Melbourne Laneways & Arcades Self-Guided Walking Tour — Local services in Melbourne

The prosperity and rapid growth earned Melbourne the nickname "Marvellous Melbourne," a testament to its transformation into one of the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world during the late 19th century.

When eight tonnes of Victorian gold arrived at London's port in April 1852, the Times of London declared: '... this is California all over again, but, it would appear, California on a larger scale…'

Located in the heart of Melbourne's CBD, the Block Arcade is Melbourne's most famous boutique shopping complex.

I was immediately struck by the similarities of the Moscow Gum Department Store, with its elongated shop galleries, which is the oldest shopping mall in Europe. Situated in front of the Kremlin, this building is a masterpiece of nineteenth century architecture with the floors comprising ceramic tiles.

Another being The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Italy's oldest active shopping arcade and a major landmark of Milan. Both of which I have visited.

Indeed the architect David C Askew was commissioned to produce something similar to the 'Galleria Vittorio Emanuele' in Milan with The Block Arcade which is an iconic, ornate shopping precinct in Melbourne's CBD, opened in 1892 and inspired by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.

The arcade’s name refers to shoppers ‘‘doing the block’’ or promenading through the building. The Italian mosaic tiles is the biggest mosaic floor in Australia.

Nowadays, ‘‘doing the queue’’ for pavlova or scones outside the luscious window of the Hopetoun Tea Rooms is the norm, and a Melbourne must, given it is the only original tenant from 1892.

The most famous employee of and future entrepreneur of the Hopetoun Tea Rooms, was Helena Rubinstein. Rubinstein, a cosmetician and businesswoman, started her career in Australia,

Helena Rubinstein noticed that Australian women had rough, dry, and sun- and wind-damaged skin due to the harsh climate and decided to market a lanolin-based cream, known as "Valaze," to address these concerns, which launched her international cosmetic empire from Melbourne, Australia.

Helena Rubinstein became one of the richest women in the world by building a global cosmetics empire from humble beginnings in Poland and Australia. At the time of her death in 1965, she was one of the world's wealthiest women and a significant philanthropist, leaving a legacy in the beauty, business, and art worlds.

The phrase "What is the city but the people?" is a quote from William Shakespeare. The collective body of the people is the city.

The City of Melbourne mayor and visionary Nicholas Reece, won re-election on a platform that included pushing the government to expand the free tram zone even further.

“Extending the free tram zone is just common sense. A few small changes could connect commuters to more of Melbourne’s key destinations,” he says.

Reece says extending the zone would support local businesses, encourage visitors to the city, help ease cost-of-living pressures and “ensure that everyone can enjoy the very best our city has to offer.

"If you build it, they will come".

I am impressed by the vibe and infrastructure of Melbourne city and apparently The Global Liveability Index agrees with me. It is a yearly assessment published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), ranking 173 global cities for their quality of life based on assessments of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Melbourne was ranked 4th, a very high accolade for the most liveable...

Melbourne’s laneways have personality. They are great places to discover exotic food and magnificent coffee. A lot of time could be spent just sitting, relaxing with a coffee (or 2) and watching...

Lovely to visit! Pace was packed with tourists although I still enjoyed my visit. Be sure to use the rest room before visiting as the nearest public toilet is a bit of a...