The Melbourne city landscape is taking on a more risky, postmodern feel with recent architecture that is a bit more out there, but still seems to work in with the Victorian terrace houses and stately buildings. My eyes are still getting accustomed to Federation Square and all its ungainly domino pieces, but the inside exhibitons, museum spaces and galleries are fantastic.

An unconventional shot of the Shrine of Remembrance. A vision of the glories that await every fallen soldier who hath served the nation...

As a uni student I used to be a permanent fixture on the Acland St cake shop scene, living in Elwood close by. My friend Jane and I would down huge amounts of those fruit tarts and chocolate eclairs while we kept up a steady supply of froathy cappucinos, followed by an alcohol fuelled binge later on in the evening. If only my ticker could stand such gluttony these days - I guess, my arrythmia (irregular heartbeat brought on by alcohol and overeating) is a blessing in disguise as it is keeping the weight gain off and teaching me everything in moderation - boring!,

Melbourne was busy trying to put on a real show for the Commonwealth Games held here earlier this year, and so the local councils have come up with all sorts of installation works to show off. I was impressed by this original skeleton of a ship that used to ply the local waters, suddenly drifted aground on the local St Kilda shore line, nice timely pun on the latest Flying Dutchman craze.

It's good news to know that I don't need to go all the way to St Kilda, Prahran, or Brunswick Street to imbibe some laid back coffee culture. The lanes in and around the city center are full of an artsy vibe that has transformed these parts of the city from once dark, grubby, graffiti-sprayed, dumpster-laden no-go zones. Now all I need is to buy one of the Victorian, Federation or Art-deco apartments just round the corner and I'd be ready to settle...who needs the suburbs!

Always wonderful to return to the Dickensian backstreets and lanes of Melbourne that lurk just behind magnificent arcades like this one uprooted from Milano.

Despite the bushfires, loss of habitat, and virulent chlymidia infections, it's good to still get a glimpse of healthy koalas munching away high up in the eucalyptus trees. The eucalyptus 'high' means that they spend a good 21 hours out of 24 zoned out in a semi-concious state.