Yarra River Melbourne Amazing Day Out!
The World Loves Melbourne was lucky enough to be invited by Yarra River Melbourne for a winter’s day out to explore some of the fun activities taking place by the Yarra.
First off for breakfast we stopped at one of Melbourne’s top iconic waterfront venues, Riverland. This heritage listed venue, situated on the banks of the Yarra River, is a hidden gem with a versatile range of outdoor and indoor spaces, perfect for all types of functions.
I chose warm black rice porridge with labne, passionfruit, raspberries and candied pistachios. A perfect breakfast for a cold winter morning! Oh and of course they do great coffee.
After our scrumptious breakfast we headed next door to Federation Square to test our ice skating skills. While some of our younger companions showed excellent talent, I on the other hand looked more like a giraffe on roller skates! River Rink in Fed Square is suitable for the young and the young at heart. During the day views of the city and Yarra River form a backdrop for skaters and as nightfall arrives River Rink transforms into a fairyland of light and colour. The rink will be open from 10am to 10pm daily so be sure to visit and get your skates on.
Just a stone’s throw away is the Arts centre where we were invited to do a behind the scenes backstage tour. This was probably the highlight of my day as I found out some quirky facts and secrets of Australia’s largest performing arts centre. Did you know that 2,500 Scandinavian cows were purpose grown for the leather that adorns the walls and the iconic Arts Centre tower is in fact an upside down ballerina?
Our lunch stop was ENA Greek Street Food at the dining precinct Southbank. Translating to number one in Greek, ENA serves up innovative, rustic offerings that are inspired by the streets of Greece. ENA is an evolution of simple, fresh and flavoursome ingredients. We shared a selection of delicious dishes with the slow roasted lamb shank being the crowd favourite.
I didn’t think we could fit any more food in but there is always room for dessert! Now there’s dessert, and then there’s dessert. Damon Bradley specialises in the latter. Opening around 6 months ago on the middle level of the Southgate precinct, this decadent dessert bar boasts a 20 page menu packed with enough treats to put you in a mild food coma. A standout menu item is the peanut butter waffle cup with warm Belgian waffle pieces placed over smooth chocolate fudge sauce, topped with fresh bananas, melted milk chocolate and peanut butter, vanilla bean ice cream and shards of peanut brittle.
After rolling out of Damon Bradley we got to roll our way down an ice slide. Presented by Eureka Skydeck Melbourne’s first real Ice Slide in a thrilling four-metre high ice slide alongside Southbank’s waterfront for kids, parents and the whole of Melbourne to enjoy.
Our last and final stop was at Meat Market South Wharf for some well earned afternoon beverages and nibbles. Meat Market has great waterfront views from every table and their philosophy of farm-friendly paddock to plate is reflective of the fresh quality produce in their food. Such a nice spot to sit and watch the world go by.
Thank you to Sarah Kempson and the Yarra River Business Association for a wonderful day out. The Yarra River and its banks are great places to visit any time of year; rain, hail or shine.
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