After five weeks in New Zealand, it was time for a change of scenery. Following my original plan and given the proximity, Australia was the obvious choice. However, I had to shorten my stay to reach Japan in time for the cherry blossoms. I decided to split the next two weeks between Melbourne and Sydney. I was also looking forward to finally slowing down and staying more than 1–2 nights in the same place (or so I thought 😅).

Just a few days before my arrival, Melbourne was named the "best city in the world". Can it live up to expectations?

My exploration started in the Queen Victoria Market, a local yet somewhat touristy place. It is the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere.

I wanted to visit the Royal Exhibition Building, a UNESCO World Heritage building, but unfortunately, a private event was taking place.

Melbourne offers a lot of street art. Hosier Lane is a popular alley completely covered in graffiti.

The Block Arcade is a great place to admire Victorian and Art Deco architecture. There's also the oldest barbershop in the world (since 1805), according to the Guinness Book of Records.

My favorite place in Melbourne was ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image). The main exhibition is free of charge, and it offers many insights into the history of moving images. The video game section reminded me that Hollow Knight, one of my favorite games, was made in Australia.

New Zealand has reignited my love for nature. While I did enjoy the vibrant streets of Melbourne, I took some quiet rest in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The nearby Shrine of Remembrance is a war memorial. The Eternal Flame has been burning since the inauguration by Queen Elizabeth in 1954.

I also did a short trip to St Kilda, a hip suburb with a nice beach.

Point Ormond is a popular place for locals and tourists alike, especially during sunset.

At one point, I noticed an airplane drawing a message in the sky. After "♡K", I thought this would be a cool magic trick reveal ("was this your card?"). But the drawing kept going, leading to this expensive love token dedicated to a music genre.

I'm not sure about the Venn diagram for Pokémon TCG players and pho lovers, but the marketing team did a great job here.

Street photography

After being mostly in nature for the last few weeks, I was looking forward to getting back on the streets! I was definitely a little rusty at first, but over time I managed to get into my usual flow.

Fauna

In New Zealand, I started using the Merlin ID app to identify the birds I encounter. The best part: you can collect your findings in the app, which feels like real-life Pokémon! Here are some of my new additions.

The endemic crested pigeon is probably the most beautiful pigeon I've ever seen!

At the pier in St Kilda, there's a little blue penguin colony. They usually hunt during the day and come back in the evening, but that's when the pier is closed for guided tours. However, it's pretty impossible to get any tickets. I was lucky enough to see 2–3 penguins shortly before the closure, though.

The endemic rainbow lorikeet is the most commonly observed bird in Australia.

Here are some more encounters.