Australia may be perceived as a migrant-receiving country, but it is in fact a fast-growing tourist destination, as Victor Aquilina found out on a whirlwind tour of Melbourne.
Fireworks light up the sky over the bridge on the Yarra River as acrobats test their skills on tall, flexible poles, keeping their audience in nearby Federation Square spellbound by their spectacular performance. The thrill of it all, the colour and the mix of so many people of different nationalities enjoying themselves together gives that distinctive ‘We are the world’ feeling of the song.
My first impression was that it looked very much like a European city, in many cases even more beautiful, cleaner and a bit more elegant- Victor Aquilina
Thick sulphur from the fireworks joins the evening mist to shroud the riverbank in a dense blanket that is pierced only by the faint red and blue lights from the tall buildings along and beyond the river. As the cloud lifts, Southbank comes back to life, confirming, as it were, the slogan carried on car number plates that Victoria is the place to be.
Welcome to Melbourne, ranked by The Economist in London as one of the world’s top three liveable cities. It is not difficult to see why, even if your stay is short.
Southbank is a good place to get a feel of the city, and there can hardly be a better place to kickstart your tour than the bank along Princes Bridge, built on the site of one of the oldest river crossings in Australia. The bridge looks very much the Blackfriars Bridge in London.
I had no idea what the fireworks were in aid of, so I asked the man behind me on the pedestrian bridge that links the bank to the railway station. He was tall and elegant, wearing a turban: “It’s Diwali time… it’s like your Christmas.”
Diwali, festival of lights, is one of the most important events for Hindus. There are many Hindus living in Melbourne; indeed, the city has the second largest Asian population in Australia, which includes the largest Indian and Sri Lankan communities in the country.
Melbourne is, of course, also home to thousands of Maltese emigrants, most of whom have done well, so well, in fact, that quite a number of them have become frequent visitors to their homeland.
Most Maltese living in Malta know Australia through their relatives who emigrated to the continent in search of better lives, and may only think of the country as a place where good jobs can be had.
Few may have considered the continent as a holiday destination in its own right. People in other countries may have had the same attitude towards Australia too, but the picture is changing fast as the country jostles for its place on the tourism map.
Melbourne and Sydney stand poised to attract a good share of the new traffic to Australia, with Emirates Airline set to win more business as the industry expands. Close to six million tourists visited Australia in the year to June, a rise of 3.3 per cent over the figure for the previous year.
But is Melbourne interesting enough for the tourist? Yes, it is. If we go back to the river bank again, for instance, Southgate Promenade is an attraction in itself, with its multitude of shops, pubs, restaurants, food mall, and street performers.
The area is said to have been a lush wetland before the Europeans settled there, with migrants and gold seekers pitching their tents there in the 1850s. Round up the evening by going for supper at one of the many restaurants overlooking the river and, believe me, you’ll have a night to remember.
Or you may well start your orientation tour of the city at Federation Square, considered as the city’s focal attraction. Most striking are the huge geometrical buildings that have stirred so much controversy for their most unusual designs.
The complex, which cost AUS$450 million (€338m), placed fifth in a list of ‘eyesores’, together with a library in Kosovo, a television tower in Prague and New Zealand’s parliament building. It lies just across Flinders Street Station and St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral. Yet, despite all the fuss made over its design, it is one of the top two tourist attractions in the city.
Did I like it? No. But never mind, sit back and inspect the choreography of the square as it comes alive to the music of a singer on a stage in one corner of the square. The sound reverberates across the square and muffles the rattle of the tram and the roar of the traffic in the nearby city streets.
When you’ve had enough of the scene, pop in to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, where it is likely that you’ll spend a considerable time tracing the history of film, television and digital culture.
Whether you like art or not, you should not leave Federation Square without seeing Australia’s most well-known and best loved paintings, Shearing the Rams by Australian artist Tom Roberts. Painted in 1890, it shows sheep shearers plying their trade in a timber shearing shed. It hangs at the Ian Potter Centre of the National Gallery.
If you want to have a panoramic view of Melbourne, there is no better place than the top of Eureka Skydeck at Southbank. In less than 40 seconds, yes seconds, you’ll be propelled up to level 88 (300 metres) in what are claimed as the fastest lifts in the southern hemisphere. As the top of the tower can flex up to 600 mm in high winds, two 300,000-litre water tanks on level 90 and 91 prevent any excess swaying.
If you have a good head for heights, Skydeck 88 offers you a treat – The Edge. It is a glass cube that projects three metres out of the building. You can step into it and have a spectacular view of the city. But it is not for me, thank you.
My first impression when I was first driven into Melbourne was that it looked very much like a European city, in many cases even more beautiful, cleaner and a bit more elegant, at least the parts I have been to. Collins Street, the place to see and be seen, is not far off from Federation Square. It is one of the favourite streets for Melbournians.
The world’s best known brands in fashion are all there in what is appropriately called the Paris end of the street. There are many arcades, too, but one of the most beautiful is definitely The Block, now a National Trust Treasure. Its interior decor and intricate mosaic floor make it a most interesting landmark.
Another landmark, in terms of accommodation, is the Novotel Melbourne, which has 380 beautifully decorated rooms and suites. It has an excellent location, as you can reach Federation Square on foot in a matter of minutes. Novotel belongs to the Accor group which has close to 400 hotels and resorts in no less than 60 countries.
It is time now to get out of the city to see one of the loveliest parts of Victoria, Mornington Peninsula, a patchwork of bushland, pasture hills, vineyards and national parks. It is only an hour’s drive from Melbourne and it is best to allocate at least a day to get a flavour of the place. If you love nature, and all that goes with it, it is the place you definitely cannot miss.
The Mornington Peninsula has more than 200 wineries, so there is plenty of time to taste some of the best Pinot Noire and Chardonnay at any of the vineyard restaurants- Victor Aquilina
It has also been described as an epicurean escape, and it is. It has more than 200 wineries, so there is plenty of time to taste some of the best Pinot Noire and Chardonnay at any of the vineyard restaurants. Even if you’re not into wines at all, you’re bound to be tempted to have a taste.
One major attraction is the Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens where they have a hedge maze, a circular rose maze and lavender labyrinth set on 25 acres of mature woodland-style gardens with streams, ponds and waterfalls. The pervasive smell of lavender lifts up your spirits as maze keeper, Arthur Ross, takes pride in showing you around the place and explaining all the work they do.
Their hedge maze, now standing over three metres high and two metres thick, was planted with more than 1,000 cypress plants. It is claimed to be Australia’s oldest and largest traditional hedge maze. It has hundreds of metres of pathways.
Also quite interesting is the fragrant rose maze which has more than 1,200 topiary, standard, ground cover and climbing roses. The place was originally a beef cattle and sheep property.
Wrap up your visit there with a cup of lavender tea, especially if it is a bit cold. Then drive up to Montalto Vineyard where you can have lunch in a restaurant overlooking the surrounding vineyards. Fabulous.
As your time on the peninsula begins to run out, spare some time to recharge your body and mind at the hot springs where natural thermal mineral waters flow into the pools and private baths. The water runs untouched direct from the source to the pools. You have to step into the pools gradually as the water is very hot.
There are, of course, many other places to go to in Melbourne, but you would have to have time, plenty of time. The Great Ocean Road, for instance, is considered one of the world’s most scenic drives. It stretches across 300 kilometres, from Torquay to Allansford.
Then there is Sovereign Hill, which takes you back to the gold rush. It is a working township set on a former gold mining site.
What do the people talk mostly about in Melbourne? Well, like most people everywhere, they do have their gripes, but sport takes their worries away. They talk passionately about Australian Rules Football, originally played to keep the state’s cricketers fit during winter.
Cricket is very important, but they are very keen about horseracing as well, so keen, in fact, that the Melbourne Cup is branded as the race that stops a nation.
So, is Melbourne worth visiting for a holiday? It is, more so if you have a relative with whom you can stay for the time you spend there.
Emirates operates daily flights between Malta and Dubai via Larnaka in Cyprus.
Australia is a huge market for Emirates with 70 flights a week through four gateways, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. From Dubai, Emirates flies three times daily to Melbourne and Sydney, and twice daily to Brisbane and Perth.
Emirates Holidays, the tour-operating arm of Emirates Airline, offers travel packages to Melbourne and Sydney that can be tailor-made according to the traveller’s needs or interests (www.emiratesholidays.com).
Mr Aquilina flew to Melbourne courtesy of Emirates Airline; programme arrangements were made by Victoria Tourism.