My 24 hours in Melbourne

Melbourne, how I wish I had more than a day with you. From scrumptious food, amazing shopping and most importantly the best coffee, Melbourne stole my heart. I am already counting down the days until I can return for a longer period of time. So here is a brief write up of what I did and what I plan to do next time.

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Accommodation

For my one night stop-over, I stayed in the Melbourne Hostel in St Kilda – the best thing I can say about this place is, it’s cheap! It was a massive institution of a hostel and seemed to be filled with people who were working and looking for cheap lodgings. It just didn’t have that backpackers vibe I wanted and unfortunately it was not the cleanest hostel I’ve stayed in either.

Next time I would probably look into some Air BnBs or smaller more independent hostels.

Brunch

If you ever want to bribe me to do something then the way to my heart is through (exceptional) coffee and a fabulous brunch. So when I heard Melbourne was the self-proclaimed coffee capital in Australia, I had to investigate. After some intense searching online for the “Best Brunch Places in Melbourne”, I headed off to Bentwood in Fitzroy.

I went for my standard coffee order of an espresso which, as promised, was very very good. Instead of having my classic avo on toast brunch, I went for a Nutella crumpet with raspberry butter and honeycomb. It was as yummy and as indulgent as it sounds !! I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone.

What I did:

After brunch I spent my time wandering around the city. I walked past the art galleries (a must do for my next trip), got lost in the CBD and China Town and walked around Melbourne South Bank. All whilst falling ever so slightly in love with this almost European city with its very Metropolitan vibe.

Lunch

In between the wandering I headed to a restaurant called Chin Chin for lunch. I had promised myself an artisan doughnut later (my ultimate guilty pleasure) so I only had a starter, Corn Fritters. Whilst they were good corn fritters, they were not the most exciting thing on the menu so if I go back, I will go for a full meal to experience next time.

DOUGHNUTS 🍩

I am a sucker for a proper doughnut. After searching the internet high and wide, I settled for Doughboys Doughnuts. I bought, on the recommendation of the lady working there, a hazelnut doughnut. It had hints of Nutella with a darker chocolate base, it was a good doughnut but my search for the world’s greatest doughnut is still ongoing.

Dinner

After the doughnut, I headed back to the hostel to grab my bags before heading to Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya where I meet a friend of mine for dinner. Situated in Brunswick with a menu to make any Japanese food lover happy, this was probably my highlight place for food in Melbourne. It was astounding. It was also reasonably priced for the food on offer. It was the perfect way to end my day in Melbourne and the best prep for my overnight bus to Canberra.

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So Next Time?

Having looked at many blogs including: The Crazy Tourist and Come Fly With Bri (a friend of mine I met in the Whitsundays in Australia, go check her out she’s awesome), this is my brief plan for next time:

• Wander the Laneways
• Go to a rooftop bar
• Head to the MCG to watch cricket (Any excuse to watch live sport and I am a happy girl!)
• Watch the Australian Open if I am there at the right time
• Go to the art gallery
• Find more street art
• Drink some more amazing coffee
• Continue to eat my way through Melbourne
• Head to St Kilda
• Visit the Queen Victoria Markets

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So until next time Melbourne, goodbye for now.

Stay safe everyone during this difficult time.

Bye for Now ✌🏻