MELBOURNE - HERE AND NOW.
On my first day, it was rain. The city greeted me with pelting showers and the following day, a blistering heat that made me rethink a short stroll around the neighourhood; one that was not made for pedestrians or fans of an ozone layer . With its limited pavements of scorched bitumen it felt like we were on the surface of the sun and no amount of spf 50 would spare you.
Australians have a drive-through for life’s essentials: liquor, food and now PCR tests are the latest drive through commodity funded by its Medicare health system. Before Christmas, and by law, in order to travel, you were required to out carry out a PCR test via a drive-through method, most likely sat in a residential street for as long as it takes to fly from London to Greece (roughly 4 hours). It is here you might contemplate life’s choices, especially about travel.
I think if there was a t-shirt for Melbournian’s to wear it would be “Lockdown, we did it harder”. After 262 gruelling days in lockdown, mask wearing is de rigueur. There is a slight anxiety in the street but still that Australian way of greeting each other or helping each other out.
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When the sun shines, it is a glorious place and you could almost forget what everyone has been going through. A hint of eucalyptus in the air I was reminded of the devastating fires of 2019/2020 as 1.5 million hectares burnt across the state of Victoria. A ravaging force obliterating towns and wildlife, not for weeks but months.
How much?
Melbourne is expensive. Smokers vouch that it costs around $45 (£22.50) for a pack of cigarettes as always my barometer, as is coffee at around $4.50 - in parity with London. Lunch in hipster Fitzroy for two - can fetch up to approx $200 (£107).
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Australians sought retail therapy in December despite the pandemic and were tipped to spend $21.5 billion Australian dollars (£11.2 billion GBP) with approximately 50% online as many retailers closed bricks and mortar stores in the wake of the pandemic.
However, the item flying off the shelves was rapid antigen tests which up until recently, you could purchase from your local chemist. Supply chain issues across the country forced the Government to U-turn on testing rules. In the same way Australians slap on sunscreen as a daily routine they might apply the same principal to rapid tests before they left the house - if only they could get their hands on those tests. At the time of writing New South Wales (NSW) cases risen to around 22,500 and in Victoria (VIC) 7,500- increasing at over 400% from three weeks ago. These might look like small numbers compared to the UK but without proper testing facilities and the right plan in place, things escalated quickly and the support system is complicated and ill-equipped. This, coupled with an unforgiving climate could mean Australians are in for a cruel summer.
Heading north?
At my last visit in 2018 Melbournians were living well though dealing with the downside of being popular: an influx of growth and a struggling transport system. Now, life post COVID-19 tells a different story, Many have migrated to regional Victoria or further north to Queensland (QLD). There is a significant migration from Melbourne compared to other parts of the country.
Melbourne’s Plan:
Post lockdown the Central Business District or “CBD” has lost a little of its sparkle and the action? In the urban fringe and suburbs. My beloved Fitzroy and Collingwood are still a haven for coffee lovers, fantastic restaurants, and an easiness that hits you even hours after you land. Please don't ever change.
On the plus side infrastructure has taken off. Road level crossings are becoming a thing of the past as train lines are enjoying a makeover one station at a time. Building around quaint turn of the last century station houses though slightly at odd with the industrial setting they sit within.
There are a number of key projects to take the city forward as part of a long term vision for residential, transport and climate change:
Metro Tunnel project - The Metro Tunnel is a Victorian Government $11 billion major public transport project due to complete 2025. The Inner Melbourne action plan to regenerate the inner city and West Gate Tunnel which will link Western Victoria to Melbourne.