Tazio, CBD and Lightscape, Melbourne Botanic Gardens

On Friday night Sylvia and I went to the city where we ate dinner at Tazio and then went to the Melbourne Botanic Gardens for the ethereally charming Lightscape show of lights throughout the gardens.  This was the second year of Lightscape in Melbourne but it is 10 years since it started in the UK.

Friday night is pizza night for us so we looked for a pizza place near the gardens end of the city.  I loved that the poster on the wall outside says "nice food by nice people".  The staff were indeed very nice and so was the food.  Sylvia was impressed at how fancy it was.  Ooh, linen napkins and elegant wallpaper in the bathroom!  It was not hard to find a seat at 5.30pm but by the time we left it was getting busy.

We ordered the Italian marinated giant green olives served warm with fresh ciabatta, Cauliflower and potato croquettes with aioli, Steamed broccolini, green beans and carrots tossed in mixed herbs and extra virgin olive oi, and the Flavio, a 10 inch New York thin base pizza with mozzarella, fior di latte, kipfler potato & gorgonzola.

We were attracted to Tazio for its vegetarian pizza menu.  The menu generously says that they can make the pizza base gluten free or use vegan cheese, and that they welcome alterations, though any of these changes will cost you.  Sylvia was not keen on the gorgonzola but happy they bought us more bread.  I was happy to have a bowl of vegetables.  We agreed that best of all were the croquettes.  So crispy outside and so creamy inside.

We took a tram to the Observatory entrance to the Botanic Gardens.  We were already seeing fun lights at the food trucks before we even got to the ticket checkpoint.  There were lights everywhere as we walked the 2km circuit around the lake.  

I noticed signage at most of the light installations but in the bustle of crowds (and with a teenage daughter eager to move along) it was not always possible to stop and take these in, let alone check the QR codes for more information.  Usually I like to check this information afterwards but cannot find it online. 

 

 

Between installations were trees lit up with changing colours.   Tickets are sold at 15 minute intervals to try and stagger the crowds but at times it seems crowded with all the iphones vying for space to get a good photo.

 

 

There were Aboriginal motifs throughout the walk.  This engaging installation of artwork on poles was called Nura.  There were also some light beams on footpaths with Aboriginal artwork and some with ants but it was hard to photograph with the crowds.

 

 

This mushroom installation, named the Fungarium, and a nearby dandelion installation had music that reminded Sylvia of the Frozen soundtrack.  It felt very magical with a sense of wonder.

I was a bit unsure about this installation in the lake which could have been odd water lilies but really looked like radioactive waste to me. 

Much more pleasing to my eye were the vistas of installations across the lake with reflections in the water.

I was impressed by the Fire Garden with lots of flames along the lawn by the edge of our path.  It was, of course, roped off.  As it was hard to check, I could only assume the flames were made by light rather than fire.  It reminded me of candle lights in memory of those who have died.

In addition to the food trucks at the Observatory gate, the Terrace Cafe on the lake had been changed into a food court of cute little food carts.  Sylvia wanted a soy latte and I had a chocolate ice cream with a little salted caramel doughnut.  They also had pizza, dumplings and marshmallows.  

It was only afterwards that I saw the the marshmallows were sold on sticks to be toasted over a fire set up outside.  The other opportunity I missed was the mulled wine at a drinks bar earlier on in the walk because I was driving.  The marshmallows and mulled wine sound like fun but we could not do everything on quite an overwhelming night.  Maybe there will be another Lightscape year when we can take advantage of these opportunities.

I share this photo across the lake partly to show the city buildings lit up in the background.

 

I have read that although this year's Lightscape was different to last year, the Winter Cathedral returned this year because it was so popular.  An arched walk with rows and rows of little white flower shaped lights.  So pretty!  So stunning!  So otherworldly!  It was no surprise that this was selfie central and pretty busy.  But I was amazed that after a long walk around the gardens where I will confess to a little light fatigue at times, that this simple installation still had the capacity to leave me sighing at its beauty.

 

 

This canopy of lights was really cool but could not compare to the Winter Cathedral.  Like most of the lights, the colours slowly morphed into other colours but this one had the additional swooshes of light rushing along the canopy that was great fun to watch.

 

 

 

These were some of the last lights we saw before the exit.  I loved the patterns on the trunks, which were different to all those other tree lights we had passed on the walk.

 

I would recommend going to see Lightscape (and eating at Tazio in Flinders Lane beforehand).  However it was not a cheap night out.  Our dinner and soft drinks cost us $83 and the Lightscape was $40 entry for each of us.   The only concessions available were for children aged 4-12 years old at $32.  No students or senior discounts.  With the cost of living rising as steeply as it is now, these prices make it far less accessible than it should be.  So I feel lucky that I was able to see event that is filled with wonder.

 

Tazio Birraria Pizzeria & Cucina
91 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000

Mon-Fri 12pm til late, Sat 5pm til late
https://www.tazio.com.au/

 

Lightscape Melbourne
Melbourne Botanic Gardens
Observatory Gate (Birdwood Avenue) or Bridge Gate (Alexandra Ave and Anderson)

16 June - 6 August (Wednesday to Sunday)
https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/melbourne-gardens/what-s-on-melbourne/lightscape/