City Girl Interlude

Tasmania offered us some of the most magnificent and breathtaking landscapes that when we arrived back on mainland Australia, I honestly wasn’t sure anything we saw after would beat it. Jaded and in need of some socialization I was very happy to be back in Melbourne.

Considering I am a real city girl at heart, it’s nice to be able to spend some time exploring all that this amazing city has to offer. Melbourne is similar to Toronto in the sense that it is composed of many different burrows that all maintain their own unique identity within the city. Fitzroy, my new favourite hood, is where we spent quite a bit of time during this visit.  The streets are lined with old and tired Victorian buildings repurposed as trendy vintage stores, cocktail bars, and a combination of Vietnamese dives and edgy new restaurants. Brunswick Street offers all the treats you didn’t know you needed, including some awesome upstairs Galleries carrying art from some of Melbourne’s new and upcoming artists.

Just a couple pals enjoying a couple drinks!/ Naked For Satan, Fitzroy Melbourne
@blythefindlay @justybumpstead

Unfortunately living in a van in the city is not easy. There is rarely a legal place for us to set up house and parking your home downtown is not exactly ideal. We find it extra hard to do everything that otherwise would be a piece of cake, such as doing the dishes, taking a shower and well, cooking.  So while being in the city and trying not to drive ourselves crazy finding the perfect place to park up, we usually end up going out to eat. Thankfully the food scene in Melbourne is out of this world, so we never have too much of an issue with spending the extra cash. From the beautifully curated café’s to the creative menus offered up by some of Australia’s best chefs, you’re guaranteed a good meal in this city. We dined at Embla (see review), enjoyed happy hour cocktails and the panoramic city view from Naked for Satan’s famous rooftop bar and brunched in Prahran at Lucky Strike café, where each dish makes a nod to the Asian influences of the city.  Of course, I also had to have a bowl of Pho before leaving the city, because seriously how long can you go without Pho?

Unfortunately we are not made of money and our budget kind of goes off the rails while exploring and eating our way through the city, our little visit was only three days long. But it wont be too long until we’re back in the streets of Melbourne and face down in a big bowl of noods.