On one of my voyages to Melbourne city during my first week in Australia, I hit up the ever-popular Southbank aka Crown Entertainment Complex.

Heard so much about it prior to my arrival, and now, I'm right in the heart of its vicinity.

The sights are even prettier at night all lit up! 😀

I could still remember being like a little kid lost in the big city on my first day in Melbs.

But thankfully, a few awesome people showed me around…

Aunt Ket included! She brought me ALL around Melb city 

At Melbourne Central.

It had a Metro Train beneath the mall! Wait a sec — I shouldn't be surprised. There's an LRT Train underneath our famed KLCC Twin Towers too.

.

Shopping at FCUK. Gawd I love this brand. Nice play of the acronym too 😛

Always works for me! (Besides the gym, of course)

We kept walking and Aunt Ket wanted to bring me to a picturesque spot on top of Burke Street Mall (or was it still Melbourne Central? I don't recall) to take pretty photos of the city from an aerial view.

And so we went to this rooftop garden!

So pretty! 😀 😀

I also reckon it's a place where heat is conserved at an optimum temperature for the plants.

The moment I stepped inside, I felt so warm! Almost like in Malaysia hehe.

Part of the city on a Saturday afternoon

We just kept exploring the city until evening. 

Oh and, funny how the sun begins to set around 5.30pm in Australia!

And by the time it hits 6.30pm, it'll be dark already

Nawwww horses along the streets of Melbourne!

There were horse carriages around. Just like the olden days.

I didn't ride it for some reason; reckon it probably costs a bomb 

Liquor shop!

Oh sorry, I forgot to warn you about this PG-13 photo,

Too bad you've already seen it! 😛

Shotbuckets on sale! Perfect for parties.

Tried on a coat with busy motifs. Liked it. Didn't like it

Liked it again. Changed my mind. Liked it again. But didn't buy it

Stopped to grab a lunch break!

Continued walking till we reached Southbank.

So pretty, right? T'was a great idea to go just before sunset.

Breathtaking

By the time we crossed the bridge to the other side, we were greeted by lots of buskers!

Some were singing, dancing, painting, juggling and all sorts of different things

Impressive street art!

Sat down inside Crown Entertainment Complex to have dinner

Yes, if you're wondering, that's all I'm having for dinner

Can't help that the Australian currency is triple times that of mine. 

How sad! It sucks always feeling like a pauper overseas. I finally how it feels like to be poor. 

Artsy shot 😀

And before we realized it, it was nightfall

We were just in time for the fire flamethrower show!

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Southbank boasts a display of flames every weekend at a specific time. I think I was there at 8pm? It lasts for about 10 minutes, tops.

Yeah, if you're ever in town, try to catch it with your very own eyes!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WWRLqEgil4

Here's a short snippet of it.

The heat was so intense at some points that you can feel a very mild burning sensation!

Everybody (especially tourists) stopped and watched it in awe

Just a nice silhouette 🙂

Southbank was buzzing with people even late at night!

Now that's what I'm talking about 😉

Lovely sights!

Stopped by the bridge to take picture but was constantly photobombed by drunk boys 

OMG leave me alone! They insisted a picture anyhow. Reminds me of what one of my readers once commented, "You always seem to attract weird men huh" LOL. That made me laugh!!! 

ZOMG! Trying not to ruin my smile.

Ok photo over. You can go now kthxbai

Gave up trying to take a solo picture as they wouldn't leave me alone unless I joined their nightly drunken crusades or left the spot.

Obviously, I politely declined their offer with an awkward smile and chose the latter. We adjourned home soon after. Phew.

Back at Flinders Street Station

So that was my 12 hour day out at the city.

Didn't feel so lost anymore when I went downtown again the following weekend!

Can't wait to go back. Countdown: 55 days! 

As you fabulous peeps would've already known, I've been in Sydney for the Easter break

Took a million photos throughout the week -as usual,  I hope I won't take forever again to blog the whole thing!

Walked by the Queen Victoria Building early in the morning

Was supposed to wait for my cousins to meet me but couldn't seem to find them anywhere!

So I walked and walked the streets of Sydney… taking in all that this city has to offer.

It was huge and busy for such an early hour! I had to drag meself outta bed to even make my way to the city this morning.

T'was a slightly wet morning, with the pitter-patter of the drizzle from above

I've noticed how certain city centers like Melbourne, Singapore and Sydney has immense volume of pedestrians crossing every other street. Especially when the lights at the zebra crossing turns green, a human stampede will follow thereafter.

Unlike Kuala Lumpur back at home, where everyone pretty much cross the roads anytime they want LOL 😛

The city dwellers scurrying for shelter!

I soon got tired of roaming around aimlessly after taking pictures of random things and talking to random people.

So I retreated back to where I was supposed to meet my couzzies –

At the famous Town Hall steps! (it kinda looks like an ancient temple from this angle LOL)

Apparently, that's the common meeting place for everyone

So I waited for a bit and finally found them!

Couldn't recognize them at first. Bear in mind that I've not seen them in AGES. Like, really… in 16 years!

And they're already in their 30s while I'm still in my 20s. But we clicked instantly

Bernice & Kenneth are my eldest cousins btw (and I'm the youngest!)

They took me to where Uncle Shen and Auntie Julie were waiting for us.

As we walked, I couldn't help but to take more pictures of the sights I saw!

Ohhh lookie! It's the statue of Queen Victoria!

She was the longest serving monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the 17th century

Right behind her, I saw a tiny statue of a dog by a fountain.

And that's when I met Ivan. Yes, say hello to Ivan the talking dog.

Make a wish & throw a coin in the well after talking to him

When the couzzies told me that he was a talking dog, I scoffed and took it with a pinch of salt.

So I went right up to him and said, "HELLLLOOO" for no reason

but had a shock of my life when that solitary statue responded to my greeting

Hence, the expression.

So Ivan told me his name, introduced himself to me and

went on about something which I don't quite recall anymore.

What can I say? I was still flabbergasted with what hit me, as I didn't expect it at all.

So yeah, the poor dog went on talking to someone who wasn't exactly listening LOL

Guilty as charged But if you wanna listen to Ivan talk, he can be found along George Street

I soon found out that my uncle and aunt were waiting for us inside Queen Victoria Building.

Grrrr. I walked past that place agazillion times earlier just then; could've just gone inside!

Here I am again!

it was very, very pretty inside… and humongous too!

Lotsa boutiques, novelty shops, deli's and the like 😀 😀

I smell…. shopping!

Haha. No time for that now, for we're about to go sight-seeing immediately after meeting up. It's off to the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, The Rocks, Darling Habour, Chinatown and more!

More of that in the next blog-episode of this Sydney trip.

Oh but before I go, imma leave you with a fairly interesting (but offensive to some)

street art behind a STOP sign in the city.

And no, Christ, your penis won't be able to fit in the nail-hole of your palm unless you're well… diminutive in size.

Not that I would know, but hey, I'm just saying 😛

This is insane! Out from 9am – 11pm and at least 10 hours of non-stop walking has really taken its toll on me.

I'm maxed out tired to the bone now – resting while transferring photos and blogging this post.

Yeahyeah, I know I should probably hit the sack by now but being me, it is imperative that I blog an immediate snippet before the entire blogpost… because who knows, this might take another million years to be up LOL

I love my new prezzie! An adorable, furry, soft tigga hat to keep my head warm

So anyway! I was at the Melbourne Zoo in Royal Park for almost 5 hours; was impossible to cover every nook and cranny

I reckon it would be safe to say that almost the entire animal kingdom reside within the walls of that zoo

From the smallest of insects…..

…to the biggest of animals!

My whole afternoon was spent exploring the entire zoo hunting down the animals to take photos of.

I swear felt like Dora the Explorer LOL! But the fact that I'm lacking the binoculars and knapsack doesn't come in the way for I think I made up for it with a big-ass DSLR camera and a slingbag 😛 😛

And… the King of the Jungle! (yes, if you're wondering… I was THAT close to Simba here)

It was incredible, better than any zoo I've ever been! Melbourne Zoo is massive and the entire place was an extremely close-to-real-life makeshift rainforest dessert ocean underground grassland antartic tropics aviary all in one.

Unlike many *cough* places *cough* that my fellow Malaysians know….

There are certain zoos in particular who mistreat their animals, cooping them up in tiny cages with restricted space to exercise, not cleaning their already miserable cages and drugging them to ensure their benevolence during photo-opportunities.

Oh and yes, I know I owe everyone a photo of a kangaroo ever since I set foot in Australia

So… ta-daa! 😀 Here it is, shot in the zoo earlier today

Plenty more photos of the glorious (and even the unglorious, ugly, often overlooked) members of the animal kingdom to come! I did, as usual, took truckloads of photos.

And the most tedious part is filtering & batch processing them all. Bleh.

Headed to the Tutankhamun exhibition after that for another 3 hours!

On the right: a bag of Egyptian souvenirs I bought. On the left: a replica of Tutankhamun's skull

Verdict? It was magnificent and we were clearly in awe with everything they had to offer. Everyone was clearly enthused with the displays, footages, ancient relics, hieroglyphs, statues, fragile mummified skeletons,  and the like. More to come, I promise!

If you're an avid lover of Egyptian civilization like I am, you'll be star struck.

And now do you still wonder why I had the Eye of Horus tattooed on my left wrist? 😉

As promised in this post, it's to the city again I go!

It's a voyage I've always looked forward to. Adjourning from the suburbs in Camberwell via Metlink Train.

Can't help that this city girl is always waiting to burst out into the urbans!

I raced the train to capture it passing by!! 🙂

Anyway, excitement over. Let's rewind. First I had to walk to the nearest train station, which was about 15 minutes away by foot. *pants*  So I started walking…

Sucha sunny day today, ain't it?

… and walking  

… and walking

I loved how the insane weather held up just for me 😛  

At least I'd like to think so hehe  

…..and walking  

… and walking! Good thing I put on some real good & comfy kicks.  

So yes, I finally reached the railway tracks half an hour later LOL.   That's due to all the shooting, taking in the perfect view of mother nature and stopping to smell the flowers.

Yeah, literally, I did stoop down to pick up daisies, how ladylike of me *coughs*  

Oh look! I'm standing in the middle of the tracks.  

Let's just hope a train doesn't come by while I work the camera 😛  

Standing right in the middle of the railway 😛  

Okay, enough fooling around 😀  So I finally arrived the train station, Hartwell Station, along the Alamein line  

Bought my Metcard and hey ho, let's go!  

Train was very efficient, it came right on the dot according to the board which displays each train's estimated time of arrival.

So I got in and it was kinda empty, but it'll eventually fill up with people as it gets closer to the city 🙂  

After less than half an hour, hello again city!! 🙂

I can finally breathe some air into my "metropolitan" lungs

Aaaahhhhh *inhales and exhales*

Shot this from the inside of Flinders Street Station

It's one of those beauuuuutiful train stations that never fail to capture the interest of tourists.

In the short moment that I was there, I've already spotted 10 odd foreigners snapping away!

The breathtaking urban life before me

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Melbourne city 😀

Can't helping taking a shot WITH it too 😛

Similarly to Bukit Bintang or KLCC area back home in Malaysia and Orchard Road in Singapore, Flinders Street and Swanston Street here in Melbourne are pretty much always abuzz with a myriad of people… anytime of the day!

Swarming with people at most pedestrian crossings

When I got to the other side, I wanted to take a touristy ride all around the city on a free service called the City Circle Tram. It's a brown tram which circles the main zones of the city.

So hop on with me!

Here I am waiting right opposite Flinders Street Train station at one of the tram stops.

It comes every 5 minutes or so, very efficient!

You can see many other tourists (and some locals) waiting for it too.

I can't wait to see what's in store for me in the city. Elizabeth Street, Swanston Street, Queen Victoria Street Market, Burke Street, the State Library of Victoria, Southbank and so many others!

Walking along Elizabeth Street!

Was too excited touring the city! Sucks that I got hungry at 3pm-ish

Because at that time, most of the yummy food court shops at the Queen Victoria market had all shut 🙁

And if you didn't know, all the malls in Melbourne closes at 5pm.

YES FIVE O' CLOCK IN THE !@#$%^&*( EVENING.

I miss hanging out/shopping in malls till 10.30pm back in Malaysia!

Wonder what do Australians do after 5pm? Dinner and then go home?

Anyway, speaking of my lunch, I was too late! The only stuff available were Subway, Maccas (Yes, that is what they call McDonalds in Australia), Hungry Jacks and all the other fast food stuff. Bummer 🙁 🙁

I ended up with Subway and omg the Subway there has SO MUCH MORE CHOICES compared to the one back in Malaysia.

Okay, nevermind the fact that we don't/can't have pork nor bacon, but I'm also talking about the variety of sauces/bread/condiments!

Disappointed! 🙁

I didn't come all the way to the city to eat fast food nnoooooo

Issokay. There's always another day!

Besides, I headed up to Lygon Street for their Italian food with a good friend of mine, Alexis.

Went to one of the chocolate lounges with buddy Violet and her boyf James

Greek food for dinner with fellow Malaysian pal Rebecca 😀

Now, those were yum! (and a dent in my pocket yeee-ouucchh)

Back in Flinders Street Station the next day to do more exploring!

Where did I go and what did I do on both these days?

That's for another story, ye? Wait for it, dear readers, you'll see pretty damn soon, you bet 😉