Melbourne - The oar's blades dip gently into the brown water of the Yarra River and the young man leans back towards the boat's prow, pulling powerfully on the oar. He's on his way to Melbourne's latest attraction: the 290 metre high Eureka Towers.
The oarsman is in the centre of Australia's second most populous city. Yet, even so, he hardly needs to pay any attention to the rest of the boats on the river in the knowledge that there's not much oncoming traffic.
There are hardly any bigger boats on this stretch of the Yarra which is traversed by flat-built bridges. Business people scurry across the bridges followed by ambling tourists who take almost no notice of the river below them.
Is Melbourne even built on a river? Sometimes, it seems that everyone here has turned their back on the Yarra, but that appearance belies the truth.
Melbourne does not have a spectacular, natural harbour like Sydney with its opera house. But Melbourne's connection to water is important - not only is it situated on the Yarra River, but also on its estuary to the sea.
The waves in Port Phillip Bay, which marks the river's point of entry to the sea, wash upon the beaches of the southerly districts and suburbs.
"For a long time most people did not take notice of the fact that they live so close to water," recalls Murray Johnson who guides visitors by bicycle around Melbourne.
But that has changed: "As many Melbourne residents have noticed that it doesn't take much time or money to get to the sea by tram."
The trendy district of St Kilda is not the only part of the city to have profited from this change in perception.
The promenade in St Kilda is packed with cyclists, joggers and inline skaters competing for space. Mothers take their babies for walks in prams and sun worshippers tan themselves on the beach.
Fitzroy Street is a hive of activity with cafes and restaurants on the look-out for lunch time guests: one restaurant follows the next, testifying to the hard nature of the business here.
A popular meeting point is the pier which has a wonderful view of the skyscrapers of the city's business district.
The best time to walk along the pier is just before sundown to watch the anglers.
A common sound heard here is the Greek language as many of the immigrants who live in Melbourne came from Greece after World War II.
The old anglers with deep furrows in their faces and baseball caps on their heads are silent, while others are so busy talking they fail to notice their fishing lines fidgeting.
You don't need a taxi or have to take the tram to get to St Kilda, it's close enough to get there by bicycle.
A day's bicycle rent costs about 45 Australian dollars (39 US dollars) and is an increasingly popular mode of transport in the city.
"In 2006, more bicycles than cars were sold in Australia," notes Johnson.
After visiting St Kilda, try cycling back to the city along Port Phillip Bay towards the port area where ferries leave for Tasmania.
Situated on the bank of the Yarra River is another opportunity to experience this metropolis by the sea: the Melbourne Aquarium.
The aquarium is currently being doubled in size, with construction work on an Antarctic section with penguins and other polar animals due to finish by Spring next year.
About 750,000 people visit the aquarium every year to see its collection of sea creatures including the biggest sweet water fish in Australia: the 1.80 metre long Murray Cod.
The largest pool contains 2.2 million litres of water and is home to three different species of ray and shark.
Most people turn their boats around when they come to the aquarium and head back up stream as it's not far to the estuary where the water is not so calm.
It's also not far to the old docklands area where construction work is taking place on a new district of hotels, offices, restaurants and apartments.
Excursion boats belonging to Melbourne River Cruises disembark from the docklands bound for Williamstown on Port Phillip Bay's western shore.
Williamstown is a unique place with its own distinctive, small- town flair. If you are thinking of getting away from the hubbub of Melbourne, Williamstown is the right place to go.
The ferry journey to Williamstown is also interesting as it passes large container ships making their way towards the modern harbour area.
You can also see the high rise apartment blocks that have shot up close to the ferry terminal in Port Melbourne district.
"This area is getting increasingly popular as a place to live," says Johnson. Melbourne, it seems, is rediscovering its place by the sea.
Internet: www.australia.com, www.visitmelbourne.com
