Melbourne, Australia - Anna Wu Photography

We’ve finally made it to the final stop of our whirlwind tour through New Zealand and Australia: Melbourne. Our stay was only two days long, but we all fell for the city in that short time. Melbourne and Sydney have a running rivalry much like LA vs. New York or maybe LA vs. SF. (And Melbourne would be SF). I think Melbourne is the city for me, over Sydney. But I would love to revisit and spend more time in both. So let’s jump into it.

How cute is our airbnb? These matching twin beds were perfect for Evelyn and me.

Threw ourselves a mini tea party with the Noble & Savage tea that Jon picked up from Supreme Supreme in Christchurch. And Tim Tams from the grocery store.

Oh, and the view from our airbnb? Epic.

I left a gopro running on time lapse mode while we went out to dinner. It came together so beautifully!

Dinner at Chin Chin, a super stylish, hipster Southeast Asian place. Probably overhyped, but nice ambiance.

The next morning, we started off on a self-guided walking tour that Young and Jess had found online. I loved this little print shop and picked up a gold foil map of Australia for my map wall.

While Jon, Pei, and Evelyn were shopping, I ducked in to the State Library of Victoria. Gorgeous reading room inside!

At night, we headed to dinner at one of the top restaurants in the world, Attica. Jon managed to secure a reservation months in advance.

At the end of the meal, we were the last guests remaining, and our host came over to chat and also show off this fake “wedding photo” staged by the owner/chef Ben Shewry and owner/chef of San Francisco’s Mission Chinese, Danny Bowien the week before we arrived. HA. But apparently the two are good buddies in real life and collaborate together regularly.

A fantastic meal and a wonderful experience.

Morning light! Our last full day in Melbourne.

I got out early in the morning to start wandering the graffiti alleys on my own.

I also visited a couple free museums: The Australian Centre for the Moving Image.

The Ian Potter Centre of the National Gallery of Victoria.

After I rejoined the group, we all crossed the river to the National Gallery of Victoria for a blockbuster exhibit on Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei.

I was way too delighted by the floating balloon exhibit with birds and ALPACAS! Specifically labeled thusly: “The Animal that Looks like a Llama but is Really an Alpaca.” But it’s apparently a double entendre expletive in Chinese. Something about mocking government censorship.

This carpet of white porcelain flowers may look familiar to those who visited Ai Weiwei’s exhibit on Alcatraz a couple years ago. And the lego portraits above too.

It was easily one of the most well-produced museum exhibits I’ve ever seen, especially the kids’ elements, including a cat-themed photo booth and a kids’ book on the two artists.

Finally, I headed down to the Shrine of Remembrance, which Young and Jess had visited and found really well done. This is the city view from atop the memorial.

Inside, extensive museum exhibits on World War I and conflicts since. Unfortunately, I only made it there just before closing, so I did only a quick runthrough of the space.

Lest we forget.

That night, Young and Jess left for their flights to Taiwan, and Jon, Pei, Evelyn and I visited the Queen Victoria night market. Sadly, we didn’t really have cash, so we ended up not buying anything.

Cool to walk through though!

And finally, Jon and Pei headed to Taiwan too, and Evelyn headed to LA! Leaving me in the apartment for one last night before I headed back to San Francisco in the morning.

What an incredible journey. Recap the entire three weeks in the New Zealand and Australia series, and read up on my Melbourne tips below.

Visit Melbourne

The Central Business District (CBD) of Melbourne is very walkable, plus there’s a local tram that is completely free within the downtown zone. Super convenient.
Take a self-guided walking tour and go shopping. Alleys, arcades, and boutiques abound.
Explore all of the graffiti alleys on this walking tour.
Visit Signed and Numbered for some great art pieces to take home.
Pick up a tasty treat at Doughnut Time.
Peek into the State Library of Victoria. The reading room is a gorgeous one.
Visit the world class art museum at the National Gallery of Victoria International. It’s unfortunate that the Warhol Weiwei exhibit was only a temporary one– it’s currently at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh through August 2016– but the NGV is worth visiting anyway.
The Shrine of Remembrance isn’t exactly a cheery experience, but it’s a sobering and well-done memorial. Best with a tour. Don’t miss the rooftop view of Melbourne either.
Reserve ahead of time for a meal at Attica, currently #33 of the top 50 restaurants in the world. Ask them about Ben Shewry and David Bowien’s “wedding portrait”.
Bring cash and check out the Queen Victoria Market / Night Market.

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often traveling and working around the world. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View her work at annawu.com, follow her daily adventures on instagram, or contact her to book your own session today.