A few weeks ago I saw a news report announcing the arrival of the French Impressionists to the National Gallery of Victoria.

Now of course, I live on the Sunshine Coast and it seems a long way to go to Melbourne for an art exhibition, but I thought I would have a look and see the entry price.  I must admit I was expecting it to be way more expensive that it is .

I knew this would be a solo trip, as M is in no way interested in French Masterpieces 🙂

I wondered if I could go to Melbourne.  I had a look at flights and was pleasantly surprised to see I had HEAPS of points in my Virgin account…almost enough for return flights.  (YAY)

Next was to find accommodation.  My go to for short trips to Melbourne is the Great Southern Hotel.   It is cheap and right across the road from Southern Cross Station, so very easy to get to.

Given the amount of points in my Virgin account, I thought I would have a look into my Accor account as well.  I was not expecting there to be a  great number of points here, as we used hem up when we were in Adelaide a couple of years ago.    

Looking at Accor’s offerings in Melbourne, I did see both the Ibis and the Mercure in very close proximity to Queen Victoria Market.

I decided that either the Ibis or the Mercure would be a better option than the Great Southern.

My original thought was to fly Maroochydore to Melbourne on Friday morning, go to the Gallery early on Saturday morning and fly home on Saturday evening.

With almost free flights and well priced accommodation, I made the decision to stay until Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and fly back on Monday morning.

Looking online to see what was on, I found a walking tour of the Queen Victoria Market at 10:00am on Saturday mornings.  Perfect!!

So my rough plan is now for a trip from Friday the 4th July to Monday the 7th July…

• Fly down on Friday, check in and have a relaxing afternoon and dinner at a nearby restaurant.
• Do the walking tour of the market on Saturday morning.   Then have a wander around Melbourne using the free tram and getting on and off as I please.
• I have booked the Art Gallery on Sunday for 10:00am then lunch and a similar “wandering” day as Saturday.
• Fly home on Monday morning. (My flight leaves at 10:00am)

I have decided to stay at the Mercure.  It is across the road from the Queen Victoria Market and has a kitchenette.  If I find some good food, I can cook it in my room.

I hope you will follow along for my “Weekend Wandering in Melbourne”