When our limousine turns left and gets on St Kilda Road, a series of polka-dotted trees greet us. I look around for a familiar name. The Queen of Polka Dots, Controversy's Child, the 95-year-old 'problematic' artist. I knew we had set foot in the whimsical world of Yayoi Kusama. To the left, the National Gallery of Victoria says Kusama's polka dots and pumpkins had arrived in Melbourne.
A few minutes later, we cross the Yarra. The river that is the lifeline of this gorgeous 'Second City' of Australia.
A Stunning 'Second City'
Perhaps Melbourne's character stems from being called the 'Second City'. Its easy laidback vibe is light years from Sydney's madness. Rickety old-fashioned trams ply down the city centre. Hop on one, get off at the next station, pay with a smile. The city circle boasts an extensive network of trams that are free to use.
Trams in the Melbourne city circle are free for all. Photo: Unsplash/Daniel Pelaez Duque
Walking down the gorgeous tree-lined avenues is of course a better bet if you want to get some cardio in to burn all those calories that Melbourne's vibrant food scene thrusts on you. The main train station is Flinders Street. You will stop to gaze, starry-blurry-eyed, at the ornate Victorian facade of Flinders Street station. The building deserves that look.
Flinders Street Railway Station. Photo: Author
Melbourne, a city designed to live in, comprises an extensive public transport system comprising trams, trains and buses. Hail an Uber if you really need one.
Mix Of Opposites
Melbourne is an eclectic mix of opposites. Its imposing Victorian buildings stand next to dizzying modern glass-walled skyscrapers. A Starbucks sits opposite to Federal Coffee, a coffee chain that borrows its name from Australia's erstwhile pride - the Federal Coffee Palace. That hotel, opened in 1888, is among the buildings Melburnians most regret having lost.
Federal Coffee tries to distil some of that pride into its opulent cafe menu: complete with seating on the porch of Melbourne's GPO, an intimidating Victorian-era building with high arches and off-white pillars. It is the perfect place to people-watch. It's perfect for your Instagram feed.
Federal Coffee, on the porch of the GPO. Photo: Author
Across the road from the GPO building is an array of boutiques and brands. You will find some of the prettiest Zara and H&M stores in this area. In the alleyways, you will find adult entertainment stores jostling for space with eye-watering stationery shops.
Stop by a Miligram outlet to pick up the cutest porcelain mugs. Treat yourself to a quiet afternoon thumbing through the books at Readings, Melbourne's much-loved book shop that comes with a separate Kids' store. You might even walk in on a book launch.
Yayoi Kusama is in the spotlight in Melbourne this month. Photo: Author
Travellers' shops and souvenir kiosks are the other characters in the city of Melbourne. You can find practically anything to take back home from a travellers' shop. Kangaroo meat, sure. Kangaroo scrotum? Why not. Crocodile jerky? Certainly. Boomerangs in all sizes adorn the shelves of souvenir stores here, as do aboriginal art. Sometimes, together. You will obviously not leave Australia without a boomerang or a few. It's Down Under, after all.
A World-Class Casino And The Best Of Japanese Cuisine
While Flinders Street and Federation Square make for much old-world charm, it is the sidewalk by the Yarra where Melbourne's nights really take off. Between the King's Bridge and the Queen's Bridge lies The Crown. It's a casino complex straight out of Vegas. What goes on in and into The Crown, stays there. Mostly the Australian dollars that you exchanged at the airport.
The main part about any casino is knowing when to leave. When you eventually do, ignoring the clarion calls of the roulette tables at The Crown, stop for a meal at Nobu.
Nobu is a rage all over the world. The Japanese fine-dining restaurant, the world's most famous Japanese restaurant line, is a brainchild of Hollywood legend Robert De Niro and Japanese celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
The Crown on the Yarra sidewalk. Photo: Unsplash/Pat Whelen
The story goes: After years of drudgery, Matsuhisa threw in all his savings and luck with a sushi joint he went to work at in Los Angeles. Matsuhisa bought the place and opened his eponymous restaurant, choosing his family name for it.
In 1987, he opened Matsuhisa Beverly Hills. The sushi restaurant became a must-visit for everyone who was anyone in Hollywood.
Robert De Niro was one of the regulars at Matsuhisa. De Niro, known to the world as a Hollywood great, barely made a difference to the chef from Honshu, Japan. Nobu Matsuhisa did not know what Robert De Niro was. He only knew the Godfather as a patron and served him food like he would any other guest at Matsuhisa.
Nobu's legendary Black Cod Miso, the dish that Robert De Niro fell in love with. Photo: Nobu Australia
De Niro loved Nobu's Black Cod Miso. Soon, Matsuhisa found himself asking Robert - "Bob" - to wait. De Niro suggested they work together on a new restaurant chain. Matsuhisa suggested they hold it off till he paid his cumulative debt off.
Meanwhile, Matsuhisa Beverly Hills found itself a place in Hollywood conversations. Four years since De Niro made Matsuhisa an offer he postponed, he picked up the phone again. This time, Nobu said yes.
Thirty-one years since the first Nobu opened in New York, it has become a name to reckon with.
Early To Rise And Early To Play
Nobu Melbourne is teeming with patrons on the evening we walk in and find a (high) table for two. The low tables are all either occupied or reserved. We had just walked out of The Crown, a crisp hundred-dollar note in hand, to get dinner. Australia is notorious for its early dining scene. Restaurants here shutter-shut at 9.30 pm. By 10 pm, you will have to rely on cold salad and bread from a mini mart.
Australians start their day early. They also love to wrap up early. Weekends are blissful here.
It is late-evening on a Sunday and Melburnians are by the Yarra; walking, making merry, listening to an impromptu stand-up, laughing, living life.
I wistfully answer yet another ping from the office.
El Dorado Down Under
Melbourne owes much of its wealth and fame to the 1850s Victorian Gold Rush. In 30 years of the Gold Rush, 'Marvellous Melbourne' transformed into one of the world's wealthiest and largest metropolises; a real-life El Dorado, if you will.
Over the next century, Melbourne saw a land boom, much expansion on the back of the Gold Rush, and immigrants flocking to its shores after the Second World War. The city embraced its immigrants with open arms and let them define much of it.
As a result, Melbourne's history goes back 40,000 years to its first Aboriginal Victorians, and now finds its culture shaped by immigrants from world over.
Inside a sweet shop in Little India. Photo: Author
Melbourne's 'Little India' is a block of stores and restaurants from the Indian subcontinent in Dandenong. You can find everything Indian from yellow dal to panipuri; little bits of India that the diaspora carries wherever it makes a home.
In Melbourne, Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Greek, Malaysian, Indonesian, French and Italian restaurants sit next to OG Aussie fare. You will find a "Dropout Chaiwala" from Ahmedabad on Elizabeth Street. Turn the corner, and there's an Italian Trattoria. Across the road is Kim Sing, a Chinese restaurant. A few metres down, Bistrot d'Orsay serves up some classic French food. On the other side is a Meat & Wine Co outlet, where you find yourself drooling over the juiciest of kangaroo skewers; pomp and show included.
The Apostles And A Glowing Warning
The Great Ocean Road is a 243-km stretch of coastal road in south Australia. Screenshot: Google Maps
My extended weekend in Melbourne comes with a blink-and-you-miss-it glimpse of a wallaby on the way leading to the Great Ocean Road. This 243-kilometre "war memorial" is the world's most scenic drive. It is also the world's largest war memorial.
Built by World War I servicemen as a way to memorialise their fellow soldiers killed in the war, the Great Ocean Road today holds a special place in Australia's psyche. With tourists and locals alike.
The Great Ocean Road is the world's most scenic drive. Photo: Unsplash/Wee Ping Khoo
On this drive you will find the 12 Apostles. It is a place where you see the complete beauty, wrath, and power of erosion. The Southern Ocean carved these limestone formations over a period of ten million years.
The name '12 Apostles' is a bit of a tourist trap, given that there were never 12 of the limestone rock formations. Only nine existed at any point, out of which, there are only seven standing today. In the last 20 years, Australia has lost two of its apostles. The ones that stood tide and time are quite the vision.
The 12 Apostles in Port Campbell National Park. Photo: Author
You'll find snake warnings and bird-identifier boards on your way to the 12 Apostles in Port Campbell National Park.
In Australia, they say, stay away from the over-bright and shiny creatures; they will sting you dead. Not the bright polka dots. They will only stir you alive.
FACT SHEET
Where: Melbourne is located on the southwest tip of Australia. It is the capital and the most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in the country.
How To Go: Air India flies Delhi-Melbourne-Delhi direct. Qantas Airways flies Melbourne-Delhi-Melbourne direct, but will be suspended from June-October 2025. The Australian flag carrier also flies Sydney-Bengaluru-Sydney direct. Sir Lankan Airways is an option from Delhi or Mumbai, with the shortest connection via Colombo. Other major airlines that fly from Indian cities to Melbourne include Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, etc, with stopovers.
By the Yarra River. Photo: Unsplash/Dominic Kurniawan Suryaputra
Visa: Indians need a visa to enter Australia. It is best to apply for a visa well in advance since Australia takes time to process a tourist visa. You could also try for an express visa at a higher cost.
What To Keep In Mind: While Melbourne has a cornucopia of food from world over, finding vegetarian fare might take a bit of time. Try looking for vegan options if you aren't too sure of the vegetarian food on offer.
