(I Do Like to Be) Beside the Seaside

Church Street in Melbourne runs diagonally in a straight line from Victoria Street, at the east end of town, all the way to St Kilda - the nearby seaside getaway for Melburnians. Granted, its nme changes subtly to Chapel Street south of the Yarra river, but the 78 tram provides a straight run through from Little Vietnam to St Kilda and a good view of the many religious establishments along the route that presumably give it its name(s).

We took the 78 and hopped off the tram just north of the river for brunch at a spot recommended to us by our Canberran friends: Top Paddock.

Despite being Monday 'brunchtime', the place was heaving, leading me to believe that nobody works or studies in Melbourne; rather, they endlessly meet in expensive coffee shops and eat smashed avocado and poached eggs.

I eschewed the smashed "avos" and indulged my sweet tooth with a blueberry ricotta hotcake, topped with berries, maple syrup and double cream, while K looked enviously on eating sugar snap peas, broccolini, poached eggs and toasted almonds on toast. My breakfast choice was clearly superior.

Ricotta hotcake

Taking the tram to the terminus led us into St Kilda. The atmosphere is very much that of a quaint British seaside resort. There is even a Victorian 'Luna' theme park with old rollercoasters and rides.

The Mouth of Fun

The beach and promenade provided an escape for those living in the city, certainly before the advent of the motor car allowed residents to travel farther afield, as it is easily reachable by tram.

We lay on the beach a while enjoying the warm sun - not always a fixture of its British counterparts - before venturing into the sea baths. The 'baths' - a very Victorian term - are more akin to a modern swimming pool, complete with lanes, but are filled with warmed salty seawater. However, there is a mineral bath area and sauna, allowing us to recuperate and 'take the waters'.

Pierless

A walk down the pier - of course there's a pier - led us to a small café incongruously advertising imported Peroni lager. However, what excited us most was the appearance of native 'little penguins' - that's really their name - one of which was busily drying itself off. This species grows to little more than a foot tall.

The littlest penguin

St Kilda is also home to a branch of the 'Local Taphouse'. This offered us a roof terrace on which to enjoy the sun as well as tasters of its wide selection of Australian and international beers.

Taphouse tasters

Of the selection, our favourites were Feral's iWit wheat beer and Red Hill's Double Barrel Temptation - a barrel-aged Belgian golden ale. To complement these, I ate quite the most decadent veggie burger the kitchen could generate, while K sought a "healthy pasta dish", which turned out to be a cheese topped linguine dish. I don't think a pub is the place for healthy eating.

Healthy eating St Kilda style