A friend from Canada (French Canadian) decided to come visit Australia, Melbourne for a few days so it was up to me to show her what an awesome place Melbourne is.

Today was a sunny though a little chilly day in Melbourne. We had a relaxing day by visiting National Gallery of Victoria and ACMI (Australian Centre Of Moving Image) in the Southbank which are all FREE :).

National Gallery of Victoria International

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) International is located next to the Victorian Arts Centre at St Kilda Rd. We went through the permanent exhibitions as they were free.

Despites all the collections inside, the other point of interest is the Gallery building itself. As you enter NGV, you will see a water gate - which is flowing with water constantly on the NGV glass window. The water here is recycled and travels throughout the building.

My favourite place in the Gallery is the Garden Restaurant which overlooks the beautiful landscaped Garden. The Garden itself is very serene as it’s in the middle of the city but very quiet. I’d definitely recommend that if you worked close by to take an hour of your lunch and just sit there an admire it.

ACMI - Autralian Centre of Moving Image

Just across the NGV International onto Federation square is the home to ACMI (Australian Centre Of Moving Image). This place is dedicated to moving images including films,video games and anything else that has to do with images.

This place is great for both adults and kids. You will experience moving images in the most contemporary ways. I could have easily spent a whole day here. There’s a paid exhibition that you can attend but the free one will certainly keep you entertained.

ACMI also hosts Freaky Friday night where they have a horror movie screening, scarey! If you haven’t been to ACMI before make sure you visit it - you’re guaranteed to have a ball :).  

After NGV and ACMI we decided it was time for a coffee break.

Koko Black

In between our galleries and walking around the city, we managed to have cappucinos at Koko Black. There are many places to have coffee and hot chocolates around Melbourne. One of my favourite is Koko Black at the Block Arcade (off Bourke Street Mall).

You enter the cafe through a lovely arcade with its black and white tiles and nicely decorated arch ceiling. Entering koko black, you’ll be tempted with lots of chocolates on display.

Make sure you go up to the second floor and choose a window seat. The window is a single view which means you can see the outside without them being able to see you. The seats in Koko Black Block Arcade is very cosy as they have one of those hard big leather couches. The place is very serene and through the window, you can watch busy shoppers from the top :).My favourite seat by the window at Koko Black 2nd floor at Block Arcade in Melbourne (very serene and relaxing)

Of course, visiting Koko Black won’t be complete without ordering a hot chocolate or cappuccinno with freshly shaved high quality chocolate.

Afternoon wine & dine time!

Bear Brass- Kangaroo Meat and Beer Anyone?

One of my french canadian friend’s requirement while visiting Australia was to try Kangaroo Meat. I decided to take her for a late afternoon wine and Kangaroo meat at a bar along Melbourne Southbank overlooking Yarra River. The place I chose was Bear Brass.

We managed to share a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and feasted on:

A grilled kangaroo meat - medium rare cooked Kangaroo meat served with warm pumpkin, feta cheese, rocket and pine nuts salad.

We also had a side dish which was a divine warm of mixed olives with a dash of rosemary and thyme herb.

That sums up a nice day in Melbourne. We went back just in time to have a quick rest and get ready for rooftop bar drinks and dinner.

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2. The Eureka Tower (Level 88 & 89) - Bird Eye View of Melbourne
3. Birds Eye View of Melbourne - Which one would you rather be?
4. Movida (Melbourne) - The best Spanish tapas in Melbourne
5. Sofitel Atrium Bar (Level 35) - Bird Eye View of Melbourne

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