[AU; 2026] First Stop - Melbourne | Australia Flash Weekday Trip
Part 1 of my flash weekday trip to Australia
Day 1
First stop was Melbourne! Was lucky to get an empty seat next to me on the Qantas flight:
Checking in Hotel
The Howey
Tried a new place this time and I really liked it - probably my top hotel stay in Melbourne so far! Arrived early, and they gave me a complimentary early check-in.
The room was neat, spacious, nothing to pick on:
I like how the wet and dry were divided - but will be a little awkward for non-couples staying because the sliding door can only close either the wet or dry.
Some small details of the hotel:
I thought it will be noisy - but surprisingly I was given a inner court view and it was so peaceful even though there were shops just right below:
If you're staying for a long period - washing machines were available for a small cost.
The hotel has a gym too - it was well maintained with a water cooler. The water cooler was a gem - I didn't had the chance to do my supermarket runs to get drinking water.
What I found was there was a shortcut to the tram station by walking through the Dymocks Melbourne building. That was a lifesaver as it saved so much time!
Exploring State Library Victoria
I didn't manage to fully explore it during my last visit, so this time I managed to cover areas I didn't see previously.
State Library Victoria
It was such a pretty historical place:
What I really liked was this lego structure of the library:
Because this was exactly me with the birds:
Dinner
Ended the working day with a nice dinner at this Australian restaurant:
Farmer's Daughters
Everything was delicious, just the portion were small. I would recommend if you're looking for a place to enjoy fresh local produce and don't mind paying a premium. Definitely a perfect place to hang out with some family and friends for a cozy night out.
Day 2
Breakfast
There was a cafe right at the hotel lobby - and google review shows that it was a very famous crossiant place:
Time After Time
I'm not a breakfast person but the crossiant smell were lingering around the lobby all day that I decided to try. Based on google review, the Matcha Crossiant is one of the must have:
IT WAS AMAZING! That's all I could say.
I also order some fruit juice and they were freshly blended, it was yummy too:
I honestly think that it is probably the best crossiant I ever had! I would totally come again even if I'm not staying at The Howey.
Lunch & Tea break
My work appointments were all over meals, so much food on the second day:
Sergy Boy
Before lunch, I had a quick meeting at this cafe, which served really good beverages. They had a whole range of lunch options like sandwiches, salad and etc. Perfect if you're looking for a quick lunch.
I hoppped over to another appointment shortly:
Spicy Korea
They serves really nice Korean food - not as spicy as the name suggested. Everything was good and they do get really busy during lunch hours, so get there early.
Whenever someone asked me what they should try in Australia - my first answer will always be Korean cuisine. There is something special that make korean food delicious in Australia - probably the fresh local produce or the meat. It just hits perfectly.
My work appointments continued to tea break:
Le Petit Gateau
All the dessert looked great and I had a hard time deciding what to choose. This classic lemon tart was really good.
The final stop was over here:
The Atrium on 35
It was a bar within Sofitel, and I didn't know that Sofitel was so fancy! It was a eye openner! If you're staying somewhere near Sofitel, definitely check them out. The washrooms on the 35 floor has an amazing view of the park.
Penguins!
I added in a bit of fun after a long day of work appointments - St Kilda Penguins!
St Kilda Pier and Breakwater
Trying to get the tickets was like a concert tickets:
The tickets for the St Kilda Penguin Viewing Experience are released every Tuesday from 10 am AEST, for the following week's sessions. You will get a virtual queue number, and patiently wait for the page to load the booking page. Checkout the tickets, and you'll get an email for the QR code.
It was rather easy, just nerve wrecking if you get a big number like me. Learn more about this free experience over here: https://www.penguins.org.au/attractions/st-kilda/
I chose the Session 1, which was 30 minutes after sunset. If you don't get the tickets online, you can also queue on the spot in case of drop outs or cancellations.
They were so tiny & adorable - just a size of a bowling pin! Totally worth the time & effort. From what I heard - previously they didn't have barriers to protect the penguins and some people were capturing the penguins to bring them home as pets. So I'm glad they placed some emphasis to protect them!
Dinner
Asian fusion dinner! Sorry for the ugly photos below, the lighting wasn't the best.
Chin Chin
The mains were good and it somehow fixed my asian food cravings (although it was just day 2). But I would recommend to reserve a seat in advance, we did a walk-in and was given a small table which couldn't really fit the plates for 3 pax.
The staff were very attentative, they noted down dietary restrictions and alerted us that the desserts we ordered had gelatin which contains beef - which I don't take. To be honest, I'm not superb strict but since they pointed it out, we decided to swap items.
Ending the Melbourne trip in a happy note. Two more cities to go!
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