Fire, Flood, Pestilence

Chinatown in Melbourne 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown,_Melbourne

Melbourne is known throughout Australia and beyond as one of the gastronomic capitals of the world.

My knowledge of Australia may have been limited before our arrival there last December, but for some reason I have known that for as long as I can remember.

Of course, Adelaide with the Barossa Valley on its doorstep can certainly claim some credit along those lines. We can vouch for that ourselves. 

Perth's Re Store, Little Creatures Brewery and the many Swan Valley eateries had also tantalised our tastebuds on more than one occasion when we were there. 

But it's the sheer size of Melbourne with its extraordinary variety of cuisines all over the city from every possible corner of the globe that places it in another league altogether. I don't think I have ever been to a city where there are so many restaurants, wine bars, cafés, street food outlets, gourmet markets, pubs and speciality coffee stalls everywhere; all over this incredible city.

After our stop at Parliament House we found ourselves in Melbourne's extraordinary China Town where we enjoyed the sights and aromas of tantalising cuisines from so many different regions on that continent.

We ended up indulging in the lightest, tastiest freshly steamed bao buns you can imagine filled with pork, chicken, pickled vegetables and spicy prawns all accompanied with Jasmine tea. It was beyond delicious and extremely reasonably priced.

Chinatown or 墨爾本華埠, is an ethnic enclave in the heart of Melbourne's Central Business District.

It is located at the eastern end of Little Bourke Street, extending between the corners of Swanston and Spring Streets, and is composed of numerous laneways, alleys and arcades.

What is particularly noteworthy about Melbourne's Chinatown, is that it was established in the 1850s during the Victorian gold rush.

As such, it is therefore the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the Western World and the oldest Chinatown in the Southern Hemisphere.

It goes without saying that Melbourne's Chinatown has played an important role in establishing the culture of Chinese immigrants in Australia, and is still home to a large selection of Chinese restaurants, cultural venues, businesses and places of worship.

But Melbourne's Chinatown is now also a major tourist attraction; we were joined by at least one bus load of tourists from the cruise liners as well as other Brits, a few Italians and a Dutch family; and those are just the ones we came across in the areas we visited for a short time that afternoon.

Chinatown is also known for its architectural heritage and its various food festivals, celebrating not only various regional Chinese cuisines but also those of Thailand Japan, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Korea and more.

We discovered that day and also read on the Wikipedia site that beyond Chinatown and the CBD area it is located in, Melbourne's Chinese community is well-represented in other areas of the city as well; most notably an area called Box Hill, where a $450 million development named "New Chinatown" is currently being constructed. 

Definitely another place to visit if we ever manage to return to the area sometime in the future. 

Melbourne Town Hall

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Town_Hall

https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/melbourne-town-hall

Our next stop was at Melbourne's beautiful Town Hall located on the northeast corner of Swanston and Collins Streets, in the central business district of Melbourne.

Sadly we were not able to see inside this building either as it was not a week day.

Melbourne's current Town Hall was completed in 1870 and "is at the heart of the city’s cultural and civic activity".

The melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/melbourne-town-hall, claims that "many of the crucial decisions that have helped shape modern Melbourne were made within this heritage-listed building".

Just seeing it from the outside we were able to appreciate its architectural composition "of bluestone and Tasmanian freestone, its classically designed building features, its majestic clock tower and its impressive portico most notable for being the spot where the Beatles waved to crowds in 1964".

Sadly we could not appreciate "its grand council chambers or its large auditorium with grand organ.

I read on the Town Hall website that "a fire in 1925 led to the auditorium being remodelled and enlarged, and in 2001, the auditorium’s grand organ underwent an extensive refurbishment and now contains drums, bells, and almost eight thousand pipes across three levels". We were all particular sorry not to have been able to see that, especially my husband who is a hobby organist himself.

I read recently on Wikipedia that Melbourne was officially incorporated as a town on 13 December 1842, with Henry Condell as its first Mayor.

However, it wasn't until 1854 that its first Town Hall was completed.

Work had begun in 1851 but it ground to a halt with the beginning of the Victorian gold rush.

The current Town Hall officially opened on 11 August 1870 with a lavish ball, which was personally funded by the Lord Mayor Samuel Amess.

The foundation stone of the additional front portico was laid in 1887, and Sir Henry Weedon laid the foundation of the administrative annex building on 27 August 1908.

Free tours of the Melbourne Town Hall were available on weekdays when we were there, thus giving visitors the chance to learn about the architectural, social, and political significance of this impressive 19th-century building. 

However, if you do go to Melbourne during the Covid era please check the website to find out how these tours work with present social distancing laws.

St Paul's Cathedral Melbourne 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul%27s_Cathedral,_Melbourne

St Paul's Cathedral was the next stop on our tourist itinerary that day.

We were actually hoping to attend an Evensong if possible which is why we had programmed it in at that time.

But to our surprise and disappointment when we got there not only was there no Evensong but the cathedral was actually closed.

At least at St Andrew's in Sydney we were able to visit the cathedral even though Evensongs did not take place during the long, summer school holiday; but here in Melbourne we couldn't even do that.

We checked the website and it didn't say it would be closed on that day.

Maybe this was just a last minute emergency closure so we decided we would try again the following day.

St Paul's is an Anglican cathedral in the Diocese of Melbourne and the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne.

This was another of those English Gothic Revival buildings which I mentioned in an earlier entry.

It was designed by architect William Butterfield and completed in 1891, except for the spires which were built to a different design from 1926 to 1932.

It is recognised world wide as one of Melbourne's major architectural landmarks, which is why we were particularly keen to see it that afternoon.  

The pipe organ was commissioned from the English builder T. C. Lewis, one of the most prominent organ builders of the 19th century.

Construction of the spires began in 1926 to a new design by John Barr of Sydney, in a more traditional Gothic Revival style.

The spires reached their full height in 1932 and on 30 April 1933 a service of thanksgiving was held for their completion.

Once the central spire, named the Moorhouse Spire, was completed to its full height of 312 ft (95m), St Paul's became the tallest structure in central Melbourne and dominated the city's skyline when viewed from the south.

The 1960s saw extensive work completed to the exterior of the cathedral and in 1989 the organ was restored with the help of a major National Trust appeal.

Further major restoration works were completed in 2009 with significant repairs to the spires, the installation of a coloured glass Lantern in the Moorhouse Tower and coloured glass doors and a glass walled airlock at the Great West door.

The growth of multi-storey buildings in central Melbourne during the later 20th century robbed St Paul's of its claims to height, but with the retail heart height limit of 40m, it has retained its dominance of the immediate area.

For about 30 years it was however somewhat dominated by the 16-storey Gas & Fuel buildings built along Flinders Street to the east in 1967, but demolished in 1997 to make way for Federation Square.

By the 1990s the constant traffic vibration in central Melbourne led to concerns about the structural soundness of the cathedral, particularly its spires.

Besides Sunday and weekday Eucharists the cathedral "maintains the English tradition" of a daily choral Evensong, being the only Australian Anglican cathedral to do"  

This is what we had read prior to our arrival on that warm February day but unluckily  for us on that particular afternoon it appeared to have been cancelled and the cathedral was closed.

Social Distancing? It hadn't started anywhere else in Australia at that time but maybe news reports from Europe, China and South East Asia had caused them some concern so they decided to close it until further notice. 

Flinders Street Station 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinders_Street_railway_station

As St Paul's Cathedral was closed that afternoon, we decided to pop across the road to Flinders Street station which is Melbourne's number 1 railway station.

It was useful to see it as we would be meeting a friend there the following day so at least this way we would be absolutely sure of its location and all its various entrances and exits.

This is an amazing station. It reminded me so much of some of the older Paris stations in the early 60s before they were allowed to get tatty and rundown and subsequently modernised.

Its facade reminded me especially of Paris's Gare d'Orsay which closed in 1939 and opened as a museum in 1986.

There was an old world charm about Flinders yet it didn't feel tired or outdated and it wasn't dirty.

It appeared well maintained and well preserved. Australia does that well with historical structures.

"Flinders Street Station is located on the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets in Melbourne's CBD.

It opened in 1854 and still serves the entire metropolitan rail network, as well as some country services to eastern Victoria.

Backing onto the Yarra River in the heart of the city, the complex includes platforms and structures that stretch over more than two whole city blocks, from east of Swanston Street nearly to Market Street.

The first railway station to occupy the Flinders Street site was called Melbourne Terminus, and was a collection of weatherboard train sheds.

It was opened on 12 September 1854 by the Lieutenant-Governor, Charles Hotham.

The terminus was the first city railway station in Australia, and the opening day saw the first steam train trip in the country. It travelled to Sandridge (now Port Melbourne), over the since-redeveloped Sandridge Bridge and along the now-light rail Port Melbourne line.

The first terminus had a single platform 30 metres long, and was located beside the Fish Market building on the south-west corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets.

An additional platform was provided in 1877, along with two overhead bridges to provide passenger access, followed by additional timber and corrugated iron buildings and a telegraph station in 1879.

The first signal boxes were opened at the station in 1883, one at each end of the platforms.

By the 1890s, a third island platform had been constructed 

Melbourne's two other early central-city stations, Spencer Street and Princes Bridge, opened in 1859.

As I mentioned in a previous entry, Spencer Street (now called Southern Cross Station), served the lines to the west of the city, and was isolated from the eastern side of the network until a ground level railway was built connecting it to Flinders Street in 1879, this track was replaced by the Flinders Street Viaduct in 1889.

Princes Bridge was originally separated from Flinders Street, even though it was only on the opposite side of Swanston Street.

Once the railway line was extended under the street in 1865 to join the two, Princes Bridge was closed.

It was reopened in April 1879, and from 1909 slowly became amalgamated into Flinders Street Station itself.

Federation Square now occupies the site of the former Princes Bridge Station.

As we were due to meet my friend "under the clocks" the following day, I was curious to see them and find out a little more about them.

The station's distinctive clocks under the main dome that show the departure times of the next trains date back to the 1860s.

Sixty Bathgate indicators were purchased from England for use at the Flinders Street, Spencer Street, Richmond and South Yarra stations.

Those at Flinders Street were placed into storage when the old station was demolished in 1904, with 28 placed into the new station in 1910.

They were located at the main entry under the dome, the southern side archway, and the Degraves and Elizabeth Street entrances.

Manually operated by a railway officer using a long pole, during an 8-hour period the clocks at the main entrance were changed an average of 900 times.

The original indicator clocks were removed from service in 1983 as part of a redevelopment of the station, with their replacement by digital displays planned.

An outpouring of public outrage and sentimentality saw the decision reversed within one day.

The clocks at the main entrance were altered to automatic operation by computer, but those at the Degraves and Elizabeth Street entrances were replaced by large airport-style split-flap displays.

The space "under the clocks" or "on the steps" leading to the dome has been a popular informal meeting place for Melburnians since the station's opening.

Although the area was not intended for this purpose, and there is no seating or other infrastructure to suggest it as a destination, the location – opposite the well-known Young and Jackson Hotel and overlooking two of the busiest tram routes in the city – means it is accessible and visible to many of the city's main pedestrian thoroughfares.

Many people who meet "under the clocks" do not arrive by train; the site's cultural significance extends beyond its main function as a transport hub.

A clock tower has also existed at the end of Elizabeth Street since 1883.

The first clock was known as the 'Water Tower Clock', after a wooden framed water tower erected on the site in 1853.

This clock remained in place until 1905 when work begun on the new station, the clock tower being moved to outside Princes Bridge station.

In 1911 it was moved to Spencer Street station, where it remained until the station was redeveloped in 1967.

Sold to a private collector, it was returned to public ownership and in 1999 was put on display at the Scienceworks Museum, Spotswood.

It was returned to the renamed Southern Cross station in 2014.

Today's Elizabeth Street clock tower was constructed between August 1906 and November 1907, the clock being built by Melbourne clock maker F. Ziegeler to an English design.

Originally needing to be wound every day, it is now electrically operated.

It was cleaned and overhauled between 2017 and 2018 before being fully restored to service soon after. 

Such a great, grand old station. Definitely go there if you're in Melbourne even if you don't need to catch a train.

Transit Rooftop Bar Federation Square 

https://transitrooftopbar.com.au/

https://fedsquare.com/

As mentioned in the previous entry on Flinders Street Station, the former site of Princes Bridge Station later became known as Federation Square. 

On its website, pasted above, the square describes itself as one of Melbourne's main art and lifestyle centres,incorporating "world-class art galleries, exhibition areas, a diverse range of food and drink options, and events that capture the heart of the city year after year whatever the season".

After many months of Covid lockdown, the square opened again in October 2020 though many of the bars and eateries will be serving food and drinks at tables strategically situated in the square itself. They are cleverly calling it 'DINING IN, TURNED INSIDE OUT'.

The Federation Square website is clearly proud of its many "art and retail" outlets. These include:

Its "Yarra River Cruises on Federation Wharf including wonderful Yarra River wines tours", which we would have definitely booked had we been in Melbourne longer.

The Koorie Heritage Trust which "acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Custodians of Melbourne, on whose lands the city is located".

Melbourne's beloved ACMI the Museum of the Moving Image, the largest moving image museum in the southern hemisphere.

"There is no shortage of things to see and do at Fed Square".

We had spent several hours walking, sightseeing and admiring all that this city has to offer, so we were more than ready for a sit down and an early evening drink and Federation Square was the perfect place to do this.

We opted for the Transit Rooftop Bar where we could enjoy cold beers and a cup of tea "above the city and overlooking the beautiful  Yarra River".

I would definitely recommend the Transit Rooftop Bar for drinks, snacks and food but do call or check their website first to ensure they have re-opened and to check whether pre-bookings are now essential.

Southbank, Melbourne

https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/the-top-10-things-to-see-and-do-in-southbank-melbourne/

Our next destination had to be Southbank. We had planned to have lunch there with our Melbourne based friend the following day so this would be a fleeting visit to find a suitable lunch venue and maybe book it. At least that is what we had planned to do.

Southbank is described on the Culture Trip Website, as "Melbourne’s premier culture destination".

"In Southbank, you will find the National Gallery of Victoria,

The Melbourne Recital Centre, the  Arts Centre Melbourne, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, and so much more". 

"It is also home to some of the city’s finest restaurants, and the mecca that is Crown Melbourne Casino" (Australia and New Zealand love their casinos).

The Eureka Tower is in this area of Melbourne and "at a height of 297.3 metres, it is Australia’s second tallest building".

"Its observation deck on the 88th floor is called Eureka Skydeck 88 and the is the highest public vantage point in any building in the Southern Hemisphere".

Not far from the Eureka Skydeck "is the glass cube called The Edge with dramatic views over Melbourne, and Vertigo, a green screen installation that gives the illusion that you have fallen off the building and are holding on for dear life!".

My friend and I were very keen to experience that but my vertigo afflicted husband was not keen at all

We did peruse the programme at the Melbourne Recital Centre nearby, however, as we would have all enjoyed that.

"The Melbourne Recital Centre is an award-winning building in the Melbourne Arts Precinct.

It hosts up to 450 concerts and events annually. The musical genres performed regularly at Melbourne Recital Centre include classical, jazz, cabaret, rock, and world music".

"There are two performance spaces at the centre, including the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall", (yes, Rupert Murdoch's mother), "which is a 1000-seat auditorium with premier acoustics.
There’s also its intimate 150-seat Salon", which I would have loved to see.

The National Gallery of Victoria was close by though we accepted that we would not be able to visit it on this occasion.

This is "Australia’s oldest, biggest, and most visited art museum.

Nearly three million people visit the gallery annually, which hosts both free and paid exhibitions as do Galleries in the UK".

"NGV International is in Southbank, while The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia is located in Federation Square".

"Together, the NGV Collection includes over 70,000 pieces of art, spanning thousands of years.

NGV International Art collection includes work from Rembrandt, Picasso, Renoir and Magritte".

"Southgate is Southbank’s premier restaurant, shopping, and entertainment destination".

This is where we heading for that day as we were hoping to book somewhere for lunch for the following afternoon.

"Among Southgate's premier restaurants are BearBrass and Bluetrain for modern Australian fare.

P.J. O’Brien’s Irish Pub; and The Deck for modern European cuisine and the best views".

There is also  a food court, for low cost quick bites and drinks.

"One of Melbourne’s most unique bars is undoubtedly Ponyfish Island". We were very keen to have a drink there but the queue was long and that's even for those who had booked in advance.

The Ponyfish appears to be named "after a mysterious creature which apparently resides in the depths of the Yarra River; is this Melbourne’s answer to the Loch Ness Monster?

Ponyfish Island is a floating bar and restaurant on the Yarra River in the Southbank area of Melbourne".

"Access is via a single stairwell from the pedestrian bridge connecting Southbank to Flinders Street Station.

Ponyfish Island serves classic breakfast, lunch, and several dining and drinks options". It is very popular so do book in advance if you can if you would like to go.

Check the above website for other Southbank suggestions and remember to enquire how social distancing works there prior to making a booking.

This was by far one of the most vibrant, culturally diverse art and culture hubs that we had been to anywhere in Australia.

Definitely worth visiting again and again and again. We will return 

.

Fitzroy 

https://www.charcoallane.com.au/about-us

Our plan to spend a maximum of half an hour in Southbank before going home, changing for dinner and setting off for Fitzroy was thwarted within the first few minutes of our arrival in Southbank. 

There was so much to see there and the atmosphere was so vibrant and lively that before we knew it two hours had passed. 

It meant, of course, that we had to forego our trip back to the flat and get straight to our booked restaurant post haste. 

It's very difficult to select the perfect dining venue in a city like Melbourne where there is so, so much choice.

When your time in a city is limited, there is extra pressure on you to get your restaurant choices absolutely right.

We had done pretty well with our Italian themed meatball wine bar the previous evening and our Chinatown Bao buns for lunch so we decided that on this occasion we would have to 'go Australian'.

Our friend had read about a very special Australian restaurant in Melbourne's Fitzroy area called Charcoal Lane. 

Fitzroy is described by the Culture Trip website as "a lively suburb with a bohemian reputation".

Packed with "eclectic bars and restaurants which are popular with students, weekenders and young professionals", we did wonder whether we would be the right demographic for it.

But I have always believed that you should never limit yourself to demographic stereotyping.

Fitzroy was as different from South Bank as any area could be but we were mesmerised by it.  

"Street art covers the narrow backstreets, where small galleries sit alongside corner pubs and terrace houses", writes the Culture Trip.

In that sense it reminded us of Banksy's Bristol in the UK not far from where our younger daughter lives.

"Brunswick Street in Fitzroy is a trendy retail and nightlife strip, while Gertrude Street is known for its design and art-supply stores as well as its wine bars and buzzy eateries". ― (Google - Nov 2020)

But Fitzroy's main claim to fame when we were there in February 2020 was the fact that it appeared to have become Melbourne's unofficial vegan hub.

There were vegan eateries everywhere. It's the first time that vegan cuisine has appeared mainstream to me.

"After Jessica Bailey opened the Cruelty Free Shop – an online treasure trove of hard-to-find vegan foods — in 2001, she soon noticed an awful lot of orders from one particular postcode: 3065.

So, when she expanded her bricks-and-mortar operation from Sydney to Melbourne in 2014, the Fitzroy location was a no-brainer. “Fitzroy, and Melbourne in general, is more socially and ethically aware than other cities in Australia – sorry, Sydney,” Bailey says.

“I love Fitzroy so much. It’s so vibrant and interesting and creative, and it’s such a mixing pot.

You’ve got people from all walks of life, all coming together, in this area that’s just got so much going for it.”

Fitzroy’s love of vegan food is a big part of what makes this neighbourhood the most progressive quarter of Australia’s arts capital.

Cutting-edge small bars, inventive eateries from every corner of the culinary map, and independent retailers up and down Brunswick and Johnston Streets form a diverse mosaic.

“Something that’s really different about Fitzroy is that it still has lots of up-and-coming young designers and new things happening,” Bailey says.

“A lot of other suburbs have succumbed to the chain stores, whereas Fitzroy has maintained that sort of creative identity that seems to have been sucked out of other suburbs.

It’s really quite unique.” From vegan fashion and meat-free treats to rooftop cocktails and the world’s best croissant".

How could three ageing Brits resist that? 

Fitzroy was all that and more. We loved the intimate, friendly vibe all around and we were so impressed with the vegan bars, restaurants, and food stalls everywhere.

I remember thinking then that if the world turned into Fitzroy overnight, the meat and fish industries would certainly need to reconsider their roles in the high street's food chain.

Sunday 9 February 

Collins Street, Melbourne 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collins_Street,_Melbourne

We had planned to spend the afternoon and early evening with a Melbourne based former colleague and friend who had emigrated to Australia from the UK several years previously so we decided to set our alarm and continue our walking tour of the city up until we were due to meet her 'under the clocks' at Flinders Street Station at 12:00 noon. 

We walked back to the main CBD area of Melbourne via one of the 'best coffee in Australia' outlets which we were more than happy to support on that sunny, summer morning.

It's extraordinary just how many cafés, bars, stalls, street kiosks claim to serve the best coffee in Australia all over the country from the smallest village to the largest city.

This one was good I do admit that but I still felt that the best coffee I had had to date in Australia was at the station café at Sydney's Newtown Station. 

Our first stop on this walking tour would be in Collins Street. We had decided to explore the 'Paris End' of the street with its "numerous heritage buildings, old street trees, high-end shopping boutiques, and early sidewalk cafes".

"Blocks further west centred around Queen Street became the financial heart of Melbourne in the 19th century, the preferred home of major banks and insurance companies, a tradition which continues today with the most prestigious office blocks and skyscrapers found along its length".

We stopped to admire the beautifully ornate former stock exchange building which sadly was closed for refurbishment but social distancing permitting, should be reinstating its internal tours early next year if not in mid 2021.

Collins Street was named after Lieutenant-Governor David Collins who led a group of settlers in establishing a short-lived settlement at Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, in the early 19th century.

He subsequently became the first governor of the colony of Van Diemen's Land, later to become the state of Tasmania.

Around the turn of the 20th century "doing the Block," or walking around in one's finest clothing to "see and be seen", became a pastime for shoppers at the Block Arcade in the retail heart of Collins street, between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets.

Sadly during the 1950s and 1960s, the street became subject to extensive redevelopment and many historic buildings were demolished by Whelan the Wrecker, despite the best efforts of the National Trust and the "Save Collins Street" groups.

While some examples of boom style architecture survive, the grandest examples were lost to the wrecker's demolition ball.

Of the major losses, the most significant were the large Victorian buildings which included the Federal Coffee Palace, the Colonial Mutual Life building, Robb's buildings, Queen Victoria Buildings, City of Melbourne Bank, Scott's Hotel, Melbourne Mansions and the APA building.

Many of the buildings destroyed in this era were documented by architectural photographer Mark Strizic and can be found in the archives of the State Library of Victoria". 

Inevitable 1960s gratuitous destruction you could argue. You could also argue that their demolition was vital for the city to meet the demands of modern Australia as it distances itself from its colonial past.

But wherever you stand on this, the destruction of these grand, ornate structures is a great loss for period Australian architecture which now in the 21st century appears to matter more to the Australian people than it may have done in the mid 1960s.

"Doing the Block" a la Melbourne

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_Arcade,_Melbourne

From the former stock exchange building on Collins Street it was a short walk to the Block Arcade shopping gallery.

In fact all these buildings appear to be linked in clever ways so you can walk from one to the other without even realising it.

The block arcade is L-shaped with an octagonal rotunda at the corner, connecting Collins Street at the south end to Elizabeth Street on the west.

On the north side, the arcade connects to Block Place, a covered pedestrian lane that leads to Little Collins Street, opposite Melbourne's oldest shopping arcade, the Royal Arcade

The Block Arcade is a charming historic shopping arcade in its own right and on the day we were there it was celebrating the bravery of Australia's extraordinary firefighters who were still risking their lives fighting wildfires all over the country during that most challenging of Australian summers.

This elegant arcade was constructed between 1891 and 1893 and is considered one of the late Victorian era's finest shopping spaces and one of Melbourne's most popular tourist attractions.

Designed by architects Twentyman & Askew, the Block is one of Melbourne's most richly decorated interior spaces, replete with mosaic tiled flooring, glass canopy, wrought iron and carved stone finishings.

The Block Arcade's six-storey external façades on both Collins and Elizabeth streets are some of Australia's best surviving examples of Victorian architecture in the Mannerist style.

The arcade takes its name from the practice of "doing the block", which I referred to in my previous entry.

People would dress fashionably and promenade along the section of Collins Street between Elizabeth and Swanston streets.

This practice is even listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as "doing the block"

By the late 1870s, the north end of Collins Street between Swanston and Elizabeth streets had become the favoured promenade of Melbourne's well-to-do, who went there to frequent its prestigious shops and cafes, and to see and be seen as they walked from one end to the other.

It was Melbourne's response to the salons of Paris and the Gallerias in Milan and Naples.

Author Fergus Hume described "doing the block" in his novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, first published in Melbourne in 1886:

"It was Saturday morning and fashionable Melbourne was 'doing the block'.

Collins Street is to the Southern city what Bond Street and the Row are to London, and the Boulevards to Paris...

Carriages were bowling smoothly along, their occupants smiling and bowing as they recognized their friends on the side walk...

Portly merchants, forgetting Flinders Lane and incoming ships, walked beside pretty daughters; and the representatives of swelldom were stalking along in their customary apparel of curly brimmed hats, high collars and immaculate suits.

Altogether it was a pleasant and animated scene..."

Left Bank Light Bites

https://www.leftbankmelbourne.com.au/eat/

Just before meeting our friend under the clocks at Flinders Street Station, we checked to see whether we would be able to attend an Evensong at St Paul's later that day as we couldn't access it the previous day, but to our surprise it was still closed.

For a city's main Anglican Cathedral to be closed on a Sunday, we all felt that something must have been amiss. 

When we mentioned it to our friend later that afternoon, she explained that it could just be one of those cathedrals that just open for their services, which during the summer months are drastically reduced in Australian cathedrals. 

Due to its prominent position in the heart of Melbourne's CBD and opposite busy Flinder's Street station, this is likely to have been the case but it is nevertheless regrettable that such a prominent, historical site is not available to be viewed by Melbourne's ever increasing throng of foreign tourists. 

Our friend was in a similar position to us food wise. She too had eaten a large meal the previous evening and preferred a light option for lunch rather than a traditional UK Sunday roast which we had earlier considered, so we all agreed on the 'lite bite' menu at Left Bank right on the Southbank promenade, we would then have time for a long walk around Melbourne's glorious botanical gardens.

It was still sunny and warm but not too hot so that was definitely an excellent way to spend our afternoon together. 

The Left Bank restaurant option was perfect for us. Between us we ordered these 'small plates':

ORGANIC SWEET POTATO HUMMUS with warm pinsa pide and.cretan cold pressed olive oil

PULLED LAMB SHOULDER 

FAMOUS SLIDERS with prawns and wagyu beef patties | celeriac remoulade | jarlsberg cheese

HEIRLOOM BEETROOT & BURRATA smoked almonds | honey comb | wattleseed crisp | blood orange vinaigrette

BLACK SALT FRIED CALAMARI pickled daikon | lemon | umami aioli

BUTTERNUT, PORCINI & SAGE ARANCINI

HIRAMASHA KINGFISH SASHIMI with watermelon radish  

VEGGIE POWER BOWL quinoa with roasted brussel sprouts, butternut | squash, avocado, kale and cherry tomatoes.

HERB CRUSTED CHICKEN with baby corn, medley of tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower rice, honey mint vinaigrette

These were all excellent tapas sized bowls but main course portions were available for all of them as well as so many more lunch time options. 

This is definitely a good choice venue on a sunny day whilst watching the boats and the Sunday strollers go by. My favourites were a young couple with their well trained cats walking beside them on a lead and a young man riding his penny farthing without a care in the world.