The walking & culture day.

We booked a walking tour of the city to rekindle our knowledge of all things Melbourne and headed to Fed Square for a meet up with Sam, our guide for the day.

On the way we had a brief walk around the graffiti strewn street walls and went to the National Gallery of Victoria where the AO tennis was a key theme.

The walking tour took us to a range of buildings, old and new, with the first being the Anglican Church St Paul’s, one of the oldest buildings in the city, before the juxtaposition another graffiti strewn street, Hosier Lane.

After a very enjoyable 2hrs meandering around the city, the tour finished at Queen Victoria Street market, the largest in the city.

After leaving the tour we sampled some cold meat and cheeses, before Andy’s sweet tooth kicked in and he purchased a Sicilian cannoli. Wow it was good!

The market is huge and offers a huge array of fresh produce, much of which is sold at less than the supermarket prices. As a result it’s very popular with the locals and tourists alike.

We then headed to Shot tower, inside the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, before moving opposite to the Victorian state library.

Not only is the library home to a massive array of books and publications, it also houses Ned Kelly’s helmet and memorabilia.

Keeping with the cultural theme, we returned to NGV and viewed the largest stained glass ceiling in the world and the Melbourne tennis ball exchange! An interesting combination.

As the heat kicked in and after a hour of taking in the various art displays, we went for a stroll on the Southbank for ice cream and a brief trip to a factory outlet to purchase sports gear whilst the sales are on.

This evening we upped the ante on the food stakes and went to a restaurant called Gimlet.

It had been recommended and was very popular with the foodie elite. Whilst the setting was impressive with an Art Deco leaning, the prices were off the charts and we quickly retreated after starters to a price point we can afford, Woolworths for salad take-out!

Now watching the AO tennis and hoping Sinner can pull it back despite losing the first two sets.