And so we come to the last day of our weekend in Melbourne. If I’d thought the first two days were fantastic, day three only got better. Perhaps it helped that it was my birthday, which always makes the day feel a little special. But this was definitely a birthday like no other. One of the best ever, if not the best.

Brunch with friends seemed a great way to start the day. Our friends Karen and Craig recommended the café – Dr Morse Bar & Eatery in Abbotsford, which is only 2 kms east of Melbourne’s CBD. Easy to get to by train or a short taxi ride.

Karen and I have been friends for almost twenty years. We were flatmates in Sydney many moons ago. But it had been almost ten years since we’d seen each other. Very special.

You’ll understand then that I was excited to see our friends (not to mention starving and so ready for breakfast) and hence completely forgot to take photographs. So you’ll just have to take my word for it that Dr Morse is a very cool café with great food and is definitely worth the short trip from the city.

After refuelling with a good breakfast we headed back to the city because now it really was time to shop. I mean, seriously. We first had a look around the Emporium. This is a must if you’re doing the shops in Melbourne. A stunning modern shopping precinct in an impressively designed building, the Emporium boasts some of the best names in fashion, culinary offerings, events, promotions – and it all happens under one roof. The best way to get there is via entrances at the corner of Little Bourke and Lonsdale Streets.

There is also access through to David Jones – one of Melbourne’s top department stores and where we found ourselves after looking around the Emporium. I have to say that David Jones has always been a favourite of mine and I invariably gravitate towards it whenever I’m in Australia.

I was up first because it was my birthday and taking me shopping saved my husband the task of having to buy me a present. I didn’t complain too loudly. “I need some warm tops and jumpers for winter,” I announced. So this was the final haul.

Love that Tommy Hilfiger T-shirt!

My husband was up next so we scooted across to David Jones for men. He spent more than me! But we had the most fantastic time shopping together. It’s not something we get to do very often but Melbourne was certainly the place to do it.

You’ll find the main entrance to David Jones in Bourke Street Mall. Trams run straight through the mall so it’s easy to get to.

Right next door is Myer, another of Australia’s major department stores.

Once again, we found ourselves having skipped lunch – who needs lunch when there’s shopping to be done? Coffee and cake? What a grand idea. We nipped back to our apartment to dump all the shopping and then headed to our final recommendation of the weekend – Brunetti, a fabulous Italian café on Lygon Street.

This is where you go for Italian-style coffee, the most incredible sweet treats, gelato, cakes. But it’s not only a paradise for those with a sweet tooth. They also have a menu if you want to stop by for something more substantial or try one of their wood-fired pizzas.

As a destination for coffee and cake it would be hard to beat. Brunetti is located at 380 Lygon Street and open 6.00am to 11.00pm Monday to Thursday and 6.00am to 12.00am Friday and Saturday.

It was after leaving Brunetti that we decided to change our plans slightly. We’d intended to visit the Melbourne Museum, but it was such a beautiful afternoon and we felt like walking.

We took a wander down Lygon Street, which is well known for its stretch of Italian restaurants. If you’re someone who loves Italian food the green and red umbrellas on the sidewalk will be enough to put a smile on your face.

We kept walking, enjoying the sunny Melbourne afternoon until we reached the river. Stopping on Princes Bridge we watched those below on south bank lucky enough to be enjoying an al fresco drink. We wanted to be one of them. Why not? We had a bit of time before we had to head back and get ready for dinner.

We chose Saké, which is a traditional Japanese restaurant. Next time we’re in Melbourne I’d like to eat there but we were only stopping for a drink. Even so the service was wonderful and we got a table in the sun overlooking the river towards the city. A perfect moment in the day. What do you think? Do I look happy?

That night we were having dinner with friends. Sally and I have been friends for almost twenty years since we worked together in Sydney. The four of us have been friends for a long time. Sally and Gavin took us to Grill 66 on NewQuay Promenade where we had a fabulous meal. Another excellent steak for Steve and lamb cutlets for me.

Situated in Docklands this steakhouse enjoys a great location. The waterfront view would be wonderful in the summertime during those long evenings. But even after dark the views are magnificent.

Sally and I both indulged in the affogato for dessert, which is an Italian treat consisting of nothing more than hot espresso poured over cold, cold vanilla ice cream. Simple but so delicious. They even had a candle for me to blow out.

The wonderful thing about good friends that you don’t see often is that it takes so little time to fall back into easy conversation with each other. The years between fall away as though they’d never been there.

I felt extremely fortunate to spend my birthday with such special friends. So a big thank you goes out to Karen and Craig and Sally and Gavin for helping to make the weekend and my birthday so memorable.

We headed to the airport the next morning marvelling at just how perfect the weekend had been. I can’t think of a single part of it that I would change. Obviously there was more to do and see than we had time for but I guess that just means we’ll have to return.

Is Melbourne still calling?