Melbourne – QVM, City Sights and Streets

Queen Victoria Market is Victoria’s premier open-air market. It’s a thriving and vital place pulsating with life. The friendly competition between stallholders, and their concern for customers, is what gives the Market its Old World charm and the addictive power to draw millions of visitors each year.

The fresh fruits and veggies section.

Juicy looking lamb cutlets for $1.60 each. 

We couldn’t resist getting some freshly shucked oyters for breakfast. The oysters were so fresh and sweet – no lemon required! And for the price of just $10 a dozen, we thought it was quite a steal :)

Federation Square – Ever since this landmark cultural and entertainment destination was opened to the public, Melburnians and visitors have been gathering here. Locals have embraced Fed Square as a true reflection of their city, with rich cultural experiences, a diversity of places to eat and drink, unique shopping and a wealth of information to welcome visitors. Fed Square is where cultures meet, friends meet, minds meet and worlds meet.

While we were lounging around in the sun, we spotted people waving at a huge screen on the wall and realised that they could see themselves in it. We just had to try to get a shot of us in it – and we did. It comes on between advertisements, so if you don’t see yourself on screen, just be patient :)

We stopped for lunch at Café Chinotto in Fed Square and had the best tasting beer-battered fish and chips, and calamari rings ever. Ideal for a casual lunch or evening meal, Chinotto has an alfresco dining area in the Upper Square and indoor dining that overlooks the BMW Edge. 

Melbourne is filled with lanes. Lanes filled with cafes and restaurants. But Melbourne is developing a world wide reputaion for it’s Graffiti or Street Art. Here is a must see lane you have to check out – Hosier Lane, across from ACMI, Federation square. This lane features some cool and crazy artwork and tags.

Just across from Fed Square is Flinders Street Station, one of Melbourne’s most famous landmark. I was lucky enough to catch a tram in the picture too! The Melburnian idiom “I’ll meet you under the clocks” refers to the row of clocks above the main entrance, which indicate the departure time of the next train on each line; another being “I’ll meet you on the steps”, referring to the wide staircase leading into the main entrance of Flinders Street Station. Both are a popular meeting places as it is at the intersection of two of the city’s busiest thoroughfares.

The Shrine of Remembrance is Victoria’s largest and most visited war memorial. It is a permanent and lasting memorial to the ANZAC spirit which is confirmed by the number of visitors to the Shrine throughout the year and the many people who attend the more than 120 ceremonies that are held at the Shrine annually.

The Gallery of Medals displays 4000 service medals, each one representing 100 Victorians who have served in war and peacekeeping operations and six who have lost their lives. The Gallery includes a Victoria Cross awarded to Victorian Captain Robert Grieve during the Battle of Messines.

The Legend of Fire (1982) – On the south wall of the Eastern Hill Fire Brigade’s Headquarters, facing Albert Street. The Harold Freedman mural took approximately one and a half years to assemble and is comprised of over one million glass mosaic tiles.

City Dressed in Lace - Melbourne has more decorative cast iron than any other city in the world. By the 1880s it symbolised the city’s brash image virtually every new balcony and verandah was draped in an ‘iron petticoat’. John Ruskin, a noted English architecture critic, derided cast iron as ‘cheap and vulgar’. Melbourne could not have cared less. Over 40 local foundries were kept busy, melting and casting pig-iron bars that arrived as ship’s ballast. By 1900, the foundries had registered 161 different designs.

Lygon Street is one of the great food precincts of Melbourne. It has its origins in the early immigration of Italian migrants to Melbourne and, in particular, to Carlton. Lygon Street has the biggest selection of Italian restaurants and cafes of anywhere in Australia, and was the first suburb in Melbourne to promote eating outdoors and tables and chairs on footpaths.

Toto’s is Australia’s first pizza house. It opened in 1966 at the city end of Lygon Street, opposite historic Trades Hall. For cheap, cheerful, traditional Italian fare you can’t go past Toto’s.

We had lunch at Universal Italian Restaurant, also at Lygon Street. Established in 1969, Universal has flourished to become one of Melbourne’s leading casual dinning restaurants. For appetisers we had some fresh oysters au natural.

Mexican Pizza – tomato, cheese, mushroom, hotsalami, capsicom, and olive.

Paul Special Fettucini – bacon, garlic, chilli, and rose sauce.

Chinatown is a distinctive and well known area of Melbourne which dates back to the gold rush days of the 1850s. It is the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the western world. Chinatown’s essential character and main focus is along Little Bourke Street with alleys that link the area to Bourke Street and Lonsdale Street.

We met up with Winston for dinner and drinks at Chloe’s Restaurant. It has more to offer diners than just a glimpse of its namesake talisman’s nude portrait – the historic Young & Jacksons hotel’s first floor features authentic pub-style dining and lighter tapas meals in elegantly ambient surrounds.

Tasmanian oysters au natural

Tasmanian kilpatrick oysters

Rare cooked kangaroo on salad of chickpeas, parsnips, pumpkin and spinach drizzled with wattle seed jus (top). Chorizo salad served warm with white beans, rocket and sherry vinaigrette dressing (bottom).

After dinner we headed upstairs to the Rooftop Beer Garden for some beer and cider. The area is styled reminiscent of a grassy apple orchid. Y&J’s Rooftop Beer Garden has Australia’s only Cider Bar, offering 5 Ciders on tap including Scrumpy Jack from French Oak Barrels AND a further 20 bottled craft ciders (as well as the usual offerings).

This post is one of an 11 part entry of our trip to Victoria, Australia.
See all the places we visited on this trip below:

• Dandenongs – Sherbrooke, Puffing Billy, Sassafras
• Geelong – Wool, Waterfronts, Bollards
• Great Ocean Road – Gibson Steps to Bay of Islands
• Great Ocean Road – Lorne, Apollo Bay, Cape Otway Lightstation
• Melbourne – Gardens, Aquarium, Gaol
• Melbourne – MCG, Yarra River, Southbank, St Kilda
• Melbourne – QVM, City Sights and Streets
• Mornington Peninsula – Dolphins, Mazes, Vinyards
• Phillip Island – Chocs, Koalas, Penguins, Nobbies
• Phillip Island – Churchill Island
• Yarra Valley – Healesville Sanctuary, Wine, Cheese