Magnificence in Melbourne

By IRENE CHAPPLE

There he was, walking across the road, head down and focused on scoffing down a tomato sauce-covered meat pie. It was Jacob, my hero from the night before, a waiter at one of Melbourne's finest restaurants, the glorious Grossi Florentino.

At Grossi, a meal begins with a choice of five specialty breads and ends with a palate-cleansing sorbet of peaches and champagne. Murals commissioned by the late Rinaldo Massoni, the restaurant's founder, encircle the room and tell romantic stories of the Renaissance.

He was guzzling it, that meat pie! Dressed in casual slacks and worn T-shirt!

In traffic, waiting for a tram to pass, I spotted him, looked twice and laughed. He was a typical Melburnian, really, part of a city that embraces sophistication yet retains its underbelly of true-blue Australiana.

In Melbourne, the daily newspaper's B section is called The Culture, a sharp contrast to the New Zealand tradition of prioritising sport behind general news.

Despite that daily reminder that Melbourne loves all things cultural, I later find out a Melburnian is somewhat socially ostracised if they shift allegiances from one Aussie Rules team to another.

Moonlight Cinema's screening of old school favourite Grease attracts a flood of fans who swig beer, munch chips and snuggle in their sleeping bags in front of the screen.

As the sun sets, huge fruit bats screech eerily as they gather around the treetops. The sound is soon overcome by fans clapping, singing, then raising their arms in celebration when Sandy discards the pigtails in favour of a perm and black leather.

But just down the road, cutting-edge film and technology is the focus at Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image.

Federal and state governments granted A$80 million ($87 million) for the centre, in return for the cultural and social requirements of a charter.

The centre is one of a diverse group of tenants in Federation Square, Melbourne's architectural assertion of its intent to become an international city of note.

The chunk of architectural intrigue - it cannot be said to be beautiful - was originally costed at A$110 million ($120 million) and due to be completed for Australia's Centenary in 2001. The opening was 22 months late and came in at more than A$450 million ($490 million).

The square's aesthetic bravery is partnered with a practical purpose. It is hunched over a sprawl of railway lines running through the city, hiding them from view.

Federation Square is a block away from the gothic beauty of the century-old St Paul's Cathedral, a change from original plans that incorporated the two in the architectural design.

Indeed, part of the long hold-up was because of complaints that Federation Square's proximity to the cathedral would ruin views of the historic building.

The square's building site was subsequently shifted, with the old and the new placed reverentially apart.

Some Melburnians love Federation Square, essentially a gathering of sharp-edged buildings around a cobblestone plaza. Others can't stand it, but the overriding opinion is, "It's here now, let's make the most of it".

A showpiece of the square is a huge outdoor screen, which will be used for various events. When I was there, it was showing the Australian Tennis Open.

Wandering through late at night it was dotted with couples, arms around each other, sitting on the desert-coloured stones and watching the late-night games.

Melbourne sits, a vivacious oasis of more than three million people, basking in a dry heat that has bleached the green out of all but the occasional lucky tree.

There hasn't been a decent rainfall in Melbourne for six months. I was told this five minutes after arriving, by a taxi driver who said the city was praying for rain.

Water restrictions have been in place since November and reservoirs are less than half full. An advertising slogan for a seaside development brags: "No water restrictions here", but it's only referring to the view.

Lunchtime conversation includes the urban myth that camels have been killed by trains as they lick dew on the railway tracks. Even the flies are overheated, lazy, barely bothering to move when flicked.

But the dry heat and lack of water has had tragic consequences. Canberra is razed by bushfires. The smoke drifts across the ACT and into Victoria. Its acrid taste smothers Melbourne and smudges the skyline.



Beyond the tragedy, the sun is an object of worship. St Kilda beach is swathed in lithe, topless bodies, an intense concentration of the archetypical sunbathing Australian, head down, eyes closed, limbs arranged for maximum exposure.

I lunch at Donovans, perched on the edge of the beach, a rich and tasty meal, matched with an Australian chardonnay, that averages out for the four of us at an eyewatering $70 each.

A colleague wonders how often Melburnians eat out, and the one Australian among us suggests it could be as much as four times a week. Others joke Melburnians never cook at home as they can find good meals for less than $15.

For those who know how to work their stoves, weekly shopping can be cheap. The Queen Victoria markets, where many arrive early for the best deals, is raucous with brash cries of hawkers.

The markets are a Melbourne institution, with cut-price fresh meats and fish, piles of fruit and vegetables and a deli area with diverse delectables. A separate organics section is hectic.

Food and wine is a serious business, and many say the variety and quality of restaurants is the city's highlight.

From cheap eats such as those available at Federation Square's communal-style noodle house, Chocolate Buddha, the price range stretches up to Grossi Florentino, easily one of the most expensive restaurants in Melbourne (although it does have a cheaper grill section downstairs).

Our meal cost eight of us more than $1100 - and none drank too much - but its price tag came with superior service from Jacob.

He is a professional waiter and was dressed in a starched black suit with a white apron wrapped sternly around his lower body.

When he described the specials list, there was barely a pause for breath - it was a fluid recollection of eight dishes, even if his pronunciation was a little askew. Our table of New Zealanders hooted when he called the fish special "Hapooka".

His pronunciation was corrected by a particularly tickled Aucklander, and so Jacob learned a little Maori. When he came to my order he also learned that I was one of those fussy types - a vegetarian.

Grossi's menu offers few vegetarian options, and I wondered if there were any suggestions he could make for my meal.

"What would you like?" he asked. "The chef is not afraid of vegetarians."

"I don't like mushrooms but oh, I love goat's cheese - surprise me."

Then he was gone, and my order - two courses - was placed. The food produced from that skeletal request was superb.

It began with an antipasto that included figs, zucchini scapece, a drop of pea soup, then moved on to the main: homemade gnocchi with, among other things, some very fine goat's cheese.

So I discovered the finer side of Melbourne, but was also reminded, on a visit to the local drinking dive, that they are not above taking a dig at the New Zealand accent. But I wonder if even that hallowed tradition will die. The week I was there, the Melbourne Age ran a piece telling Australians to "stop taking the mickey out of all those sheep, and those accents, and appreciate the beauty of New Zealand". The author said it was "extraordinary, magical and exceptionally beautiful".

Melbourne, too, deserves superlatives. My lasting impressions were of a city of sophistication and spirit.

* Irene Chapple was a guest of Tourism Victoria and Qantas.



Case notes:

Getting there:

Qantas flies twice a day to Melbourne from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Economy class airfares start from $689. Call Qantas on 0800 767 400, visit www.qantas.co.nz or contact your bonded travel agent.

Eating and shopping:

Melbourne thrives on eating, drinking and shopping. Spots such as St Kilda, Brunswick St, Richmond's Bridge Rd and central city sidestreets such as Little Bourke St offer truckloads of boutique and bargain shopping. And of course there is also Chapel St, an extended stretch of big-label shopping. Low-price cafes can be found in Brunswick St, Fitzroy and St Kilda, while finer dining can be enjoyed in the central city, and spots such as Southbank and the Crown Promenade area. A visit to Victoria St in Richmond is also recommended for an authentic Vietnamese meal, surrounded by the smells of Asia.

What to see and do:

Melbourne stages an event every month, ranging from the Australian Tennis Open and the Grand Prix to cultural events such as the Melbourne International Arts Festival and Food and Wine Festival. Fashion, comedy, film and art are also celebrated at festivals throughout the year.

South Melbourne's Australian Centre for Contemporary Art is recommended, and the National Gallery of Victoria is now open at Federation Square. Moonlight Cinema is a fabulous, cheap night out, and for those on an even tighter budget, the Royal Botanical Gardens or the Fitzroy Gardens are lovely to stroll through. Both have cafes in their centres. St Kilda beach is a great place to get a tan or play some volleyball.

Getting around:

Once in town, transport is a breeze. The city is compact enough to walk through within the hour and is laid out in an easily navigated grid pattern.

Trams run regularly and travel along Melbourne's main streets, going around 15km into the suburbs. There is also a free City Circle tram, which does a half-hour circuit around the city's highlights.

Flinders Street Station, on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Sts, is the centre of Melbourne's train system. Melbourne's bus network links with trains and trams.

Public transport tickets - including bus, train and tram travel - are around A$2 or A$3 dollars.

An all-day ticket is available for A$5.20. They can be bought from train station vending machines, on trams and buses, or at newsagents. Be warned, however, the trams do not take notes, so carry plenty of change.

Advisory:

Melbourne Airport is about 25km from town, a 30-minute trip by car or a $40 taxi ride.

A SkyBus shuttle goes every 15 minutes through the day and less frequently through the night. It costs $13 for an adult one way, with a $26 family ticket available.



www.visitmelbourne.com/nz

www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

www.grossiflorentino.com.au