Happy birthday, Melbourne!

I took this photo tonight right near where John Fawkner berthed the Enterprise 175 years ago today

Today was Melbourne's 175th birthday and in honour of the occasion, here's a list of things I love about my adopted hometown:

* The Royal Botanic Gardens

* The Yarra River (yes, I know it ain't pretty, but it's such a constant in my life that I can't help feeling fond of it).

* The State Library, particularly the La Trobe Reading Room

* The Athenaeum Library

* The beautiful old buildings, especially the interiors of 333 Collins Street and 382 Collins Street, the  Olderfleet Building (also on Collins Street) and the old Melbourne Safe Deposit Building on Queen Street

* The buzz about town on Grand Final Day

* The view of the city from Swan Street Bridge

* The new sports stadium, AAMI Park, especially when its lights are twinkling

* St Kilda on a gloomy day

* The Astor Theatre (and its moggy)

* Morell Bridge near my house

* The Nylex Clock (when it's working)

* The terrace houses of the inner city

* The backstreets of Richmond

* The alleys, laneways and arcades in the CBD

* Chapel Street Bazaar

* The Windsor end of Chapel Street

* Readings Bookstores

* It was briefly called Batmania and also Bearberp!

* The Moomba Festival - because the name means something like 'up your bum!' in an indigenous language

* It has a swimming pool named in honour of Prime Minister Harold Holt who went missing at sea in 1967, presumed drowned

* There's a lane named after legendary rock band AC/DC

* Bumblebee trams

* The old lamps on Prince's Bridge and along Federation Wharf

* The view down Bourke Street from the Queen Street intersection

and loads more things that I'm too sleepy to think of right now... (Apologies for lack of links - Google is your friend).