Woohoo! I have probably not been so excited about blogging about something for a long, long time but I'm finally onto Melbourne. You cannot imagine how incredibly backlogged I am, but that's also very much my fault because I really want to note down every bit of my exchange journey with you. As of now, I'm approximately two months behind... but anyway, I kickstart the chronologically-ordered travelogue with Melbourne's State Library, the most understated but gorgeous architecture Melbourne has to offer. Nobody ever said anything about Melbourne's State Library, so I thought, 'Oh, just a library. How amazing can it get?' Well, the library is here to prove me wrong.
Set in the heart of CBD, the State Library is currently under some restoration works on the facade, making it even less impressive on the outside but trust me, it hides a huge secret that you should not miss. The State Library is my number one suggestion if you only have an hour (or less) to spare and can only visit one place.
The gentle giant of a building is both a museum and a library rolled into one, depicting more of Victoria's history of battlefields and gold rushes. It is a fantastic initiation to the Melbourne city for me, coming in with zero knowledge about Australia except about the great barrier reefs and the opera house on the East coast.
Take the stairs to look down upon the formation the tables are lined up in on the ground floor - it is a spectacular sight that has got tourists wide-eyed and jaw-dropped. For a while, I sat at the table nearest to the door where tourists enter from, and observed their astonished expressions. It was great fun and such a simple joy!
For those who hates stairs, there is also an elevator available to bring you to a certain height to look at this.
The library is very conducive for studying too - wide tables, quiet environment (except for the occasional tourist mumbling 'wah' under their breaths) and free Wifi.
They don't really have much novellas stocked up in here, but mostly parliamentary debates from decades ago. I read some of it and it was quite banal and unexciting. There are also some sociology texts but very limited in scope. Obviously this library is not built for actual studying (the local libraries, on the other hand, are immensely well-stocked with the latest novels - more on that soon!).
You can lounge around and stare endlessly at the ceiling too.
A chess room is available with many chess sets for your playing. This is definitely a must-go if you drop by Melbourne's city centre area. The grass patch outside the library is also perfect for your grass-lying activities and watching street buskers sing. One of my favourite buskers is Ben Whiting - I actually stayed to listen to him sing non-stop for an hour. His voice is amazing and so riveting - so are the many other street performers in Melbourne. I am obviously in love with Melbourne at this point in time, yes.
Never miss a post again!