Aug 28 2008
Melbourne’s All Seasons in a Day
Melbourne is another of Australia’s dynamic cities. Considered the ‘home’ of art and culture in Australia, this city holds so much for the tourist to do. Almost everything is in walking distance within the CBD, and the city is definitely made for tourists, offering both a free hop-on-hop-off bus, and a free tram which circles the CBD.
The one thing about Melbourne, which may take the unaware tourist off guard, is the weather. Known for experiencing all four seasons in one day, it’s difficult to imagine until you’ve experienced it. My first experience as an adult was when I came down to Melbourne for the day, and had a slight head cold. By the end of the day it was a fully blown cold, verging on the flu – in that one day we experienced rain, full sun, overcast, and cold and windy. It’s no wonder everyone always carries an umbrella, even if the sun is shining!
One thing I find difficult about taking photographs as a tourist, is the weather, and the shadows cast by buildings. Intermittent rain is a pain because it means you have to keep putting your camera away, and getting it out again to take a photograph. You never know when a photograph opportunity will present itself, like with this photo below. Who would have thought horses with bright red feathers on their heads would be standing on a busy inner city street!
One of my favourite places to take photographs of Melbourne is from Princes Bridge. This only really works though when the weather is nice – otherwise, it becomes a candid for the black and white fix (which I mentioned a few posts ago).
There is so much to do in Melbourne. To leisurely get to everything would take at least a week, and that doesn’t include the fabulous day trips to the regional areas outside of Melbourne. If you only have 2 or 3 days, you can still reach many of the ‘must-sees’, but if you can, try and make it longer. One thing you must always have at the ready, is your camera!
