Chocolate Rave

If you’ve checked into one of the top Melbourne hotels, then why not also check out some of the top destinations for travelers to this 172 year-old city?  According to surveys, Federation Square is that spot.  In a list of twenty tourist spots, the square was first on the list, while, a bit surprisingly, the Melbourne Cricket Ground was last.  The survey asked several hundred tourists where they had been in their visit to the Australian state of Victoria.  Many millions of tourists a year visit the square.

Federation Square, more casually known as Fed Square is made up of a series of building intended for the arts and dining.  You’ll find here a museum, cinemas, art galleries, a public broadcaster, restaurants, bars, exhibition spaces and shops.  One space is covered and known as the Atrium.  The other is open, comprised of St. Paul’s Court and the Square.  Most of the precinct was built atop a deck of concrete over busy railway lines from 2002 to 2004.  In 2006, there was a major addition to the Fed Square: The Federation Wharf.

From the Wharf, you may book Yarra River cruises, exploring Melbourne along the river.  At least three different cruise operators use the Federation Wharf as their homeport.  The cruises will take visitors through Melbourne’s parks, gardens, docklands, and ports. Many of the cruises also specialize in corporate functions, weddings and engagements, birthdays, even the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, and Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties.

Other sites on the list included Queen Victoria Market, Crown Casino, Southbank, Great Ocean Road, Yarra Valley, Melbourne Zoo/Healseville Sanctuary, Melbourne Aquarium, Philip Island Penguin Parade, Soverign Hill, Dandenong Ranges/Puffing Billy, Docklands, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Observation Deck, Grampians, The Arts Centre, Mornington Peninsula, and The Snowfields.

Sydney is an extraordinary place to visit, with a spectacular city that offers something to do nearly every hour of the day.  And it’s so cool, too, where the events can be anything like the usual attractions, which can have a high appeal to the younger visitors, to the best in local underground music.  Sydney has had a marvelous history for contributing to world culture, and also witnessing some of the most exciting events in art and music in the past couple of decades.  It’s also perfectly located for the food lover, with access to fresh seafood, fresh beef, and fresh fruits and vegetables.  This all contributes to some of the finest dining in the world.

There are also a host of cultures that live here, and each contribute to its artistic and culinary identity.  For top restaurants, Sydney has plenty to offer even the most discerning traveler, and it can certainly be rewarding to be discerning when the stakes are this high.  They’re awfully high in the alternative art scene, too.  And some spectacular things have been happening here lately.  In April, 2009, a new space opened, the Red Rattler.  This is an official space in a warehouse that has non-profit status, which means that it can’t be shut down for not being official enough.

And the sensibility here is absolutely fantastic, and just what Sydney needs right now.  This is a space for alternative performance and culture, here for the community, and run by an unpaid staff of artists who are doing this because they care about the culture here.  It’s a great place for Rrriot, glam, goth, and everything in between to see and make new work in a space that’s open philosophically as well as physically.  There are many times in Sydney’s history when the culture at large took a turn, and was willing to take it, because of the kinds of daring like this, and it’s worth supporting and investigating, and word on the street has it that there’s a great New Year’s Eve party here, too.