Batmania?

Hello everyone, 

Today was a very interesting day as we had the opportunity to take a walking tour through the streets of Melbourne. Matt, our tour guide, was very knowledgable about Melbourne's history and current culture. Being born and raised as a Melbournian, he knew all about this beautiful city! Since we took an hour and a half tour, there was tons of info to be heard. Therefore, I will sum it all up for you guys....

Hello, my name is Nicole and I will be your informal tour guide, telling you some interesting info on the city of Melbourne. Originally inhabited by the indigenous people in 1788, Europeans settled in Melbourne in 1835. John Batman, a farmer from Tasmania, led the settlement as he bought the land of Melbourne from the indigenous people. 

*Fun Fact*~ Melbourne was almost named Batmania, a reference to John Batman. Little did they know at the time was how cool a town named Batmania would sound. Also, if you are curious as to what John Batman looks like, you will never know. There was never any paintings taken of him as he got syphilis and passed away shortly after acquiring the land. 

Our tour took us through alleyways filled with graffiti, Queen Victoria Village, Greek Town, China Town, the Central Business District, Melbourne Town Hall, a few arcades, Federation Square, and we ended at the Melbourne Art Museum. The skyline at the end of the tour was beautiful! 

Above is some of the graffiti we saw. Graffiti is only legal when the artist signs a permit with the owner of the building. Legal graffiti usually lasts about 4-5 months until another artist paints over it. Illegal graffiti (as shown above) can last as little as a day before being painted over.

This is Melbourne town hall

The Melbourne skyline!

In case you were curious, that is me! 

Bye,

Nicole