Frigid Melbourne

We’re back in Melbourne for business this week. We've flown down in August for the last two years to spend a week exhibiting our company at the AGHA Gift Fair. This event is split between two venues; some exhibitors are based at the Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) in town, while the rest, including Artiwood, are based at the less salubrious Showgrounds near Flemington Racecourse.

Several contractors also join Garry and me to help set up and staff our stand. This includes Gaby and Robbie whom we fly in from Mullumbimby, plus Emily and her Mum who coordinate our organic plush toy section. It’s a busy week that sees us spend the entire day on-site at the showgrounds before returning each night to our Airbnb apartment. Gaby and Robbie are also staying with us.

For this event, I’ve rented a three-bedroom rooftop penthouse in Brunswick. The apartment features a massive outdoor balcony. However, it’s bitterly cold in Melbourne (and we’ve discovered that there’s no gas in the BBQ) so we’ve spent very little time enjoying this spectacular outdoor space. 

I must admit that the two days we spent setting up our stand weren't much fun either. The venue's loading dock doors remained open during set up. As a result, the ambient temperature inside the building was as cold, if not cooler than outside. It was a bitter 5C when we arrived on site shortly after 9:00am on Friday. The daytime high then briefly hit 13C, before dropping to 10C around 5:00pm.

This apartment is the first Airbnb rental I've booked. I finally yielded to market forces and registered with the app in April. Last year I booked us into a tiny serviced apartment that wasn't memorable by any stretch of the imagination.