Melbourne's very own shopping 'Games'

MARATHON

As all true athletes of shopping know, it takes stamina and focus to find real bargains. After checking into my central Melbourne Langham Hotel, I visited the doyen of department stores, David Jones (Bourke St) where I snaffled two designer dresses with 50 per cent off.

Luckily the hotel is next door to the Southgate shopping centre, on the snazzy South Bank, a redeveloped strip on the bank of the Yarra River. A quick loop of the shops scored me a fab gold evening bag from retro clothes shop American Rag, plus some cool pressies for the kids from homewares store Aero Plus.

I returned to my original shopping training ground, St Kilda, a half-hour tram ride from the city. Now a fashionable district with a mixture of clothes shops, homeware outlets and cafes, it's a great shopping site thanks to its seaside location.

The last leg of the challenging course was South Yarra's Chapel Street, my former place of worship. I was physically up to the challenge of visiting the many designer clothes shops, but my credit card pulled out of the race.

Overall result: Bronze medal. Must practice more.

WEIGHTLIFTING

Thanks to its rich cultural history, Melbourne is gourmet heaven. A must-eat is Queen Victoria Market (513 Elizabeth Street), a covered merchandise and food market with an amazing deli section. Tip to other athletes: Bring a big shopping bag so you can buy gourmet nibbles, from Polish sausages to marinated baby octopus.

With a tiny gap left in my belly, it was time for the entertaining Chocoholic Tour (from AU$28 per person) around the arcades of the central city with the fascinating Suzie Wharton. She tempted me with delights from Haigh's (The Block Arcade) and superb Koko Black (Royal Arcade).

There is a huge variety of restaurants within waddling distance of South Bank, including the Langham Hotel's Melba Restaurant, famous for its buffet such as the celebrity-status Peking duck. Or try my training routine - a healthy breakfast at Earthworm Organic Caf (Southgate), with poached eggs on wholegrain toast. Waddle to nearby Federation Square for lunch at the French bistro, the Upper+Lower restaurant. Spend the afternoon at the user-friendly National Gallery of Victoria, an all-Aussie art affair next door to the restaurant (free tours twice a day). To end the day, dine at the uber-cool Taxi Dining Room, above the popular Transport bar, also in Federation Square.

Result: Gold medal. I'm weightlifting an extra 2kg around my belly!

SWIMMING

With views over the Yarra river and the city's older buildings, my main swimming venue was the Langham pool. More competitive athletes could have a go at a triathlon at St Kilda: shopping, eating and swimming at the beach.

Result: Silver medal. Swam every day as clothes I bought at David Jones were too tight (see weightlifting).

* The Langham Hotel, Melbourne, has rooms starting at $AUS222.50 per person per night, twin share, for a Classic Room. The hotel is nearly booked out over the Games but is offering specials during the Games at the Chuan Spa, Tisane Lounge bar and the Melba Brasserie. Formerly the Sheraton, the Langham has had an extensive makeover.