Trams are free within the city centre - we took the tram! The Exhibition Building completed in 1880 was the largest building in Australia at that time and remains an exhibition space today. It is a stunningly beautiful building with a glorious cuppola at it's centre, restored to it's original colours in 1992 and featuring painted panels, a mezzanine floor and graceful spaces, filled today with the creations of an army of florists and garden enthusiasts. The creativity and beauty of the exhibits took your breath away.
Outside, the gardens, magnificent with aged oaks, towering figs and elms, beds of scarlet and orange cannas and lush lawns harbour the stalls, displays, and designs of Australia's gardening elite. The display gardens, representing everything from outback gardens, courtyards, retro landscapes, to the most futuristic creations charm, thrill and challenge. Designers are happy to share their visions, love and passion.
I found many inspirations but my favourite took a small space andfeatured an infinity pool, surrounded with dense plantings including white hydrangeas. Highlighted by a steel structure, the dining area was framed by a matching pergola. Pleached figs bordered the pathway leading to the dining area and the lush lawn, bisected by rectangular grey pavers. The whole garden was lush, cool and spectacular! Peaceful!
Many gardens featured water, sculptures, structures and dense planting.
Colour often came through mass planting of single species such as cyclamen, bulbs, daisies. Everywhere stall holders offered advice, the latest equipment, every possible seed, bulb and plant, old and new, ornaments and garden enhancements ever created.
Later we took a tram, not free this time and went out to St Kilda beach sitting to sip iced drinks and watch the bold, beautiful ( and not so beautiful) scene pass by. Sun bathers and rather a lot of old, wrinkly sunburned men toasted themselves on the green lawns or fine sands of the bay. The Grand Prix is in town so the mix of accents, languages and rather exotically looking people added to the mix.
A great day ended with Chinese food in Little Bourke Street - the China Town of Melbourne. Walking back to the hotel the streets are still full of people, the evening is still warm and Melbourne is still humming!
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