We eventually found a flat to rent for two months in Fitzroy – hipster capital of Melbourne. Everyone in Fitzroy appears to adhere to the same dress code – giant beard, neck tattoo, skinny jeans, checked shirt. Pete even relented and purchased his very first pair of skinny jeans! Thankfully he held his ground on the neck tattoo. Highlights from our time in Fitzroy included picnics in the beautiful Carlton Gardens, amazing brunches in the many cafes of Brunswick Street and Smith Street (I ate my bodyweight in poached eggs and avocado, shakshuka and avocado-feta smash), soaking in the ever-changing street art, devouring banh mi from N.Lee and gelato from Gelato Messina on Smith Street, and beers with a view in Naked for Satan, a rooftop bar with views of the city.

Carlton Gardens

Crazy street art

During our time in Fitzroy, we were treated to a visit from Deborah and Rob, our friends from Scotland, who were over for work and a trip to Tasmania. We had Deborah to ourselves for a few days while Rob was working in Sydney and took a trip to the beautiful Mornington Peninsula – the wine region 1-2 hours south-east of Melbourne. We had lunch in a winery which looked a bit like a James Bond villain’s lair from the outside but had the most beautiful floor to ceiling views of the rolling countryside from the inside, followed by a bracing walk out to Cape Schanck at the southern tip of the peninsula.

Cape Schanck, Mornington Peninsula

Birkenstock sisters

When Deborah arrived back from Tassie with Rob in tow, we spent a couple of great nights with them, sampling some of the fantastic Asian food on offer in Collingwood (I think all curry should be served in a coconut), enjoying some questionable  comedy in town and lots of catching up over beers.

Coconut curry with Deborah and Rob at Masak Masak

We managed to catch the annual Night Noodle Markets in Birrarung Marr on the banks of the Yarra twice while they were on. It’s basically a collection of the best Asian restaurants in town, outside, with cheaper prices, and beer – what’s not to like? We sampled dishes from several Top Hat restaurants (Ozzie equivalent of a Michelin star, sort of) including Longrain and Chin Chin, soaked in the buzzing atmosphere and felt very content in our new surroundings.

Night Noodle Markets

On our last night in Fitzroy, we took ourselves along to Opera in the Bowl, an annual free event in the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, where a collection of opera singers come together to perform tome of the most famous songs from various operas. We packed a lavish picnic of salads, breads, cheese, chocolate and wine and arrived early to bag a good seat on the lawn. The atmosphere was fantastic with a mix of young and old from all backgrounds. After devouring the first course of our picnic and a spot of gadding about pretending to be opera singers, we settled down to watch the show. We were blown away by the goose-pimple-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck-inducing performances of pieces from La Traviata, Carmen, Madame Butterfly and The Pearl Fishers. It gave us a taste for the real thing and we are now dying to see a full opera. A fantastic end to the first leg of our Melbourne adventure!

The newest members of the Chorus

Picnicing at the Opera – how fancy!