While Melbourne is one of the two big cities in Australia, it does have a magical feel to it if you dare to explore. We started with a cruise on the Yarra River that goes across the city suburbs, under monumental bridges and giant commercial ports. We ended up back where we started, close to Federation Square and its numerous art galleries, walked past the streets of the busy central business district, hopped on and off the trams and cheered as we saw the classic carriages pulled by groomed horses. After sunset, we kept strolling around the streets and only stopped at the Pancake House for a real treat.

The following day we kept the momentum with a good Israeli breakfast at the Jewish suburb of Caulfield. Then, we drove back to the city centre and climbed all the way to the top of the tallest building in town – the Eureka Skydeck. 285 metres above ground but only 38 seconds to get there thanks to the fastest elevator trip in the Southern Hemisphere. The 360-degree views were spectacular from the 88th floor. From the Australian Open tennis centre, to Albert Park Lake, Port Phillip Bay, the Dandenong Ranges and beyond.

Back down to earth, the kids insisted on taking a ride on the tram and we made it right on time for a spectacular display of fire by the river next to Crown hotel and a Formula One racing car on display. To wrap up our long visit to the big city, we spent the following day at Scienceworks Museum, a destination for curious minds of all ages, with an impressive planetarium, scientific experiments, sports display, nutrition, electronic devices and much more. We literally spent the whole day in there, inspired and motivated to learn.

Disclaimer: This blog post is a travel memoir about a caravan trip we have done all around Australia a few years back. Clearly, in the current COVID reality, the borders between Australian states and territories are intermittently closed, meaning such a wonderful and amazing experience would not be possible unfortunately.