书城外语英语PARTY——袋鼠之国·澳大利亚
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第8章 城市导航City Guide(5)

Other city attractions include the bustling Queen Victoria Market on the northern fringe of the CBD; views from the 35th floor of the Regent Hotel at the eastern end of Collins St.; the mammoth Treasury and State Parliament House buildings; Scots and St. Michael,s churches; the 19thcentury Block Arcade, which runs between Collins and Elizabeth Sts; the collection of Gothicrevival banks on the corner of Collins and Queen Sts; and the landmark Rialto Towers (now boasting an observation deck) at the western end of Collins St.. At the top end of Russell St there,s the atmospheric Old Melbourne Gaol. Other historic buildings include the Old Customs House, St James Cathedral and the Old Royal Mint.

The Yarra,s South Bank

The focus of Melbourne is slowly shifting to the south bank of the Yarra, which has seen large scale construction and the influx of huge sums of money and political will. The Victorian Arts Centre buildings and the National Gallery of Victoria are both on the south bank. The aliens are coming spire of the arts centre,s theatre building is probably Melbourne,s most famous landmark. Opposite the arts precinct are the Royal Botanic Gardens - considered to be among the finest in the world - and Kings Domain, which contains the Shrine of Remembrance, Governor La Trobe,s Cottage and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The new Southgate complex of shops, wine bars, snacksnack n.小吃, 快餐, 一份 v.吃快餐(小吃) stalls and restaurants line the Yarra,s bank. Melbourne,s gigantic Crown Casino entertainment complex is nearby.

InnerCity Haunts

The inner suburbs of Carlton, Fitzroy and Richmond are all recommended for their architecture, restaurants and atmosphere. Carlton is the Italian centre, full of pasta & spaghetti bars, muscle cars and slick Italian clothing stores. Victoria St in Richmond is the vibrant Vietnamese centre, chock full of budget restaurants, and the focus of the Lunar New Year celebrations in January~February. Fitzroy is now a magnet for the urban cool, cafe dwellers and property renovators, but was once the workingclass heart of Melbourne. St Kilda is a day trip in itself. For years it was Melbourne,s sex and sin centre - drunks, drugs, girls, shady deals and shady characters abounded - but the suburb is slowly being rejuvenated. Fitzroy St retains traces of its former tarnished character, although today you,re more likely to be sipping a crisp white and dining on rocket salad than sluggingslugging n.<口>重击, 强击 a beer and looking for action. There is a string of average beaches running from St. Kilda back into the city, including Middle Park, Albert Park and Port Melbourne. Luna Park, near St. Kilda Beach, is an oldfashioned fairground that,s fun for kids and coltish adults.

Events

Dividing the year into seasons, summer sees outdoor evening performances of plays, Carols by Candlelight at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, cricket at the MCG, the Australian Open tennis championship, the Summer Music Festival at the Victorian Arts Centre, horse races at Hanging Rock, the St. Kilda Festival, the Victoria St. Lunar Festival, Chinese New Year celebrations, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, the threeweek long gay and lesbian Midsumma Festival, the Australian Grand Prix and the Moomba family festival. Autumn features the Greek Antipodes Festival, Garden Week, football, the International Comedy Festival and Heritage Week.

Winter brings more football and the International Film Festival. Spring sees the football finals (phew), the Melbourne International Festival, the Royal Melbourne Show, the Oktoberfest, the Spring Racing Carnival (including the Melbourne Cup), the Italian Lygon St. Festa and the HispanicHispanic adj.西班牙的 Community Festival.

Getting There & Away

Melbourne,s airport services both domestic and international flights. While plenty of international airlines have direct flights into Melbourne, many flights still stop off in Sydney. Domestic flights run between Melbourne and all Australian capital cities, as well as to many regional centres and a few towns in Victoria.

Bus travel is the cheapest way to get around, but it,s a big country and it can be slow and tedious. Buses tend to travel the major highways, which can make the trip even more boring. Buses arrive in Melbourne from other Australian capitals, Victorian towns and tourist favorites like Alice Springs and Cairns. Small bus companies travel slower, more scenic routes such as the Great Ocean Road, through the Victorian High Country, along the east coast and through central Australia. If you,re driving yourself, the main highways into Melbourne are the Hume (inland) or the Princes (coastal) from Sydney and the Western (inland) or Princes (coastal) from AdelaideAdelaide 阿德莱德(①女子名 ②澳大利亚港市).

The country,s train system is less extensive than the bus network and train travel is more expensive, but its often quicker and almost always more pleasant than slogging it out on a bus. Interstate rail services really only operate between capital cities. Major centres in Victoria are serviced by trains, and the areas that don,t have train lines can be reached by V/Line (the train company) bus. A ferry and a quicker “cat” run between Melbourne and Devonport, in northern Tasmania.

Getting Around

The Skybus runs a halfhourly shuttle between the airport and the city, but it,s not cheap. If there,s more than two of you, it,s probably worth getting a taxi. Other shuttles run through St. Kilda and around the bay, and west to Geelong. Public transport between the airport and city exists, but its sporadic and you,ll have to do a couple of changes. A taxi from the airport to the city will cost between US15 and US20, depending on traffic.