney Planet’s Guide to Africa – well, the free sample I could download on my iPad. I love their Understand sections for each country!

Watching

• The Dressmaker – Kate Winslet, Judy Davis and Hugo Weaving shine in this beautiful, tragic and hilarious Australian film, in cinemas now. Jocelyn Moorhouse returned to her native Australia to direct this box-office hit, which proves that the world has a growing appetite for Australian stories and women’s stories. This story stayed with me for days.

• The Cove – I re-watched the oscar-award winning “Best Documentary” The Cove with David this week, who had never seen it before. I cried during about 99% of the film, which follows a team of activists, divers and conservationists as they share the history of the cruel dolphin-training industry and the annual bloodbath at a cove in Taiji, Japan. An eye-opener about the state of the marine park industry, the fishing industry and the health of our oceans. The Cove is currently showing on Australia’s Netflix.

• Lions: Spy in the Den – Another wildlife documentary I found on Netflix this weekend, this David Attenborough Doco follows a group of lion cubs from birth to adulthood.

Highs

• Beautiful weather over the weekend! Also seeing a new suburb of Melbourne when we spontaneously went to Black Rock on Saturday.
• Yet another public holiday for a sports event. Loved having Tuesday off for Melbourne Cup! This year Melbourne had it’s inaugural public holiday for the AFL Grand Final – I do not mind living in such a sports-mad state if it means a few cheeky days off in the second half of the year.
• Faith in humanity = restored. After getting caught in a torrential downpour during my walk home this week, I was soaked to the skin. When I was almost home, a kind stranger shared his umbrella with me for most of the rest of my walk. Little gestures are a nice reminder that most people are pretty good.

Lows

Nothing to report here, so this week I’m counting my blessings.

Wanderlusting

Africa.

In particular, Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco and South Africa. Botswana should be on this list, especially after being named Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2016, but by all reports it’s a million miles out of my price range. Maybe the LP boost will help open up the market a bit in the coming years!

While Japan is my top priority for my next foreign country, I have been absolutely spellbound by Africa this week – well, by the books, documentaries and other work coming out of Africa.

It’s always been a mystery to me, these 54 countries on the other side of the world. It is home to more countries than any other continent and is the cradle of civilisation, but I realised that I couldn’t find any other country other than South Africa and Morocco on a map! I’ve spent a bit of time reading about Africa and learning a bit about the geography of the country – it sounds super nerdy (well, it IS nerdy!) but being able to place countries really helps me put the pieces together in my mind.

If anyone else shares my map-nerdiness, jump on Lizard Point Quizzes to learn where different countries are. For some reason this knowledge has been a catalyst to opening my mind to new places and understanding the rest of the world.

Words

“Women can do anything and we can beat the world,” Michelle Payne, winning jockey at Melbourne Cup 2015.