We had planned to go camping over the Easter weekend until we saw the weather forecast.
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While tents and swags are our preferred camping lodgings, they aren’t the most pleasant quarters to shelter in when stuck out bush in the rain.
So we were left scratching our heads on what to do to not waste a whopping four days off, with obviously no accommodation available anywhere at the last minute (and not really room for it in the weekend’s budget anyway).
With Good Friday trading reminiscent of a strict COVID-19 lockdown, we hung about home enjoying our local spaces walking the dog, exploring the botanic gardens, riding scooters and bikes, and catching up with family for fish and chips.
Come Saturday the young still weren’t out of bed by 10am, but their restless mother roused them not long after as anxiety that the day was slipping too far away took hold.
I called a family meeting in the lounge room to decide what we’d do and offered some options.
Getting them to agree on something wasted another hour.
Although we’ve visited more times than we can remember, we decided to head to Kyabram Fauna Park and see the meerkats that have moved in since our last visit and check out the brand new reptile centre that only opened this month — it’s impressive.
Sunday saw our annual customary Easter egg hunt take place in the front yard (away from the dog!).
After more chocolate than should be legal was consumed for breakfast, everyone was just sitting around like potatoes.
Except the youngest. He was flitting around in a sugar-fuelled frenzy like a spinning top.
So to pep the majority of us up and calm the minority down (and make him step away from the Easter eggs), we made our way to the cinema for a movie (with youngest sneaking some eggs for the road anyway).
One more day remained and we still didn’t really feel we’d made the most of the weekend, so we decided to go exploring in the Big Smoke.
No trip to Melbourne is ever really cheap, but I was determined to make this one as cost-efficient as possible, starting with taking the train instead of driving.
Once upon a time it would have cost me $80 for the four of us to get to Melbourne and back on the train.
Comparable with what it would cost in diesel, but even with tollway and parking fees on top, it was still more appealing to take our own vehicle so we could travel to our own timetable.
But now the Victorian Government has lowered train fares, there is no comparison.
Not only did it cost me just $16.50 for return tickets for all four of us (not each), the ticket also included travel on all trams and trains in the city for the day as well.
We didn’t take advantage of the trams though, instead opting to walk 22km throughout the day on our self-curated tour on foot.
Besides lunch (which can be as inexpensive or expensive as you make it in Melbourne, with such a variety of eateries), a $15 adult entry to the Melbourne Museum (kids 15 and under are free) and a few $2 coins for the Kono Karaoke booths, we filled the rest of our nine-hour visit for free.
First stop was the Wild About Babies exhibition along the waterfront at Point Park in Docklands, where we found 20 life-sized bronze sculptures of endangered baby animals, created by artists Gillie and Marc to build awareness of vulnerable species.
From there we walked towards Flinders St, via a look at Polly Woodside, and instead of just viewing from the outside like we have on so many occasions, we entered to take a look at the remarkable historic architecture inside the train station.
Further along Flinders St we were swallowed up by the even more breathtakingly imposing architecture within St Paul’s Cathedral. Again, it’s a place we’ve walked by countless times admiring and photographing the grandeur of its charming exterior, but had never stepped inside.
We weaved in and out of city laneways pondering the connotations behind street art, as we made our way to Fitzroy Gardens where we circled Captain Cook’s Cottage, found a waterfall, fairy tree and mini Tudor Village before seeking shelter inside The Conservatory when the clouds above started leaking.
We wandered to Collingwood for lunch where we ate in an old Hitachi train carriage sitting atop a three-storey building overlooking the city that has been converted to a restaurant called Easey’s.
I’d expected to pay through my teeth for eating at such a novel location, but our meals were all between $10 and $15 a head. And downright delicious, too.
Upon rainbow footpaths painted with Pride in Collingwood, we travelled to Carlton for a look inside the Melbourne Museum and its current exhibitions and its amazing new outdoor gallery (where eel-feeding takes place daily).
By the time the museum closed at 5pm, we still had a fair hike back to the train station for our journey home, but still a little time to kill, so much to two of our party’s disapproval, we stopped by the coin slot karaoke venue on Little Lonsdale St to belt out a few off-key tunes in a private booth.
It was a hoot and a laugh to top off a full, fun and almost free day in the city, even if we did find ourselves running our already overworked tootsies to the train station to avoid missing our ride home.
So if you, like us, are a little restless these school holidays, you can now get your whole family to Melbourne and back for under 30 bucks and fill in a whole day with new sights for next to nothing.
Just make sure you wear comfy shoes.
Senior journalist