And that is a wrap,
Until next time,
hehe….
Now that we’ve hit the ground running, Imma take a moment to talk the walk.
Melbourne is one of the most walkable cities in the world. I mean, when I stepped out of the hotel and took my baby steps down the first pavement that I saw, it didn’t take me long to realise that I can walk through the entire city.
*happy walk-a-holic noises*
Also called panting.
hehe.
When I decided to embrace the cardio, I made up my mind to simply follow the pavement and lose myself in a city that was nothing short of a vibrant catwalk.
Now, I have decided to showcase all my walking adventures in three blog posts, titled Morning, Midday and Dusk. This post shows my walk around the river promenade, all on a Monday morning.
So, without further ado, let’s get strollin’
Coming in at number one, we have one part of Melbourne’s skyline, as seen from Southbank, which is the promenade upon the Yarra river that runs through the city. I love the blue tinge of the buildings, forming a lovely monochrome palette with the blue train and the clear sky, glistening in the sunlight; It gives a very Swarovski vibe.
I had the Southbank promenade all to myself for a nice long time because, if cities were people, Melbourne is definitely not a morning person, hehe. I mean, this picture is taken at around half past nine in the morning and where I come from, that time is like midday for some people, including myself and back home, the only thing that I’d be doing at nine thirty in the morning is meandering through traffic to make it in time for my third class after having missed the first two.
Guess who else isn’t a morning person?
hehe.
I actually had a slot at the aquarium(more on that in later blogs) at 10 AM that day and I had started out an hour earlier to get there on time, merely out of habit. Imagine my shock when I discovered that the aquarium was a mere 7 minute walk from the hotel and I had 53 minutes to sunbathe with seagulls.
Usually, when I start an hour earlier for anything, back home, I am always 10 minutes late.
The aquarium opened at 10:01 AM so….
Three cheers for this blogger’s punctuality!
hehe.
Melbourne is bustling from 11 AM onwards and we all love a little Late Kate, don’t we?
🙂
My only companion on the Southbank promenade.
– 26th May, 2025, 9:35 AM
In the 53 minutes that I had to soak in the Melbourne riverfront, I spent some time simply sitting on a bench and noting down the day’s itinerary, when Gumbo here swooped in to keep me company.
Seagulls have always fascinated me, so whenever I see a gull, I end up taking 30 photos of it in the exact same position, like some sort of still life enthusiast.
hehe….
After my photographic encounter with Gumbo the Gull, I walked further down the promenade and found some graffiti. Now, whenever I visit a new city, I always make it a point to explore its graffiti because street art is something that really expresses the emotions that dwell in the beating hearts of the city. Melbourne had some of the best graffiti that I have seen and here is the first mural, under a small overpass on Southbank.
I love the colour in each of the murals and the symbolism of nature mixed with quirky pop culture is so fascinating. I especially love the ET-inspired mural in the third picture and even the little Snow White in the middle of the first one.
The places of entertainment in Melbourne have some really fun names and Ghost Donkey was one of them. It is a pub which is a part of the Crown complex, which extends through a large part of Southbank’s promenade.
The Crown Casino, which is one of the most happening parts of the Crown complex, is the largest casino in Australia. Now, I had never seen a casino before this, so when I went into the Crown complex and glimpsed the Casino, to say I was stunned would be an understatement.
I frankly associated casinos with movies and I didn’t think that the place was actually used by real people outside of the silver screen so to see such a crowd actually playing at the casino made me feel like I had walked into a scene of Ocean’s Eleven and the only thing left was for George Clooney to look up from the poker table and smirk at my shock.
I knew I was in the real world when the latter didn’t happen.
Hehe.
Here’s a glimpse of the casino….
I get it, this is not a morning shot, but I wanted to show ye folks the casino and it hadn’t exactly opened in the morning.
hehe.
Moving on, Imma return to the daylight and take ye walkers down the artsy side of Melbourne.
When I first saw this sculpture, I half expected it to smile and say, “I am Groot”.
hehe.
Walking away from the Crown side of Southbank, the promenade takes a very artistic turn, leading to Melbourne’s Arts Precinct. This sculpture, known as the Gayip sculpture, is the start of the riverside arts walk.
The sculpture symbolises the Aboriginal people who are the first inhabitants of Australia and it looks upon another set of metal sculptures called The Travellers which represents migration.
The Travellers….
I love the super-imposed metal frames that give some sort of static mobility to the sculptures. It literally feels as though the sculptures are trotting across the bridge:)
I really loved these sculptures, they are so cute!
This is my favourite view of the skyline, simply because it has a piece of everything.
It’s got the vintage clock tower, against a glittering background of glass buildings, beautifully contrasted by the autumn-hued trees and the glistening river. I also love the very futuristic looking bridge that feels like a sort of a portal to a different world.
I was very lucky to have the sun illuminating the scene so perfectly. It kind of reminds me of the sun in Teletubbies, hehe.
The city of Melbourne is very much like a pop-up picture book; No matter how you look at it, it’s always bright and proud of its vibrant self.
I think it’s a nice way to live life:)
Also, the ferry upon the river really completes the whole postcard look. I didn’t ride a river ferry on this trip but I’d really like to come back for a nice picnic on the Yarra, so that’s definitely something to look forward to.
Up next, we have Ophelia, a vibrant sculpture by an artist named Deborah Halpern, inspired by the character Ophelia, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. I love the vibrant take on the rather tragic character and I feel her eyes convey so much emotion, and I was really fascinated by the faraway look that she has, as if she’s waiting for her heart’s desire.
I really like it when street art incorporates literary magic. It’s like a collision of two beautiful worlds, forming a fantastic creation, much like the birth of a star:)
The last picture in this post is a picture of a wall showing all the civil right activists of Victoria. It is a powerful mural that lends a spotlight to the silent workers who toil hard to make a change.
There is a lot of power in silent work and this mural showcases that, while also highlighting the importance of using one’s voice to uphold all that’s right and honest.
I also love the coconut trees in the background, adding a very tropical look to the whole Autumn-coded scene. The St Paul’s Cathedral in the background adds a nice, cosy vibe to the whole setting.
This picture is taken from a stairway that leads to the Arts Precinct, which I will be talking about in the next blog, showcasing my midday shenanigans.
hehe.
And that is a wrap,
Until Next Time.
Cheerio!