Submitted by Nicole Latino on the 2012 summer session program in Australia sponsored by the School of Education…
We had off for the weekend, so half the group decided to go to the Great Barrier Reef, while the other half stayed in Melbourne. I decided to stay. So Thursday night consisted of packing for those leaving, while the ones staying headed to a local bar for Karaoke night. I choose to not participate in the singing, but some very brave girls in our group performed Nicki Minajs’ Super bass. They did a lovely job!
Friday involved a wine tour, with the wine-bus and the best guide ever Paul. He took us to four different wineries while explaining the history of Australian wines as well as some history and mechanics of how to make sparkling wine. We went to Chandon, Oak Ridge, Punt Road, and one other winery. The wineries were gorgeous, and we all had fun expanding our wine palates. We decided to go the Alley for dinner. It’s this long skinny alley with tables in the middle and a bunch of restaurant cafes on the side. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was very fun.
On Saturday we ventured to Brighton Beach, famous for its colorful bath houses. Before going to the beach we eat breakfast at this cute little mom and pop café. With our bellies full, we headed for the water, we counted 81 bath houses! We sat on the beach admiring the blue skies and sparkling water for an hour. We also collected pretty shells. (I mean not many Americans can say they have shells from Australia.) After the beach, we walked along the streets where we marveled at the expensive and lovely beach houses. If I could afford to I would move into one of those houses in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any shops at Brighton beach; apparently you have to go to Middle Brighton for shopping. (Who knew?) We didn’t want our day to end quite so early so we headed to the Melbourne Zoo. The zoo was really fun and had a lot of furry and feathery creatures. I have to say the Meerkats were probably my favorite exhibition. However, watching them eat dead mice for dinner was a sight I did not need to see, and hopefully will never encounter again. For dinner, a couple of people headed to Taco Bills, a fun little Mexican restaurant. The margaritas were fantastic as was the dinner. Aftewards we heading to PJs, an Irish bar with a live band.
Our third to last day in Melbourne included shopping on Chapel Street. Basically I love the way Aussie’s dress, and I wish I could buy everything on saw on Chapel Street, but unfortunately the stores on Chapel are a bit expensive and luxurious. (Oh why, oh why am I a broke college student?) After perusing many stores our bellies starting to growl so we stopped to eat at Lucky Coq. (Four dollar pizza, who would say no?) The place had a very cool vibe with a potpourri of couches and big sofa chairs instead of normal tables and chairs. Sadly, the weather was rainy and cold, so the rest of the day was spent catching up on homework and relaxation. 
