Visiting or planning a trip to Melbourne in the near future? Of course you are! For Seven Years in a row Melbourne held the rank of the world’s most liveable city. Only recently have we conceded the title to Vienna, Austria thanks to the multitude of roadworks and public transport works going on around the city to cope with the ever-increasing population thanks to the city’s ever-increasing popularity. That’s not the only title we hold, we were also voted the world’s happiest city and live music capital of the world as well as being Australia’s sports capital.
Well now you know a few of the many reasons why you should visit you probably want to know the best spots to get out and see inside and outside of the city. We thought that a guide to help you out was just the ticket! So, in no particular order are some of the top spots we think you should visit on your trip to the culture capital of Australia.
City and Surrounds
The Eureka Skydeck
A great first introduction to the city is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere – the Eureka Skydeck. Take the fastest elevator in the southern hemisphere to the 88th floor where you’ll be treated to 360 degree views of the city and the surrounding suburbs. Those that fancy a drink can grab something at the kiosk and if there are any thrill seekers in the group you can try out the optional edge experience, a glass room that extends out from the Skydeck to give you views of the surrounds and straight down!
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Sea life Melbourne
Melbourne’s aquarium on Flinders street is home to enough aquatic creatures of the shallow and deep to keep you entertained and informed for hours on end. The kids can enjoy the touch pool and activities and the many different sea creatures on display and they even have a Shark Dive experience for those that really want to get up close to the action.
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Melbourne Zoo
Those that prefer land based critters can take a short train from southern cross, Flinders Street or Parliament station or tram from Elizabeth street to Royal Park to the north of the city. Melbourne Zoo has so many attractions and animals to check out from Gorillas and Tigers to Koalas and Kangaroos. In Summer they also do concerts and open for extended hours. Make sure you have a few hours up your sleeve when visiting 😉.
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Old Melbourne Gaol
This former prison now tourist attraction was home to some 133 hangings when it was open between 1842 and 1929 including the infamous Ned Kelly. There’s plenty of history to explore here and some fun interactions including getting to experience what it was like to indeed be a prisoner here back in the day. Sound like fun? It really is!
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Queen Victoria Market
Only slightly north of the city centre lies Melbourne’s famous Market Place. Open from 6am till 3pm during the day it’s a great place to pick up fresh produce, meats, cheese, clothing, souvenirs and anything else you can think of. Coming here near closing time can see you score really cheap deals of fruits and veg as well.
The night market is a must visit if you’re here on a Wednesday. There’s usually plenty of food stalls, live music and of course cool things to buy and shop around for!
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National Gallery Of Victoria
This Art Gallery constantly has new and interesting exhibitions opening up every few months, make sure you check out what they currently have on offer when you’re in town. It’s free to visit the regular exhibitions but the temporary instalments have an entrance fee and are always worth the ticket price.
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Hidden Laneways
Melbourne is famous for its hidden laneways with Graffiti art and cool hidden bars and restaurants waiting to be found. Hosier and AC/DC laneway are among the more well-known laneways, but you can grab a map to find alternatives and there are even laneway tours to check out as well!
Hosier Lane
Degraves Street
A must visit and much-loved laneway for anyone coming into the city is Degraves Street. Here you can find street art, alfresco dining, tiny shops with hidden treasures and a great cup of coffee from one of the many cafes. Make sure you come here If you want to really feel like you’re in the thick of it.
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St Kilda
The closest Beachside suburb to the city is popular among backpackers and it’s easy to see why with plenty of bars and nightlife to keep you entertained as well as fast trams into the city centre it’s a great place to base yourself if you don’t want to be directly in the city centre. At sunset you can see penguins off the pier though be careful, no flash photography!
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Live Music
As we mentioned before Melbourne was recently named live music capital of the world and the ever-evolving music landscape of the city always keeps things interesting. There’s not one main area of music to check out but multiple spanning across the city.
In the city you can catch live bands at Birdies Basement Jazz Club, Globe alley, and the Cherry bars new home on 68 Collins street. North of the city you can visit Collingwood, Fitzroy and Brunswick to catch a variety of different acts at venues such as the Evelyn, Yah Yah’s, The Tote, The Old Bar and the workers club.
Further north you’ll find The Northcote social club and to the south of the city the palais theatre, prince band room and the Esplanade hotel are great live venues in St Kilda.
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Sports
Also the Sporting capital City of Australia Melbourne is one of the few cities in the world where you can literally walk to multiple large capacity sports stadiums from the city centre. To the west of the City you’ll find Marvel Stadium, host to AFL and Soccer matches. To the South East only a 15 minute or so walk from Flinders Street Station you’ll find Rod Laver Arena for Tennis including the Australian Open, Aami Park for Soccer and Rugby and of course the famous MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) for cricket matches and Big AFL games including the AFL Grand Final.
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Restaurants
One of the main reasons to visit this amazing city is simply to eat the amazing food available no matter where you are in the city. There are plenty of staple favourites to try in the Cbd such as Chin Chin, Mamasita, Meatball and wine bar, rice paper scissors or red spice road.
Some suburbs to explore are Hawthorn, St Kilda, Brunswick, Collingwood, Fitzroy, Richmond, Southbank and Footscray. See what delicious treasures you can find!
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Explore outside of the city
The Great Ocean Road
One of the main reasons visitors come here is to drive the Great Ocean Road. Built by war veterans after World war one and having recently passed it’s 100th Birthday this year(2019) it’s not hard to understand why people flock to visit every year. Many people choose to day trip on a tour or drive it themselves in 2 to 4 days. We definitely wouldn’t recommend driving the whole way yourself in one day, this place deserves the time to see all the magnificent spots that it has to offer.
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Phillip Island
Millions of people flock to one of the Worlds largest Wildlife attractions every year, the Phillip Island Penguin Parade. Phillip island Nature parks takes care of this facility as well as others such as Churchill island and the Koala Conservation centre and is one of the only Government run not for profit organisations in the world.
The main attraction here is to see the Little penguins come home to their burrows at sunset after their long days(or days) of fishing on the open ocean. Every day you can see 200 to 2000 penguins come up the beach and waddle past you. It really is the march of the penguins!
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French Island
If getting off the beaten track and finding hidden spots is your kind of thing then you should definitely check out French Island. Only a short 1 hour drive from the centre of Melbourne will have you arriving at stony point where you can jump on the short foot ferry across to this remote wilderness. It’s got the highest density of Koalas in Australia and is a remote wilderness full of wildlife. To explore the island, you will need to take a bike with you or a much better option is to jump on our French island and Phillip Island Wildlife Expedition which includes a 3 hour 4 wheel drive exploration of the island.
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Mornington Peninsula
It’s easy to see why this area is the most popular day trip out of Melbourne for the locals and international visitors as well. Just an hour and a half or so south east of Melbourne and you’ll find yourself in a beautiful area with literally something for everyone. On the Port Phillip bay side you’ll discover charming beaches with pristine calm blue waters that are great for people of all ages to enjoy a swim in and on the other a raging ocean with awesome waves for surfing.
There’s plenty of golf clubs for the avid golfer (or mini golfer!), point Nepean national park for those that enjoy scenery and the main street of Sorrento for shopping and a tasty pastry or coffee!
Those that fancy a drink can visit breweries like St Andrews Beach Brewery, Red hill or Mornington Peninsula Brewery or those who prefer a glass of wine can head to Montalto, Rare Hare at Jackelope, Pt Leo Estate and many more!
To get the best views you can visit Sea winds national park and then enjoy a ride on the Arthurs Seat Eagle Gondola, after that the Enchanted Adventure Garden Is only a short drive away if you want to get lost in a maze.
There’s honestly too much for us to list here, it’s best to go check it out for yourself or jump on a Winery or Sightseeing tour!
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Bellarine Peninsula
This up and coming region on the other side of Port Phillip Bay keeps on getting better and better with more things to attract you on your weekend away.
Train buffs can enjoy a ride on the Q train or checkout the Blues train for a dose of music and fun. There are beautiful beaches and lookouts to check out such as the Bluff lookout at Barwon heads and the point Lonsdale lighthouse gives you incredible views of the entrance to Port Phillip Bay (The Rip).
For a drink you can visit the Queenscliff brewhouse, Flying brick cider and the whiskey and wine afficionados can get their fix at one of the many wineries. Jack Rabbit Winery offers spectacular views of Port Phillip Bay and Melbourne on a clear day as does Terindah estate just down the road. Scotchmans hill will delight your tastebuds with their tasty wine and offerings from their kitchen.
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Yarra Valley
Melbourne’s most frequented trip for lovers of wine is a beautiful area that boasts not only wine but plenty of other fun things to keep everyone entertained.
Of course there are plenty of wineries to choose from such as Rochford, Yering farm and the famous Domaine Chandon. Breweries are represented as well with Watts River, Coldstream and Detour beer co being worth the trip, of course in the town of Healesville you’ll also find Four Pillars Gin which only recently won best Gin in the world!
Healesville sanctuary is a wonderful place to visit to get your fix of wildlife and if you fancy catching fresh salmon or trout you can head to Buxton Trout and Salmon farm! Catch a fish and cook it up straight away on their free to use BBQ’s.
Steavenson Waterfall is just one spot you can visit for a walk and a bit of fresh air as well as an awesome view to go with it. There’s plenty of other walking trails to check out as well or you can just enjoy driving around the beautiful winding roads.
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Wilsons Promontory
A well-kept secret but still popular place to visit is Wilsons Promontory or ‘The Prom’ as it is affectionately known. It’s a stiff 3 hour drive south east of Melbourne so worth an overnight stay but you won’t regret it, you can climb up the top of Mt Oberon or Mt Bishop for gorgeous views and check out one of the many beautiful beaches such as squeaky beach and whisky bay.
The Wilsons Promontory Wildlife walk and airfield is a great spot to run into a whole lot of Kangaroos and hopefully an Emu or two and if your staying in Tidal river or do the walk from there to Squeaky beach you have a good chance of seeing a Wombat!
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Mt Buller
Melbourne’s closest ski and snowboarding destination is a 3-and-a-half-hour drive to the north of the city. There’s plenty of accommodation to stay at and lots of activities to enjoy and slopes to hit on the mountain. If you only have a day to visit it’s best to consider a day trip.
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