Somehow tonight I found myself at the “staff entrance” of Crown Casino asking for directions.

I’m staying on St Kilda Road and was meeting some colleagues for dinner at Southbank.

Unfortunately I don’t come to Melbourne often enough for me to know my way around or for my inate sense of direction and navigation to be effective.

Thus, I printed off a map of where I needed to go.

And I even asked some people at the nearby tramstop for some directions. “Am I going the right way?”, I asked them, with an answer in the positive. They even told me where to get off.

But somehow between where they told me to get off the tram and making my way to dinner, I ended up deep in the bowels of Crown Casino.

The bloke at the staff entrance was helpful. And when I showed him my map he gave me good directions which, eventually, thankfully allowed me to meet up with my colleagues (well, after I made a further phone call seeking their assistance).

But getting back in the right direction did involve walking through a corridor at the back of Crown Casino. So, while most people have seen the glamour of Crown Casino, I’ve had a guided tour of the inner workings of the staff entrance.

Over dinner I joked I spent a few months backpacking around Europe in 2008, and in March this year successfully negotiated my way around Sweden and Denmark. Adding that if you asked me for directions in Perth or Brisbane or Wagga, I’d put you in the right direction. But for some reason – I think it’s the flatness – I often find myself geographically challenged in Melbourne.

Dinner was really lovely by the way.

And now I find myself back in my upgraded hotel room. How cool is it to pay a lower price and then to be told “you’ve been upgraded”?

Earlier tonight I was tempted to go out for a look-see around Melbourne’s nightlife. But now I think I’ll just stay here and enjoy the upgrade.