Three days is the perfect amount of time to start getting to know Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city. Prepare for lots of walking as you head out to visit gardens, libraries, markets, and urban campuses. This post focuses on our Melbourne itinerary Day 2, with a look at the many highlights we visited throughout the day.

A Classic Melbourne Breakfast

Ah, an Australian brekkie. We started the morning two blocks north of Fitzroy Gardens at a cozy cafe, Square and Compass. My notes say “best avo toast!!!”, and the decaf mocha was a treat.

Fitzroy Gardens

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite Melbourne garden — I liked them all — but even in the misty rain, this one wowed me. I loved all of its little twists and turns, the willow-lined creek, and the old buildings (you’ll see the Cook’s Cottage above). The garden has plenty of water features, including a Dolphin Fountain with all sorts of sea creatures.

I’ve never seen anything like the quaint Tudor Village. After World War II, the town of Lambeth, England, presented Melbourne with these tiny houses in thanks for food shipments during the war.

Then there are the somewhat creepy, somewhat charming carvings of the Fairies Tree. What other city has something like this?

Alexandra Gardens

From Fitzroy Gardens, we walked through the Melbourne Olympic Park and across the Yarra River. This took us to the north edge of Alexandra Gardens, a narrow park mostly known for its long riverside walking and bike path. If you’re a bridge fan, make sure to cross over the 1899 Morrell Bridge, the first bridge in Victoria built using reinforced concrete.

Prahran Market

Turning southward, I popped into several very cute clothing boutiques on Chapel Street, a trendy shopping area in the South Yarra neighborhood. But our ultimate goal was Prahran Market.

This well-known establishment has been around since the late 1800s; today it features a range of produce vendors and small cafes. Ultimately, we decided that we preferred the vibe and larger selection of Queen Victoria Market. But Prahran Market’s Maker & Monger — the self-proclaimed “chapel of cheese” — provided us with an excellent grilled cheese toastie and milkshake. (Side note: if you’re coming from the US, an Australian milkshake is just flavored milk).

State Library Victoria

I am obsessed with this library. Obsessed. First of all, the amazing 1913 La Trobe Reading Room and Dome Gallery space pretty much speak for itself. Books, grandeur, classical architecture — yes, please.

I also wanted to pull up a comfy chair in the train-station-like 1893 Redmond Barry Reading Room, which originally housed Melbourne’s Industrial and Technological Museum.

The library has also placed Australia- and book-related art in various nooks and crannies throughout the library.

RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology)

Melbourne has so much fantastic architecture, and you just need to visit the local university buildings to get a sense of the range. RMIT has a wide array of architecture, from the solar-energy-garnering disks of the 2012 Design Hub to the Romanesque Old Magistrate’s Court (now sadly just called Building 20).

Then there’s the wild green and purple entrance of Storey Hall, part of the building’s postmodern 1996 refurbishments.

Don’t miss the wild and weird “Green Brain” sitting atop the 1912 Singer Sewing Machine factory (if you want to read more about this architectural feature, there’s an interesting article here).

University of Melbourne

Whereas RMIT’s buildings are scattered throughout the city center, University of Melbourne has an actual campus (though it’s still quite urban). Founded in 1853, the university has a mix of building styles. My favorites were nineteenth-century Neo-Gothic behemoths like the Old Pathology Hall…

… and the somewhat more elegant (but still Gothic) Old Quad.

Regent Theatre

We made a last-minute decision to head to a performance at the Regent, a beautifully restored 1929 “picture palace” in the East End Theatre District. Melbourne has an incredible arts scene, and we were lucky to catch a performance of “& Juliet.”

We ended the evening with a late and unforgettable dinner of noodles a few blocks north of the theatre — there are all sorts of food options nearby.

This post covers our Melbourne itinerary Day 2. If you’re planning to stay longer, you can continue exploring with my Day 1 and Day 3 highlights.