#26: ACMI Museum, Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne as a world class cultural center.
Though we mostly write about more outdoor oriented activities, we spend plenty of time inside too, in shops, restaurants, hotels (of course), and, when we’re lucky, museums. Our sabbatical itinerary to date had been light on cities and museums, so we visited a bunch in Melbourne—the Melbourne Museum, the National Gallery, and ACMI.
The first two were top quality, but more traditional—famous and (mostly) famous-adjacent art from around the world, in a modern building with rooms of light wood floors and white walls. Well, except the indoor/outdoor aviary at the Melbourne Museum, where we watched bower birds do their courtship dance right in front of us—that was pretty unique!
Kira had seen the ACMI Museum on some online list, not thinking much of it, but as we walked by and saw free admission, we thought we’d check it out. It’s a relatively small museum, focused exclusively on “the moving image”—film and graphical depictions in all their guises. Practically, the interactive exhibits focused on how movie magic happens—editing, foaley, direction, film choice and color treatment—all presented with indie sensibility through an Australian lens .
One fun example is a huge bank of monitors paired with large blocks with famous movie and tv phrases on them—you take the blocks and arrange them on the a rail, and each monitor plays what’s written on the block in its original footage—a franken-short including Scarface, Elle Woods, Larry David, and many others.
Another favorite was the “computer lab” section dedicated to the history of video games, with many available to play. We spent a good few minutes playing Unpacking, a simple and meditative indie game tracking the course of a person’s life through their moving truck contents. It made me reflect on what my most recently packed bag would say about me. The little belongings we brought with us on this sabbatical were minor props in all these adventures.
Our hotel in Melbourne is worth special mention—the Adina Pentridge. Nice hotel, sure, but it’s built into a huge redeveloped prison complex from the mid 1800s. Must be seen to be believed. I actually had mixed feelings about staying there after reading Peter Carey’s “True History of the Kelly Gang,” in which many innocent people are jailed in terrible conditions in this very prison. Now there’s a coffee shop in the magistrate’s office.
The suburb it’s in, Coburg, was also a cool slice of local life, and seemed to have a large middle eastern diaspora population, judging by the many Iraqi shawarma shops. Melbourne is definitely a city of distinct neighborhoods, and we particularly enjoyed the hipster zone of Fitzroy, which has hints of Portland, Oakland, and Melrose Ave.
Downtown Melbourne is a happening area and after ACMI, we enjoyed walking the crowded streets, gazing in restaurant windows and paying a visit to the grand library before heading to the Queen Victoria Market for a weekly street food festival. Sometimes these events are pretty shabby or way overpriced, but this was the perfect version. Every stall looked delicious, and there were a lot—at least 40. We tried Jamaican pork belly and Sri Lankan stir fry, and wanted to keep going. It wasn’t quite the Iconsiam foodcourt in Bangkok, but it was delicious with a very fun vibe.
Dessert is often a tricky question for us when traveling. We always want it, but it’s often a letdown, and we want to keep our budget down. Yet when faced with the alley of sweets at the market, all bets were off! The popular strawberries and chocolate sauce looked good, but the brownie stand stood out. Multiple flavors and toppings and preparations—it was hard to choose. But we did, and wow, this was somehow a standout dish of the entire trip. Most brownies are too sweet—this one was the perfect balance of gooey and chewy and saucy and crunchy from the peanut bits and caramel. It looked like carnival food, but tasted like a Michelin star.
. — Nicky and Kira
Next week → Salto de Malacatiupan, Ahuachapan, El Salvador
