Today is a day dedicated to exploring the Melbourne city! After breakfast, we decided to take a 20min walk to the Prahran Market. Yes, we don’t mind walking, neither do my parents, especially in such cool weather! The temperature today was at 13 degs! Wind was chilly the moment we opened the glass door to our balcony.
We also visited the DFO Essendon, not too far away from city. It was a 1-storey mall with many different retail shops. Though it looked small from the outside, I was surprised we spent longer than expected there!
We then returned to Chinatown for late lunch. Here’s where we chanced upon the famous Hawker Chan! Look at the posters all over the shop. The queue was never ending. However, it was difficult finding a parking lot in that area. We first drove into a Wilson carpark. However, we found out that it costs AUD$6 for just 1 hour. After parking there for 20mins, hubby decided to take the car out and find some other lots!
Since we were already at the town, we decided to explore the town a little. We saw the city trams, libraries and museums along the way. After awhile, we could felt the aches in our legs. We decided to head back to rest before going out again.
Many tourists would think of going to the Phillip Island when they want to see penguins in Melbourne. However, I was informed by my friend that there was a better alternative, cheaper and nearer than Phillip Island, the St Kilda Pier. To be exact, it was free! Just need to remember to head there before dusk. By the time we reached and walked out to the pier, a crowd had already gathered there. Because it was not regulated and managed by volunteers, there were chances we might not see even 1 penguin. We didn’t know if the penguins have returned and that we have missed them. But lucky for us, we heard sounds and started to spot them between the breakwaters.
It was super windy and chilly at the pier. Actually, I could not wait to leave after spotting a few penguins. With no particular destination in mind, we ended up at a McDonalds with the Crown Melbourne casino just across the street. So, we visited both before heading back to our apartment for the final night. Crown Melbourne feels slightly smaller than The Star casino though!
Perrine Travels 