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melbourne in autumn
Sunday 19 February, 2006
Last night Fraser and I had one of those big conversations that you have, lying in the dark with your lover, examining the various corners of your life together...asessing, planning, resolving.
One thing that is SO HARD when you have small children is to get any meaningful, satisfying 'couple time'. Even though we are a caring and affectionate couple, sometimes we can get to Sunday bedtime and look at one another and think "Where have you been? Who are you?"...the week has passed in a blur of family activity, errands, work pressures, outings, child dramas...
By the end of the conversation we decided to plan and save for a trip to Melbourne - just the two of us. No kids. It is nearly a decade...A DECADE! since we have travelled outside New Zealand. I have seriously itchy feet.
Why Melbourne?
Because we have somewhere to stay there for free (my cousin!), because neither of us have explored Australia further than Sydney airport (a half hour stop en route to the UK). Because a dear friend is moving there from the UK. Because in magazines like Inside Out Melbourne always looks stunning. And because one of my favourite films, Love and Other Catastrophes (that's the cast of that film above) is set in Melbourne in autumn and it looks SO gorgeous!
We could go to Auckland or Wellington or the South Island, but we want to go somewhere new, somewhere in a different country, somewhere where we will need a guidebook and a map and people will think our accents are funny. We are both hankering for some adventure, some 'intrepidness', some fun.
I feel a little curl of excitement spiralling in my stomach. Half of the fun with trips is in the planning. We are going to buy a Melbourne guidebook, I'm going to make a Melbourne 'image board' - pictures out of magazines etc to daydream over, and now when I have those thoughts on dark days of wanting to escape...I'll have a destination in mind.
Fraser said, "I DO want to go, but I feel like we should use the money to pay a bit off our mortgage or do up the bathroom or something" which is a noble, grown-up response...but I think our trip will be all the sweeter for the thought at the back of our minds that we shouldn't really be doing it. Isn't that the best way to have fun?
So, SSS readers, two questions for you...1) How do YOU make time for intimacy and feeding your relationship when you have small children? 2) What are YOUR must-see destinations in Melbourne?
posted by Helen on 19 February, 2006 | 8:08am
COMMENTS
1) don't have sprogs so no advice on that front 2) Brunswick Street is fun and don't leave without having a cocktail at Honky Tonks, tres plush!
Posted by anon on 19 February, 2006 | 9:08am
Apparently Melbourne has a fantastic street stencil art scene happening.
Posted by sarah on 19 February, 2006 | 11:12am
Must see - a walk in the Botanic Gardens, a trip to Victoria Market, feed the possums in Treasury Gardens,
the Art Gallery, a trip on the Yarra River, see the "volcanoes" go off at the Casino (wouldn't bother with the casino but the flames are fun!), take the (free, I think) Circle tram around central Melbourne, a trip on the train to the Dandenong Mountains (to Ferntree Gully, about an hour's trip, or to Belgrave on the weekend when you can take a ride on Puffing Billy, the steam train). Much more - I'm sure you'll enjoy it :)
Posted by Elizabeth on 19 February, 2006 | 1:09pm
When my children were small we put them to bed early. We were so happy to be alone that this often led to staying up way too late. We were recently looking back to those days. It's wierd when they're older and stay up later than their parents..."We're going to bed now. Don't bug us. Don't come in." (The lock on our door can be opened with a fingernail.)
Posted by Carol on 20 February, 2006 | 4:05am
great idea, forget the mortgage, get away on an adventure...
ï Chocolate Budda in Federation Square - fantastic contemporary Japenese food, the best I've ever had.
ï Walk the length of Brunswick Street. Great cafes, bookstores, boutiques, tea shops. Just the best shopping
ï the food market, the deli section inside is fantastic and super cheap tropical fruit outside. (ignore the crappy market behind it)
ï if you can get out to Prahran check out Greville Street. Just the coolest wee boutiques. "Running off Chapel Street, beside the Prahran Town Hall is where you will find Greville Street. A great and unique quirky collection of off beat retro / grunge clothing shops, galleries, book stores, junk shops, with good bars and cafes that are well worth checking out."
hope that helps, have fun!
Janine
Posted by Janine on 20 February, 2006 | 1:24pm
We tsayed in St Kilda and can tell u the hotel name if u like,it was a cheap boutique Hotel. My cousin Janine lives in Brunswick (the suburb)which is cool, I'm sure she'd like visitors. We just stuffed oursleves senseless on patisserie delights and took some cool photos at Luna Park. There's this neat Mosaic commnity garden in St Kilda too, it's inspirational. We loved the long shopping street called Brunswick Street, like a bigger Cuba Street. The Victoria (Food) market is awesome, you feel like you're in Europe cos of all the fab food. In St Kilda there's loads of alfresco greek and italian restaurants to check out -the patrons! We think that's Fitzroy St. The trams are cool and cheap to get around.
You have to go, flag the bathroom, u guys so deserve it. 4,5 nights would be enuf.Yay!
Posted by Lisa and Johnny on 21 February, 2006 | 8:13pm
Hi,
Lived in Melbourne for 7yrs and now live about an hour out of the city.
The thought of Melbourne childless...hmm I always had either one or two children hangin off me! So the timetable becomes quite different if your talking just adults.
Melbourne is very European and does coffee and food very well-there are alot of coffee places but Brunswick St 'Marios' is very famous with very good coffee as is 'Pellegrinis' in Bourke St right in the city it is one of the oldest coffee bars in town.
There are particular parts of Mlb which do certain foods for instance-Lygon St, Carlton is the Italian district and you can get cheap but very good pasta at Tiamo 1 and 2 whilst your there the Nova Cinema is a very good arthouse cinema on the otherside of the st- so see a movie! And dont miss Brunettis just off Lygon which does Cake and coffee like you've never seen.
Victoria St Richmond does Vietnamese and has a whole precinct of very good cafes some cheap others a bit more pricy
In the City Degraves St laneway is a must very cool cafes and shops.
Also must do the State Library on Spring St I think!? Has the most beautiful reading room -domed roof...
Walk around Melbourne University Campus and Carlton-beautiful arhitecture movie filmed around here.
Vic market-Spicy sausages must do, Chapel St, Bridge Rd a bit cheaper and outlet stores.
Sydney Rd Brunswick for lebanese and turkish cuisine very cheap and very good also a few good pubs here.
Gelati Bar brunswick end of Lygon st-a way out of the city wonderful gelati.
Readings bookshop in Lygon st opposite Nova cinema...
Take some good walking shoes inner Melbourne easy to walk around or tram in and out of city-also train is great
I would do lots of coffee book stores and interesting food...ahhhh
There are also markets- one under the bridge on the Yarra on Sundays- farmers markets, st Kilda market I think Sundays
Check some out
Melbourne in Autumn has the most beautiful weather the best time of the year I think..have fun and some romance it is quite a romantic city
Michal
Posted by Michal on 22 February, 2006 | 2:50pm
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