The Cosmopolitan Walk

Abandoning the Lanes and Arcades Walk, I once again made my way into Bourke Street to search for the Weathervanes. They are not too difficult to find if the sun is in the right place. They are four different types of animals that faced different directions.

Below these weathervanes are the three businessmen who brought their own lunch. They are three of Melbourne’s founding fathers, Batman, Swanston and Hoddle.

Walking into Little Bourke Street, I wandered into Chinatown with the old shops, mission halls and secret laneways. Turning into Hefferman Lane, I finally witness the walls of the Methodist Mission that warn: Commit No Nuisance, together with many others.

Along this part of Lonsdale Street, are some great Greek restaurants and is teeming with cafes and cakes shops, rich with the aroma of coffee and oregano. I remembered sis liked the desserts here, so I bought some to bring them home. Not sure if she would like them. When it comes to desserts, we have such different tastes.

Back in Chinatown, I was not tempted by the wide range of Asian food available. Even though there was the Shark Fin House, the Dragon Boat and the Flower Drum. I was beginning to miss mum’s cooking. Guess it’s really time to go home.

At Cohen Place, I turned into the main entrance of the Chinese Museum. I didn’t get to go as it has closed for the day. But I heard that it was home to the world’s biggest dragon.

In the heart of one of the oldest Chinatowns in the western world, this is the lane or street where the hardworking goldminers, herbalists and cabinetmakers settled down in the 1850s.

Turning into Little Bourke Street, I walked past the Gordon Place, now a luxury hotel apartment building but for many years a lodging house for homeless men.

After crossing Exhibition Street, I reach Her Majesty’s Theatre alongside the Chinatown Arch. Her Majesty’s has staged over 100 musicals since 1934. And there I reach the Tianjin Gardens, which according to the locals, is the place where Chinatown starts.

At Spring Street, right in the heart of the city, stood the famous Hotel Windsor – the grandest surviving hotel from the 1880s. The traditional afternoon tea is almost an institution. And at the Cricketers Bar, the discerning drinker can enjoy a whiskey and soda everyday from noon.

Rushing for the magic hour, I ran all the way to the Melbourne Observatory Deck on Collins Street. I guess it wouldn’t hurt for me to stay out till the sun goes down on my last night here in Melbourne.