Weekend Wedding in Williamstown

I had the privilege this weekend of attending the wedding of the daughter of one of my closest friends (who happens to be my daughter's best friend) Emily was getting married in the beach side city/suburb of Williamstown which is only about an hour away from my house but it is on the other side of the city and with consistent roadworks going on on the freeway causing delays, I decided I couldn't be bothered with dealing with traffic on the day, so why not take a weekend break and enjoy the wedding properly without having to worry about if I get there on time and whether I should be driving home after having a glass or two of bubbly.

Williamstown was Melbourne's first port settlement and has many maritime museums and colonial landmarks as well as a great foodie culture with many coffee shops and restaurants to eat at.

There are plenty of gardens and parks, a great shoreline and beach, jetties and docks for the many boats that use Port Phillip Bay and there are some amazing views of the city and I would recommend this spot for a mini-break. Also on the third Sunday of every month there is a craft market, with entertainers and food trucks and it was a nice way to round off the weekend, strolling through the park looking through some amazing stalls (and purchasing a few items- I bought scarf rings, 3 for $20 and was pleased with my purchase), stopping to enjoy views of the city and bay and listening to the slow and easy beats of the performers in the rotunda.

Jenna and I chose to stay at the Punthill Apartments for the weekend (the bride and her entourage were staying at the Quest Apartments which is in a great location, right on the pier with really great views, but was fully booked out for the weekend)

We were happy with our choice, the hotel was clean and quiet and just steps away from the Cenotaph and part of the dock, and had views of the city...sort of ...from our balcony (if you peered through the wooden fence or held the camera above it) and from the deck on the second floor. It was within walking distance of everything we required, the Quest were we met up with the others, the dock, restaurants and shops, even the church (St. Mary's) if we wanted to topple there in our high heels and if I do another mini-vacation

to Willie I might choose the same spot to stay at. I did like the Quest, mainly for the views, but it has a restaurant/ bar called Pelican's Landing, which looks great but may get a little noisy if you want a relaxing weekend, but then again you wouldn't have to stagger too far if you wanted a drink or two.

There is surprisingly a lot to see in Williamstown apart from the beach, with a lot of historical sites, including the Timeball Tower/lighthouse which used to be the way to guide the ships into port but is no longer in use.

It was a wonderful weekend in Williamstown and I would recommend it, even for a day trip, have a great meal, enjoy and ice-cream from one of the many ice-cream shops and just enjoy the beach and the bay and city views.

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