Party on a Rooftop Garden Terrace

The plans for our second day in Melbourne were pretty simple. Take the train to a southern city subdivision called St. Kilda, and walk out on the pier and hope to see the indigenous Little Penguins that come out after dark. Having already been won over by the inexpensive yet delicious wine in the states, Stender and I felt it was appropriate to pay our respects to it's namesake.

Below is our view of Melbourne from the St. Kilda pier:

After hanging out with the penguins, we walked along St. Kilda on our way to find $2 pints at a bar named The Tongue and Groove, which happened to be located next to a Backpackers. We were a few hours early for the drink special to kick in, so Stender and I went into the hostel to kill some time. We followed the stairs up to their 'Rooftop Garden' where we found the heart of the Melbourne backpacking community, made up mostly of British expats that have 12 month work visas in Australia.

The trip to St. Kilda pier to hang out with penguins quickly turned into a night of drinks with international citizens, and gave us a great idea of what Melbourne is. It's not a landmark city that is made for sightseeing. This city is all about the culture and the people that make up its population. And we are comfortable with feeling that we got the quintessential Melbourne experience tonight. Unlike so many other cities of the word, there is a general eagerness among the people in Melbourne. They are excited to be here. And so are we.