Melbourne Part 3 in The OpenDiary (OD) Days!

Melbourne - Part 3 - 6/11/2005

I have had the biggest day yet today.  I am absolutely buggered and my legs are caining me!  I'm actually writing this entry on a Sunday because I was too exhausted when I got home yesterday to even write!

Okay I'm going to try to summarise everything I did.  I caught my first paid tram today.  I decided I was going to go to St. Kilda.  So I did!  I was lucky from walking around, I vaguely knew where to catch the tram I needed.  Luckily the "St. Kilda Beach" tram came along.  I had bought a Metcard from a newsagency and validated it when I boarded the tram, as I presumed I was suppose to.  I said in a previous entry that the trams go rather slow.  I was wrong.  When the trams get out of the city areas, the tracks go wider, and the trams can really pick up some speed!  I guessed it was going at maybe 50/60k/ph.  The tram arrived at St. Kilda station and I got off there.  I wondered how far St. Kilda beach was from there, but figured I'd explore a bit first, besides, I could always catch another tram later on.  St. Kilda is a popular place!  So many people, mainly teenagers and those in their 20's i noticed.  I walked along trendy footpaths, with restaurants & pubs lining either sides of the main street.  i passed one called "The prince of Wales" hotel, and remembered from reading in a brochure, that it was a gay pub.  There werent that many people in there being about 11am (just a few older guys), but apparently at night it's a really popular club.  I kept walking around the corner, and caught my first on-land sighting of the Tasman Sea.  It was really pretty, with many people out for a swim or walking their dogs on the beach.  I kept following the tram tracks, taking heaps more photos along the way, and I couldn't believe it - Right there, not even realising where I was, was Luna Park.  I read a bit of the history and apparently Melbourne's Luna Park was the first one built in Australia, 22 years before the one in Sydney was built!  It was the first theme park I have seen that allows you to view all the rides and the park facilities before purchasing a ticket.  I didn't go on any of the rides, just took heaps of pictures.  I wandered around St. Kilda for ages, amazed at the amount of culturalism the suburb had.  There were Italian Pizza places and Jewish cake shops everywhere!  Some were so pretty.  I then went back to the city via the no. 96 tram, and walked past the Queen Victorian Markets.  They were closed by that time and they were cleaning up, but my GOD do people leave a mess!  There were pallets and plastic bags strewn everywhere, it was such a pigsty - I can't believe this was caused by one Saturday's trading!  Anyway I finally found 'Peel Street', which is where this bar was that this cute guy who I spoke to on the net (who's pic I posted in a previous entry) was suppose to work.  I got on and off trams and walked all the way along the length of that street, but do you thnik I could find it? NO.  So I thought i must be wrong.  I walked back to my room in a hope that maybe I'd written it down somewhere, and maybe it wasn't 'peel street' at all.  Luckily I had written it down, and it wasn't Peel street!  It was Inkermann Street!  So after much searching on the net, I found out that Inkermann Street was, in all palces, St. Kilda!  I couldn't believe it, I had already been there today!  I was trying to decide whether I wanted to go or not, and I finally did.  I threw on my jeans and a hlaf-decent shirt, and my jacket, and walked back down to where I had to catch the '96' tram.  This lady was waiting there and she was shivering from the cold.  Somehow I got talking to her, and turns out she actually lives in St. kilda.  She talked to me most of the way there, and I told her where I was going, and she told me she knew exactly how to get there!  She even told me to get off at the same stop she was getting off at, and she'd walk me down the street cos she lived down that way.  She arrived at her home and told me to keep going down the street, and a few other directions.  I thanked her very much for all her help, and I kept walking.  Something about walking the streets of Melbourne that you don't know at night-time that's kinda unsettling, so I was hugging myself trying to not only keep warm, but make it look like I could've had a weapon in my jacket-pocket.  Haha, pathetic I know.

I found the place i was looking for.  Couldn't believe I was there.  "Pink" nightclub, in bright neon pink lights.  It was a separate section of the same pub, with the boring blokey-straight-type-signs to the left of the building near a different entrance.  i was a bit scared to go in, and I walked past it about 4 times, and even ventured off to a nearby servo cos it was only 8:45pm and I figured I was way too early.  Anyway  I went back and got the guts to open the door, and go in.  3 drag queens greeted me happily at the door, saying, "that'll be six dollars, darl!" and I went in.  There were a few people there, probably about 40, at least 10 of them being drag queens.  Gee they were good!  I absolutely love drag queens, as long as they don't talk freakishly to me, haha nah I really wouldn't mind if they did.  This one 'chick' looked so good, she looked so much like a chick.  I only knew the difference because she was much too tall and acted like a gay guy, although the face and smile were down-packed!

The place was very small!  Sort of like a church hall, but with colourful tinsel and streamers down the walls and a cool sound system.  I bought a vodka cruiser so I wouldn't look too out of place, and stood in a corner near the sound-desk all night.  No-one said a word to me and nor did I.  I really wanted to tell that drag queen how good her outfit was though.  I spent all night looking for the guy I had spoken too online, but I couldn't see him anywhere - no-one looked anything like him.  he told me he worked there on weekends, and I just wanted to thank him for his help.  So I've come to the conclusion that he either was sick, or he was one of the drag queens.  haha.  Turns out that Melbourne has a 'Miss Melbourne Drag' competition, and I got to see Heat 2 of the competition!  I so wish I could see the others, but obviously I'll be back in Brissy next Saturday!  I left at about 11pm cos I really didn't wanna miss the last tram back to the city, cos I only had like $20 I brought out with me left, and I really didnt wanna pay for a taxi.  Walking back down the same street, there were 2 females standing on the corner.  It didn't occur to me why they were there until, as I walked past, one asked me if I 'wanted some' - ewwww female hookers, don't THINK so.  My tram finally arrived and at the next stop, this REALLY drunk chick stumbled onto the train and literally fell into the seat next to me.  I talked to her all the way home!  She'd just been at a gay friend of her's 23rd birthday party, and she got absolutely smashed.  haha, yeh apparently.  She said she was sorry if I didn't like poofter's or gay guys, and I stated, "I am one! Why would I be?" and she goes, "Really!?' and we gave each other a huge hug.  She asked me how old I thought she was, and I looked at her and said I couldn't tell but she looked around about 29 or 30.  She then stated she was 43!  That's just over double my age!  She then went on saying she was from Perth, but had moved to Melbourne 6 years ago and she absolutely loves the place!!  Her name was Lindsey. 

Omg I can't even fit in everything I did!  I went to the Melbourne Observation Deck.  It is the tallest office building in the Southern Hemisphere, standing at 255 meters!  The view of Melbourne from up there was absolutely astonishing.  I took so many photos!  A bit out of order this entry, but I'm certainly making use of my time here!  Whoa, big day, big entry! :) Oh, I also know how to get back to the airport on Wednesday now! Just gotta get up REALLY early!

Notes: --------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm going to Luna Park on Saturday! We're having a St Kilda day that day. [frangipani] 6/15/2005 8:40:14 AM

hey!! hehe they say melbourne is the "gang capital" of australia...no wonder you didn't feel safe walking around at night! you were being stalked by melbourne mafia! (that sounds SO corny!!:P)

ewww....PINK nightclub....hates pink with a vengeance:)

[dysfunctional_faerie] 6/16/2005 7:42:56 AM

oh my gosh I sooooo wish I was there with you... St Kilda... Noel lives in St Kilda.... :'( but yeah. As you may or may not know, you got off the tram about 3 stops too early for the beach, there's actually a beach stop on the trams. Sounds like you had some interesting experiences with the local nightlife. Now to read part 4....

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ [~Tiffany~] 6/16/2005 3:32:26 PM

Last updated May 12, 2014