My sister loves murals and street art so we had to come by and visit this area. It's a whole…read morealleyway of graffiti. It's very colorful and pleasing to the eyes, but it is dirty and it mostly consists of graffiti words and letters. There are a few art spaced out in between, but mostly it's just words. It's not a bad place to visit, but it's not something entirely unique. The good thing is it's not out of the way, it's located in between the main streets; so you could just make a short detour, take a look, and continue on your way.

Fantastic street art. Located immediately next to David Jones, blink and you'll miss it. The…read moreMelbourne Visitor Centre is right near Union Lane, in case you're having trouble finding it. One long narrow alley way, plastered with graffiti. Probably 2nd best laneway in Melbourne (next to Hosier - also check out Croft and Caledonian)

Friends of Merri Creek are a community group that have actively worked since 1988 to restore and…read moreprotect the Merri Creek, its environs and tributaries. They implement programmes to improve the creek as a natural wonder within the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne. In doing so they organise plantings, weedings and hands-on activities; litter blitzes, water quality testing, bird surveys, talks, walks and tours; campaigns against major threats to the Creek and community education and planning. They are run on a donation and membership basis and memberships are cheap as chips ($18 for an individual and $60 for a business). This will grant you a clearer conscious and allow you entry to many informative discussions, tours, plantings and general feel good kind of stuff. It's our creek, we need to fix it.

Apparently this area was built about ten years ago but (according to a couple of locals and vendors…read morewe spoke to) because of high rents and parking there are always a lot of vacant stores and restaurant spaces. What a pity - beautiful location, Cargo is a great little restaurant and easy to reach on the (free) 86 tram. The outlet mall us pretty nice and has some crazy bargains (just ask my wife). The best deal of all were some pretty fancy high-heel pumps for $2 ( that's US$1.62!!!!!!) and no sales tax. Deal huh!!!!??

I've been staying here a little lately, so I like to think I'm fairly familiar with this area now…read more For the most part, everything people say about the Docklands is true - it's very windy, gets very cold, there are a lot of empty apartments, and the construction of even more apartment buildings means constant noise every day from 6:45am to 5pm (except on Sundays). I very rarely see more than a dozen people at a time and most of those people are construction workers. It's kind of a ghost town, but it does get a bit busier on the weekends. There's not that much more to tell. I don't particularly like Harbour Town that much; it's mostly factory outlets and the restaurants in the area aren't that great. I've wondered how the shops manage to stay in business with so few people visiting the area. I've been told that a Hoyts is going to be built here in the near future; that might attract more people to the area. On a brighter note though, the Docklands is within the free tram zone, so you can take a quick tram ride to the CBD free of charge.

The bicycle path along the Merri Creek isn't much good for getting anywhere because there are some…read moremore direct routes that you can take. But both C and I enjoy it as a pleasant place to ride through the parkland and along the creek. There are a couple of bridges to cross and plenty of steep hills requiring extensive gear changing as the path winds its way along the Merri Creek. C simply gets off her bike and pushes it up some of the steepest hills. The bike path is shared with pedestrians, dog walkers, baby carriages, so it is not a place for a fast ride. If you want to ride fast try the Brunswick Velodrome along the bike path. I also pass by Ceres Environmental Park and the beautiful Russian Orthodox Church with its gold domes. My favorite feature of this ride is Simon Perry's Rolled Path. It is a fun sculpture that works perfectly with the bicycle path. The sculptor Simon Perry made "The Public Purse" in the Bourke Street Mall. In Coburg the Merri Creeks joins up with the Coburg Lake Reserve where C and I have a break from our ride.

My mate gave me a bike a few years back and it changed my life. It was this rusty old thing he'd…read morehad chained to his fence for years and I had a few at his place and he let me take it home. It's about three years down the track now and I've still got it. I reckon that's a fair claim for its ownership. We have a relationship now. One thing I discovered since getting my bike, is the Merri Creek Bike Trail and I fuckin' love it. The trail meanders along the creek banks from Reservoir right through to Abbotsford. While it's a totally indirect route to either of these places (or any of the in between suburbs), that's kind of the point. You can just relax and cruise along at a leisurely pace and soak up the regenerating bushland and creek banks. There are birds and somehow the noise of nearby traffic evaporates. I love it so much, I'm goin' there right now; not to go anywhere in particular mind... I'm just gonna be cruisin' yo.

The Merri Creek is quite simply the greatest natural thing that exists in Melbourne. The creek runs…read morefor approximately 70kms, beginning near Heathcote Junction, on Melbourne's northern outskirts, and joining the Yarra River at Dight's falls in Collingwood. Through its journey, the creek meanders through suburbs, under highways and foot bridges and in recent times a concerted effort to clean the thing up has been taking place. Spearheaded by not-for-profit Friends Of Merri Creek, the clean up and re-vegetation of the banks of the creek is redeveloping this amazing environment around the creek. Birds and other native animals (notably, snakes) are moving back into the growing bush lands and there have even been reports of Platypus sightings in Thornbury. If you haven't been to the creek, take a rug and go down there to relax in the sunshine under a tree. It is so very peaceful and gives me warm fuzzies just thinking about it.

Having been for a Sunday afternoon cycle along the Merri Creek, I have to wholeheartedly agree with…read moreSam that is is one of the most naturally beautiful areas of Melbourne. The Merri Creek trail runs for 21km and is perfect for grazing, walking, running or as we did cycling. We joined it at St Georges Road and followed it North for 10 or so clicks. Along the way are numerous play areas and areas prime for picnicking, sports clubs and the Brunswick cycling outdoor velodrome (this was a lot of fun). You can also stop for a coffee at the CERES cafe. A truly great place in Melbourne that is perfect for a leisurely afternoon in the summertime. My friend who trains for triathlons only runs here. Now I know why!

Ever had that urge to dress up as a giant smurf?…read more Then Mozzies Cozzies is for you. An adult costume will set you back around $80 to hire. They have a pretty big range, from superheros, to nurse outfits, to animals. I used Mozzies for my cousins 21st, opting for a nuns outfit while my then boyfriend dressed up as Wally. The costumes were clean and didn't smell and the process of hiring was fast and easy. There is plenty of parking, and it doesn't get too congested traffic wise around the area.

With so many second hand markets around these days, it's really a hit and miss as to whether you…read morewill luck upon scoring a good find for a decent price. Fitzroy market is a small market at the Fitzroy Primary School that has a well edited selection of clothes, books, shoes, bits and bobs. There is definitely an element of 'Fitzroy cool' at the market, with a younger range of sellers. Note, when I say younger, I'm talking 20-30s (which is the age bracket I fall in). This is one of my favorite markets around at the moment.

Great little local market held in the grounds of Fitzroy Primary School on the third Saturday of…read moreevery month in 2012 (it's previously been the first Saturday of the month). Mostly secondhand clothes, records, toys and bric-a-brac - almost always at very reasonable prices. Not many food and drink options: a sausage sizzle and a very good coffee stall, but there's plenty of other cafes and bakeries nearby on Smith or Brunswick Streets if that doesn't take your fancy. Entry by gold coin donation.

If money wasn't an option and I wanted to buy in Melbourne I would only have one choice: the…read moreMajorca Building. This landmark on the city scene is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture our city has. When you next walk along Degraves Street or Flinders Lane stop and have a peak at the Majorca Building, everything about it is decadent and harks back to art deco and luxury. The façade on the outside is blue and gold with gorgeous details like the twisted gold columns that run up and down next to the windows. The entry way is mainly dark wood that has been twisted and styled to look like a boutique entrance and the golden light behind the windows shines through and eliminated the whole entry way beautifully at night. The Majorca building has mainly residential apartments for some of the luckiest people in Melbourne. They not only have a beautiful piece of architecture to call home, but all the great cafes and stores on the ground level are their local shops. Talk about luxury.