Travel to Australia

Day 5 Melbourne - Sydney

We started the city tour walking through the Flagstaff Gardens, located in front of the St. James Old Cathedral, which was built around 1847 and consecrated as a cathedral in 1853, but was moved to its current location in 1913. It was the Anglican cathedral of the city until that of St.Pauls was built in 1891. We crossed the Flagstaff Gardens towards the corner of Latrobe with William Street in search of the Rialto Towers. Going down William Street we pass in front of the buildings of Old Royal Mint (the former mint that processed the gold from the Victoria sites) and the Supreme Court (design inspired by the Dublin courthouse).

The Rialto Towers are two 40 and 58-story buildings (253 meters high) built in 1986. The South Tower is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere and on its upper floor is an observation platform that allows you to enjoy views of the whole city. It was built by the architect author of the new casino located across the Yarra River. The luxurious Le Meridien hotel is located at the north base of the complex. From this point, either along the river bank or along Collins Street, we head towards one of the city's nerve centers, the Flinders Station.

The Flinders Station, the most important and oldest railway terminal in Victoria, is located next to the Yarra River and St Kilda Road. This point is the one that joins the financial center of the city (and especially with the architecturally famous Swanston Street) with the city's cultural and landscaped area. The building was built in 1854, although it was extended in 1910. The building, built with bright yellow bricks and a bronze dome, is one of the most characteristic of the city. The station has a main platform of 700 meters, which is the longest in the country.

The Yarra River is another of the tourist centers of the city. At its shores is the Crown Casino, a whole entertainment complex that includes restaurants and shops. It is also an ideal area to take boats that take walks along the river. Other adjoining buildings are the National Gallery of Victoria or the spectacular Victorian Arts Center, with a spiral of 115 meters. In the area farthest from the river, in front of the Melbourne Convention Center, is the Polly Woodside Museum, which has as its main element of this maritime museum a restored ship from 1885.

To the south of the Yarra river are two of the most important gardens in the city: Kings Domain and Royal Botanic Gardens. Among the first is the Myer Music Bowl. Between both gardens is the governor's house, built in Italian style during the time of the gold rush, where the Queen of England is staying when she visits Melbourne. Another of the buildings located in the area is the Shrine of Remembrance, a monument that honors 114,000 Victoria men and women killed during the First World War. The monument was built between 1928 and 1934. At its feet is the flame of the unknown soldier in homage to the soldiers who died during World War II.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, created over 150 years ago, contain one of the best collections of botanical species. One of its best attractions is the ornamental Lake, which reflects the influence of the 18th-century British gardens, which used water as a decorative element. On the west side of the park is the old Melbourne observatory and La Trobe's Cottage, a house made in the United Kingdom and brought here in 1839 where Charles La Trobe, first governor of Victoria lived.

On our way back to the financial district, we pass by St. Paul's Cathedral, the Anglican cathedral built in 1866 to replace that of St. James, heading back to Collins Street. In this street we find the Regent Theater (which stands out for its impressive lobby) and the Scot´s Church. Perhaps one of its greatest charms is to see the contrast between these buildings and the neighboring skyscrapers. A clear example is the number 120 of the same street, in which a 262 meter high skyscraper was built in 1991 respecting an old 1867 building built in federation style. At the end of the street is the Parlamient area, where you can visit the Fitzroy Gardens, the Princess Theater, the treasure building, the Parliament House and the St. Patrick's cathedral, one of the best examples of neo-Gothic religious architecture of the world.

Our last walk through the city was through the streets of Chinatown on Little Bourke Street, through the Central Station shopping center, which has one of the largest cone-shaped glass structures in the world. Finally we go to the Royal Exhibition Building (built for the Universal Exhibition of 1880), passing in front of the Old Melbourne Gaol, the Old Magistrate Court and the State Library, all of them located in the upper area of the financial center (where Victoria Market also stands out). Finally we go to the Spencer Street Station where we take a night train that takes us to Sydney, city where we arrived at 06: 25h.