Again I woke up bright and early, and this time I decided to try breakfast in bed at The Grand. Ooh it was glorious! I’ve never had breakfast in bed in a hotel, and hehe it was such a treat.
Today I took a tram over to the highly recommended Fitzroy area – in particular Brunswick Street, Smith Street and Gertrude Street. (So many of my readers said I HAVE to go there! Thanks guys!)
If you’re visiting Melbourne, I highly recommend you grab some Grid Urban Maps, which can be found in hotel lobbies, boutiques, cafes. They are free, pocket sized, and cover all shopping and tourist precincts. I would have been lost without them!
I really enjoyed Brunswick Street. It was bursting with boutiques, homewares shops, groovy cafes, vintage shops, discount outlets. There is so much to see! Some parts were upmarket and stylish, but it all had a very cool, laid-back, arty, grungy, independent vibe.
And I adored Smith Street, which runs parallel to Brunswick St. It was a melting pot of sights, smells and textures. I loved the way there were dodgy looking internet cafes next to a Vietnamese butcher, next to super stylish lighting shop, next to a Lebanese bakery, next to a nursery, independent designer jewellery shop, and a bustling cafe. The variety is quite an experience!
Unlike the city, where all the shops are crammed closely together, Fitzroy is a lot more spread out. I found that the fashion boutiques are dotted all over the place, so make sure you wear good walking shoes because you have to do a lot of walking. I recommend that you dedicate 3-4 hours to cover the place. Which is fine, because there are heaps of places to stop for a delicious snack and coffee.
There are a few very cool and quirky little shops on Gertrude Street. Definitely worth checking out.
One in particular is Shop Sui. Run by a very cool lady, Sylvia, her shop specialises in a deliciously diverse range of products – from retro Astroboy posters, to funky leather handbags, to gorgeous handmade baby hats, to designer stationery products, to cushions, jewellery, stuff toys and much more! You must check it out!
I loved the way her shop was set up, and I spent ages browsing through every nook and cranny! I bought some gifts for my sons too.
Lastly I headed over to a great little cafe, Cavallero, to meet up with the always stylish, Lady Melbourne.
I love her site, her sense of style, self portraits and photographic styling!
It was such a pleasure to meet over a cup of tea, chatting about fashion, blogging, clothes, shopping, Melbourne, giggling over the quirks of fashion blogging and fashion photography.
All up I spent about 6 hours on my feet. Walking, meeting people, looking at shops, taking photos, taking notes.
That evening, I did more walking. I met up with a good friend for dinner at Trotters Cafe on Lygon Street. Had yummy seafood pasta and apple crumble. Then strolled around until my feet couldn’t take it any more!
We stumbled across various wild Australian animals – kangaroos, emus, lizards, sea eagles, and an echidna! A huge one! In the wild! They’re a weird version of a porcupine, and cousin to the platypus, the only kind of egg-laying mammals. The kids were completely amazed.
