january happenings.

Summertime in Melbourne is always jam-packed with fun things to see and do: festivals, sporting events, and other exciting activities. Here's what we've been up to this month:

It's been a pretty cool and temperate summer, although at the beginning of the month we had a few days of over 100 degree (F) weather. We made our annual beach trip to St. Kilda on one of the hottest days, taking short dips in the water and reading/laying out in the sun. The beach is always fun, but it's kind of a trek to get there, and St. Kilda is always super crowded. Once a year is enough for us!

The beginning of the year is a busy time for sports - the Australian Open, the Asian Cup and the Superbowl (it's not Australian, but we're still excited, and we'll be watching it together this year!). We'll write a separate post dedicated to those events in the near future. But even as someone who isn't super enthusiastic about athletics, it's been fun attending games and getting swept up in the excitement of it all.

us cheering on the Seahawks - on a Monday morning.

Australia Day came and went - now that we have more Australian friends/acquaintances/classmates, it's interesting to hear more perspectives on how locals actually view their national holiday. It seems like quite a few people (at least, people I know) are opposed to it, referring to it instead as "Invasion Day," when the English settlers invaded Australia. There are certain American holidays that produce similar polarising viewpoints, such as Columbus Day and Thanksgiving, and it's interesting having discussions with friends about how these events should be celebrated or recognised, if at all.

Controversy aside, Ben and I both had the day off, so we wandered around the city to observe the various festivities - radio station dance parties, markets, and of course, fireworks.

Ben finally got a chance to visit Hosier Lane.

Docklands celebrations, complete with fireworks.

This year, we finally decided to visit the Eureka Skydeck, Melbourne's touristy viewpoint, and apparently the Southern Hemiphere's highest viewing platform. It's at the very top of the Eureka tower, which is also a residential building (the 14th tallest residential building in the world, as of 2013). We picked a good night to go - during a nice sunset, with beautiful views of the surrounding city and beyond. We decided to purchase an annual pass (not a terrible deal, especially now that I'm able to get a student discount), so now we'll have a fun view to visit whenever we want to! 

panoramic view from the Skydeck

on the "Terrace," the outer viewing platform

sunset

touristy sunset

day turning into night.

Ben has been keeping busy with work per usual, and I've also been putting my days to good use - taking a summer class on data journalism, and completing an internship at a startup media company, which has been a great opportunity to put some of my journalism skills to use.

summer school is fun!

And last but not least, Melbourne has finally turned the heart of the city into a free tram zone! The no-fare area covers everything in the Docklands (super convenient for us!) through the main parts of the CBD. And even though it doesn't extend all the way to Ben's office or my University, they're both only a short walk from the last free stop. Not a bad thing for our budget.

 CK