See / Eat / Stay : Melbourne +

Oh me oh my things are busy right now aren't they? I'd say I'm barely keeping my head above water but actually I think my head is under water. And I'm using a straw as a snorkel... Anyhoo, onwards and upwards! 

Welcome to the inaugural See / Eat / Stay post. I travel a lot but I'm not really a Travel Blogger, I'm more of a Travel Slide Shower (but at least I do it on the web so you can quietly leave the room when you're bored and I won't get offended). 

I'll probably never be a Travel Blogger, but I do do lots of fun stuff in lots of places. The See / Eat / Stay posts are about sharing some of that information with you, in bite sized form. And maybe they'll help you find some fun things for yourself if you're heading to Melbourne or Sydney or Hong Kong or Wherever? 

Okay, so here's what I got up to during my week in Melbourne (and surrounds). 

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See / Cape Schanck Lighthouse - Mum and I headed down to the Mornington Penninsula for a night, and chanced upon a beautiful blue sky day. We visited the Cape Schanck Lighthouse, quite a spectacular part of the coast with lots of (poorly signed but well maintained) walkways and paths to explore. We also found out you can stay at the cottages at the Lighthouse - how great would that be?

See / Lamington Drive - I managed to pop in to this great gallery just in time to catch the end of 'A Hidden Place', the gorgeous exhibition featuring colabs by my sister and Kat Mcleod. Loved the show and the space. Regardless of whatever exhibition is on they have loads of ace affordable prints for sale (and some amazing terrariums too). 

See / Maiike Store, Hawthorn - (I'd call it Kew, but apparently it's Hawthorn so...) This is kind of the area I grew up in - the east of Melbourne - and I get a bit excited when I see hip new retail pop up here. This shop is really wonderful - a gorgeous mix of locally designed clothing, handmade toys and blankets, and carefully curated international labels (like Donna Wilson). I could have taken one of everything if my bank account / suitcase would have coped. 

See / Markit @ Fed Square - I always love it when one of my visits home coincides with a great market, and this trip I was pretty excited to be able to finally check Markit out. It's a craft market that has a reputation for quality and it didn't disappoint. I picked up a few goodies, including these cards of awesome by Madeleine Stamer (my new illustration / colour crush), printspace (clean, happy designs) and hannakin (a new find for me, the quirkiest cards you ever did see!). The next Markit is happening in November.

Eat / Kumo Izakaya, Brunswick East - I've eaten here a few times and it's always delicious. And I love the decor. And the uber hip, slightly eccentric waiter that I seem to get every time I go. I highly recommend starting with a umeshu and soda. Or two. And get the beef tataki. They also cater very well to those of you with food allergies (I know you're out there), with separate menus for dairy, wheat, gluten, etc, free dishes. 

Eat / Omah's, Hawthorn - I had lunch with my Dad at this Malaysian restaurant in Hawthorn. We picked it at random, but it turned out to be a fine choice! Good service, nice decor and it was pretty damn tasty (although I am both laksa obsessed and laksa deprived so I may not have been the most discerning judge...). 

Eat / T'Gallant, Main Ridge - On our Mornington Peninsula sojourn we stopped by T'Gallant wineries for lunch. Tasty! (The glass of pinot gris was especially so!). 

Eat / Albert St Food & Wine, Brunswick - Another awesome thing about this trip was that I was in town for my nephew's 10th birthday (you miss a lot of birthdays living overseas...). Being the first double digit birthday, my sister wanted to do something a bit special, so we took him out for a fancy meal. Great food, and really great service. This has gone on my 'must take the husband to' list.

Stay / Mum's House, Kew - Ummm. I wouldn't recommend this. Unless you are me. But for me it works. This is the house I grew up in, and it's full of little reminders of childhood fun times (see that rainbow wallpaper behind my Mum's pile of scarves? From memory my sister and I chose this for the room when we shared it. Pretty awesome, yes?). It's in desperate need of a ton of maintenance. Actually, it's in desperate need of a major renovation. But, it still has the same calming welcoming feel it had when I was a kid and I always sleep like a relaxed log when I stay there!

*The photo at the very top of the post was taken as I was coming in to land rather early on a crisp Melbourne morning. That glowing blob you see is actually the moon! The sun was rising on the other side of the plane, turning the sky the most amazing colours. Was quite a gorgeous way to be welcomed home!