And so I booked my ticket travelling business class to ensure comfortable travel. It was late evening when my MAS flight to Melbourne took off and reaching the Aussie airport at Tullamarine the next morning about 9 am local time ( three hours ahead of Malaysia). There is no need to show your visa as the immigration officer just key in your passport number and access it on the computer; how convenient. And travelling business class also entitles you to an express immigration lane, lane used by aircrew but hold on tight to your invitation card as the immigration officer could be quite acidic if she thought you were trying to bypass the usual lane!
I waited for Tasha to arrive from Canberra at about 11.30am. I have already studied the the airport map on the net and so it was easy to navigate my way in the big complex. It is easy to communicate nowadays as you have free WiFi at the airport.
The temperature was unbelievably hot at 30 deg C in middle of March and I was prepared for a cooler one at 14 deg C! Apparently Melbourne is dubbed as a city of Four Seasons. So be prepared as on any day the temperature could change from hot to cold!
A High Commission staff came to collect us to the hotel. We stayed at the Marriot right in Melbourne CBD. The hotel is fine except for the spring mattress which gave me backache! And the low support-less seat in the lounge is also not ergonomic. Five-star hotel with starless bed!
Melbourne is known as the culture capital of Australia. I could see why. They have many theatres and arts galleries and museums and other heritage attractions. Definitely different from Brisbane and Adelaide the other two cities I am familiar with.
There are so many places that you can go to and accessible by free transports! Yes, free. You must get the tourists' brochures at the hotel and study the tram stations and locations where the bus shuttles pick up points for tourists are. Unfortunately I only came to know about these facilities on the second last day of my stay! Before that I was busy walking and taking the expensive cabs!
When Tasha was working I was shopping and visiting. I went to my favourite departmental stores of David Jones and Myer. I used to love window shopping at these two stores when I was studying in Brisbane. Not much pocket money then. Every time I wanted to buy something heavy I was forever calculating the weight as my baggage allowance is only 45kg!
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| Melbourne is a city of trams |
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| Part of City of Melbourne from Eureka Skydeck - highest point at 88th floor |
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Main entrance of the famous Victoria Market
Seafoods galore at Victoria market
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| Flyways seem to be common outer city features
I managed to savour the city's scene by travelling with the free tram which circle the city. There are various stops that you can take the tram from. It is number 30 with the name "City Circle" written on the front. The one I took was at Exhibition St stop just up the corner of Marriott Hotel. For further destinations I took a free air-cond shuttle from the Chinese Precinct just beyond the Commonwealth bank. It took me about 90 minutes without stopping to go around riding on that comfortable free bus. Stop 8 is just in front of the Victoria Market for those who want a free ride there. The free shuttle starts at 9.30am at the stop where I waited for it. Like the free tram it goes to the dockland at South Yarra . So the two modes of transport more or less wrapped up my short visit to Melbourne.
There is also a Malaysian small restaurant called Madame Kay on Lonsdale St near to our hotel, serving nasi lemak,nasi ayam and noodles cooked by Malaysians. That was my lunch stop everyday.
Victoria market, popular with tourists, is famous for fresh fruits and vegetables an at the same time there are are gift stalls selling cheap T-shirts and souvenirs. I noticed many Asian stall hands from Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia,Indonesia,Thailand and India. There was even an Arab lady selling fruits.
The trip was short but gave me an idea of the sort of city Melbourne is: busier than Brisbane and Adelaide and has that cultural vibes about it. The city is well planned and you cannot really get lost if you have a map with you.
On the way back at the Tullamarine airport, I was surprised to discover that you need to pay AUD4 for a baggage trolley! What if you do not have the coins as you are already on the way home? Lucky for me I had a change of AUD4 after paying a taxi costing me AUD56. I was of course unhappy about this small matter as our airport trolleys in Malaysia are free but thinking back, those free rides would have cost me more if they were not made available by the city for tourists like me. The only problem is nowhere does it warn the tourists on this payment. I remember in Brisbane international airport, there was no charge for using the trolley.
Check the tax-free shopping procedures. You need to have more than AUD300 per receipt per shop. Unlike the UK requirement. You need to show your purchases at another level (quite inconvenient!) before you finally meet the officer after you check in, keying up the amount in the computer to be credited into your credit card. I had forgotten to have my purchases checked so the officer asked whether it was the first time I came to Melbourne and of course I replied "yes". He or she could be difficult and refuse to give you the tourist privilege. Fortunately the custom officer was an understanding man. The business class MAS lounge at Tullamarine Airport was pleasant with comfortable lighting and food servings were generous. A perfect end to a short, tiring and enjoyable visit.
The trip soon came to an end and due to plane seating problem I had to leave 10 hours earlier than Tasha.But I found the day flight was better as I arrived home in the evening, showered and ready for bed and woke up refreshed the next morning.Tasha on the night flight arrived in the wee hour of the morning at KLIA and ended up suffering from a jet lag!
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