Immigration Museum Melbourne

April 3, 2012April 6, 2012 / susannacsmith / 2 Comments

I only appreciate museums if I am passionate about the subject matter on offer and Melbourne’s Immigration Museum is all that. Immigration is a contentious topic in Australia and a visit to this museum puts things in context. The history of migration to Australia is well presented here, and it stands as a timely reminder to all non-indigenous Australians that we are all boat people.

The permanent displays recreate typical immigration experiences such as the post WWII ship cabin below. You can also partake in a virtual immigration interview, you choose the date. There are online stations that document all the stages and origins of immigrants to Australia that make fascinating reading. A specialist library and information service is onsite to assist with research into anything immigration related.

The museum hosts regular guest exhibitions and at the time of my visit the harrowing tale of British child migrants was being told through On Their Own: Britain’s Child Migrants.

Address:400 Flinders Street Melbourne, VIC 3000

Further information is available at the Immigration Museum website.

Indie melbourne

April 2, 2012April 26, 2012 / susannacsmith / Leave a comment

Once I had satisfied my appetite at the Queen Vic markets it was time to move on to Melbourne’s indie heartland of Fitzroy.
The walk takes me through the Carlton gardens, home to the world heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building.

The IMAX and Melbourne museum next door provide a great architectural juxtaposition.

I wander up George street where I stumble across Pamela Bakes garage store Page Two, an eclectic treasure trove of second hand books with a bit of vintage jewelry thrown into the mix. I could have spent hours in this place. The books are in great condition and include rare, out of print titles. There’s not much Pam doesn’t know about books, so ask her!

I briefly visit the Centre for Contemporary Photography further down George Street. Works by NZ’s Yvonne Todd give business portraits new perspective in Wall of Man while Nicholas Mangan’s Some Kind of Duration uses a burnt out photocopier, projected images and industrial sounds to represent the demolition of the Pyrmont incinerator in Sydney

I continue on to Smith Street where I browse through Memorabilia on Smith, a shop packed to the rafters with just about anything you would want to hoard: figurines, comics, badges, signs, dolls, a large collection of football memorabilia and a set of laughing clowns (the type you feed with ping pong balls at a fair). I think just about anything you would hope to unearth would be found somewhere in this collection.

Next stop is at Monsieur Truffe Choclats fins in Smith Street for a chocolate fix of almond clusters with a hot chocolate chaser.

The walk back to town took in the lovely Fiztroy Gardens and the Treasury Gardens.

Sunday in Melbourne

April 1, 2012April 6, 2012 / susannacsmith / Leave a comment

A visit to the deli section of the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne is one of life’s pleasures. The combined scent of ground coffee, cheese, salami and fresh pastry fills the air as you do your best to decide what’s on the menu for the day. Most of the family businesses here have been going for generations and there is a large range of produce from across the globe available to try.
I pace between stalls and watch the locals to get tips, after all, deciding what to eat is the hardest part of coming here. The Turkish borek stall is doing the swiftest trade, followed by the bratwurst place. As I’m not suffering from a hangover, I give the bratwurst a miss and toss up between the Burek at Drago’s or the all popular borek. Burek, Borek, what’s the difference? Not a lot, both have Turkish roots but Burek is the version popular in the former Yugoslavian countries while borek is Turkish. I decide to buck the trend and go for the Burek at Drago’s. Unlike traditional Burek, it is made in long rolls that are easy to eat on the go from a paper bag. I get the cheese and spinach. It is fresh, light and at $2, a bargain. I decide that one is never enough and head back for more.