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Melbourne Attractions
Visitors to Melbourne come to experience the contrasts of old-world architecture and the exciting feel of a truly multicultural city. This is a wonderfully compact city, with all the major attractions within easy reach of the city heart. Most visitors also venture to the bayside suburb of St. Kilda, an easy tram ride away.
Parks & Gardens
Birrarung Marr, along the Yarra River east of Federation Square on Batman Avenue (tel. 03/9658 9658; www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/parks), is Melbourne’s newest major parkland. Birrarung means “river of mists” in the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people who originally inhabited the area; marr relates to the side of the river. The wide-open spaces and large, sculptured terraces were designed to host some of Melbourne’s top events and festivals throughout the year, and the terraces provide views of the city, Southbank, King’s Domain, and the Yarra River.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, 2 km (1 1/4 miles) south of the city on Birdwood Avenue, off St. Kilda Road (tel. 03/9252 2300; www.rbg.vic.gov.au), are the best gardens in Australia and well worth a few hours of wandering. More than 40 hectares (99 acres) are lush and blooming with some 12,000 plant species from all over the world. Don’t miss a visit to the oldest part of the garden, the Tennyson Lawn, with its 120-year-old English elm trees. Other special corners include a fern gully, camellia gardens, an herb garden, rainforests packed with fruit bats, and ponds full of ducks and black swans. Take time to do a guided Aboriginal Heritage Walk through the ancestral lands of the Boonerwrung and Woiwurrung people. The 90-minute walk costs A$25 for adults, A$10 for children 6 to 17. It will make you look at the gardens in a different light. Bookings essential at tel. 03/9252 2429. The gardens are open daily from 7:30am to sunset. Admission is free. To get there, catch the no. 8 tram and get off at stop 21. Allow at least 2 hours.
Nearby, in King’s Domain, take a look at Victoria’s first Government House, La Trobe’s Cottage (tel. 03/9656 9800). It was built in England and transported to Australia brick by brick in 1836. It is open every Sunday from 2pm to 4pm from October to May, and on Australia Day (Jan 26) and some other public holidays. Admission is A$5 adults, A$3 children, and A$10 for a family. The cottage is also open as part of Government House tours (bookings essential: tel. 03/8663 7260) on Mondays and Thursdays. On the other side of Birdwood Avenue is the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial to the servicemen lost in Australia’s wars. It’s designed so that at 11am on Remembrance Day (Nov 11), a beam of sunlight hits the Stone of Remembrance in the Inner Shrine. Note the eternal flame in the forecourt. King’s Domain is stop 12 on the no. 15 tram traveling south along St. Kilda Road.
In Fitzroy Gardens, off Wellington Parade, is Cooks’Cottage (tel. 03/9419 5766), which was moved to Melbourne from Great Ayton, in Yorkshire, England, in 1934 to mark Victoria’s centenary. The cottage was built by the parents of explorer Captain James Cook, and today it provides the opportunity to learn about Cook’s voyages of discovery around the world. Inside, it’s spartan and cramped, not unlike a ship’s cabin. Admission is A$5 for adults, A$2.50 for children 5 to 15, and A$14 for families. It’s open daily from 9am to 5pm (except Christmas Day). Also east of the central business district are the Treasury Gardens. Look for the memorial to John F. Kennedy near the lake. To reach Treasury Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens, take tram no. 48 or 75 (or the City Circle) traveling east along Flinders Street. Get off at stop 14 for Treasury Gardens, stop 14A for Fitzroy Gardens.
Extensive bicycle paths wind through the city and suburbs. Melbourne Bike Share, Melbourne’s public bike hire (tel. 1300 711 590; www.melbournebikeshare.com.au), has 50 bike stations and 600 bikes at locations around the city. You can’t miss the racks of bright blue bikes. You can pay for a bike with Visa or MasterCard (limit of two bikes per credit card). Your card swipe will also take a A$50 security deposit, which will be refunded later. The first 30 minutes of usage are free; then you pay a fee of A$2 for 30 minutes (up to your first hour), A$7 for 90 minutes, A$17 for up to 2 hours, and A$10 for every half-hour after that. The daily rate makes the bike-share system one of the cheapest transport options in town, but only if you have the bike for less than about 2 hours. If you need a bike for longer than that, it’s probably cheaper to hire a bike elsewhere. Bike helmets are compulsory by law, and you can get one free with the bike or buy one for A$5 at 7-Eleven stores in the city center. You must be 16 years or older to use the bike-share system.
Melbourne Bike Share has developed a range of suggested bike tours that you can download from the website. You can also buy books and maps from Bicycle Network Victoria, (www.bicyclenetwork.com.au). This website is a font of useful information about cycling in Victoria and Australia.
Half-Price Tickets
Buy tickets for entertainment events, including opera, dance, and drama, on the day of the performance from the Half-Tix Desk (tel. 03/9650 9420 for daily listings; www.halftixmelbourne.com) in the Melbourne Town Hall on Swanston Street. The booth is open Monday from 10am to 2pm, Tuesday through Thursday 11am to 6pm, Friday 11am to 6:30pm, and Saturday 10am to 4pm (also selling for Sun shows). Tickets must be purchased in person and in cash. Available shows are displayed on the booth door and on the website.
36 Results
Art Gallery of Ballarat
This excellent gallery, founded in 1884, is Australia’s oldest regional gallery and houses a fine collection of Australian art, including paintings from the Heidelberg School and a stunning collection of 20th-century modernists. It also hosts interesting contemporary exhibitions on…- Natural Attraction
Ballarat Botanical Gardens
These delightful gardens are well worth visiting. The gold-rich citizens of Ballarat bestowed magnificent gifts on the gardens from its early days, including the collection of 12 marble statues that now stand in the conservatory, the elegant Statuary Pavilion and its… - Performing Arts Venue
Bennetts Lane Jazz Club
Often exceptional and always varied, this venue has a reputation as the best jazz club in Australia and is sought out by the best international players. The back-lane location may be a little hard to find, but that doesn’t keep it from being packed out most nights. Get here early if… - Cooking Class
Blood on the Southern Cross
This breathtaking sound-and-light show re-creates the Eureka Uprising, one of the most important events in Australia’s history. You will be outdoors, so bring something warm to wear, because it can get chilly at night. It’s stirring stuff, and the reenactment does the story justice.… - Casino
Crown Casino
Australia’s largest casino is a plush affair that’s open 24 hours. You’ll find all the usual roulette and blackjack tables and so on, as well as an array of gaming machines. This is also a major venue for international headline acts, and some 25 restaurants and 11 bars are on the… - Landmark
Eureka Skydeck 88
The vertigo-challenging Eureka Skydeck 88 is the highest public vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere. On the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower, a viewing deck gives a 360-degree panorama of the city from 285 m (935 ft.) above the ground. But there’s more adrenaline-pumping action… - Landmark
Federation Square
You have to get into Federation Square, physically, to appreciate it. The controversial design—Melbournians either love it or hate it (I fall into the former category)—has given the city a gathering place, and you only have to visit on the weekends to see that it works. A… - Zoo/Aquarium
Healesville Sanctuary
The sanctuary is a great place to see native animals in almost-natural surroundings. Walk through the peppermint-scented gum forest, which rings with the chiming of bellbirds, and see wedge-tailed eagles, dingoes, koalas, wombats, reptiles, and more. The sanctuary opened in 1921 to… - The Performing Arts
Her Majesty's Theatre
A fire destroyed the original theater here, but the current structure, revamped in 2002, retains the original facade and the Art Deco interior added during a 1936 renovation. Musicals, such as Billy Elliot, Mary Poppins and Doctor Zhivago, frequent the boards. - Cooking Class
IMAX Melbourne Museum
This eight-story movie screen rivals the world's largest screen, at Sydney's Darling Harbour. Recent subjects have been dolphins and whales, dinosaurs, the deep oceans, and Egyptian mummies. As part of the Melbourne Museum precinct, you can get discounted entry to the museum if you… - Zoo/Aquarium
Koala Conservation Centre
Koalas were introduced to Phillip Island in the 1880s, and at first they thrived in the predator-free environment. However, overpopulation, the introduction of foxes and dogs, and the clearing of land for farmland and roads have taken their toll. Though you can still see a few koalas… - Zoo/Aquarium
Melbourne Aquarium
The Melbourne Aquarium’s prize exhibit is an Antarctica display featuring King and Gentoo penguins playing in the pool (with underwater viewing) and sliding across the snow-covered ice. The 20 beguiling birds are Australia’s only collection of sub-Antarctic penguins. The aquarium… - Museum
Melbourne Museum
This museum is Australia’s largest and one of the most interesting. For me, the highlight is Bunjilaka, the Aboriginal Cultural Centre, which gives an insight into the Victorian Koori people. This area of the museum has undergone a major redevelopment, reopening in late 2013 with… - Zoo/Aquarium
Melbourne Zoo
Built in 1862, this is the oldest zoo in the world and makes a great day out with kids. Some 3,000 animals reside here, including kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, koalas, wombats, and platypuses. Rather than being locked in cages, most animals are in almost natural surroundings or… - Museum
Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka
The highlight of a visit to Australia’s newest museum—especially after you’ve learned the story of the Eureka Uprising—is the sight of the original Eureka flag, made from petticoat fabric by the women of the uprising and now enshrined here. The museum features an evocative, dimly lit… National Gallery of Victoria International
The NGV International is a showcase for Australia’s finest collections of international art. On display are Gainsboroughs and Constables, as well as paintings by Bonnard, Delacroix, Van Dyck, El Greco, Monet, Manet, Magritte, and Rembrandt. Architecturally, the building itself is a…- Museum
National Sports Museum
In a nation that’s quite frankly sports-mad, you really can’t miss this outstanding and interesting museum, located within the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). It tells Australia’s sporting story from its early beginnings to the present, celebrating memorable moments and achievements… - Museum
National Vietnam Veterans Museum
Phillip Island may seem an unusual place to find a national museum, but it’s definitely worth a stop. Dedicated to the Australian veterans of the Vietnam War, the collection includes about 6,000 artifacts, including the marbles used in Australia’s conscription lottery, uniforms,… - Historic Site
Old Melbourne Gaol
This is number one on my list of favorite Melbourne attractions. Old Melbourne Gaol’s Crime & Justice Experience is a fascinating way to spend a few hours. Start off at the spooky old prison, with its stone walls, tiny cells, and bizarre collection of death masks and artifacts of… - Historic Site
Parliament House Victoria
Now the home of the Victorian Parliament, this monument to Victorian (as in Queen Victoria) architecture at the top of a run of sandstone steps was built in 1856. During the Australian Federation (1900–1927), it was used as the national parliament. When the state government is in… - Natural Attraction
Phillip Island Penguin Reserve
The penguin parade takes place every night at dusk, when hundreds of Little Penguins appear at the water’s edge, gather in the shallows, and waddle up the beach toward their burrows in the dunes. They’re the smallest of the world’s 17 species of penguins, standing just 33 centimeters… Polly Woodside
A new gallery with six exhibition zones is the latest on-shore adjunct to the historic tall ship Polly Woodside. Set in the original Dockside sheds, the exhibit includes interactive displays about life at sea, the crew, navigation, maritime language, and Melbourne’s docks (you can…- Tour
Puffing Billy Railway
For almost a century, Puffing Billy steam railway has chugged over a 13 km (8-mile) track from Belgrave to Emerald and Lakeside. Passengers ride on open carriages—often dangling their legs from the “windows”—and enjoy lovely views as the train passes through forests and fern gullies… - Market
Queen Victoria Market
This Melbourne institution—the “Vic Market”—covers several blocks. Ignore the hundreds of stalls selling everything from live rabbits to bargain clothes. There’s a lot of junk here, and the crowds can be awful. The best part of the markets are the indoor food sections, particularly… - Historic Site
Rippon Lea Estate
This grand Victorian house, 8km (5 miles) from the city center, is worth a visit to get a feel for old-money Melbourne. Socialite Sir Frederick Thomas Sargood built Rippon Lea House between 1868 and 1903; a pool and ballroom were added in the 1930s. Though the Romanesque architecture… - The Performing Arts
Sidney Myer Music Bowl
This huge outdoor entertainment center, run under the auspices of the Arts Centre, is the venue for major concerts, opera, jazz, and ballet in the warmer months. It is the venue for Carols by Candlelight and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's free summer concert series. It seats… - Museum
Sovereign Hill
Living in the gold-rush times wasn’t all beer and skittles, and the latest multimillion-dollar underground exhibit at this colonial-era “living museum” tells the story of a mining disaster that struck in 1882. “Trapped” is a multisensory experience that tells a story of bravery,… - Cultural complex
The Arts Centre
The spire atop the Theatres Building of the Arts Centre, on the banks of the Yarra River, crowns the city’s leading performing arts complex. Beneath it, the State Theatre, the Playhouse, and the Fairfax Studio present performances that are the focal point of culture in Melbourne. The… - The Performing Arts
The Comedy Theatre
The Comedy Theatre, with its ornate Spanish rococo interior, feels intimate even though it seats more than 1,000 people. Plays and musicals usually fill the bill, but dance companies and comedians also appear. - The Performing Arts
The Forum Theatre
The Forum books well-known bands and international comedians. Tables and chairs are in cabaret-style booths, from which you can order drinks and meals. - Museum
The Gold Museum
A 4.4 kg gold nugget—known as “Goldasaurus”—is the latest highlight in this surprisingly interesting small museum. Found by a local prospector, it is one of the things you will discover more about by taking the free “Golden Treasures” 20-minute guided tour of the museum, run daily at… The Ian Potter Centre
This fascinating gallery, featuring 20 rooms dedicated to Australian art, opened in 2002 in the heart of Federation Square. Part of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), it contains the largest collection of Australian art in the country, including works by Sidney Nolan, Russell…- Museum
The Mansion at Werribee Park
never tire of visiting this stately 60-room Italianate mansion, just a 30-minute drive along the Princes Freeway from Melbourne. Dubbed “the palace in the paddock,” it was built in 1877 and is surrounded by 132 hectares (326 acres) of magnificent formal gardens and bushland. You can… - The Performing Arts
The Princess Theatre
This huge facility hosts extravaganza productions such as The Producers, Jersey Boys, and Hairspray. The theater opened its doors in 1886, and it still has a dramatic marble staircase and ornate plaster ceilings. - The Performing Arts
The Regent Theatre
Built in 1929, the Regent fell into disrepair, and its stage was dark for 25 years. Now, after a A$35-million renovation, it's been restored to its former glory. The theater offers a range of dining packages. - Zoo/Aquarium
Werribee Open Range Zoo
This zoo is part of Zoos Victoria, which also runs the Melbourne Zoo. It has a collection of Aussie animals, but the main focus is on the open range part of the zoo, where you will see giraffes, hippos, rhinoceros, lions, zebras, and more. The zoo also has one of the largest gorilla…
Melbourne Shopping
Source Aesop's natural beauty products and Crumpler satchels at shop-lined arcades in the city or in the Inner North and on Chapel Street, South Yarra. Here, Scanlan & Theodore and other boutiques stock designer clothing. Queen Victoria Market sells gifts and is a lively place to watch street theatre on Sundays. Locals come here to buy fresh food on Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday. Shops are generally open Monday to Saturday 10am-6pm (some 8pm-9pm Friday), Sunday 10.30am-5pm.
15 Results
- Jewelry
Bini Gallery Contemporary Jewelry
As much a small museum as a shop, the Bini Gallery puts on curated shows for specific types of jewelry, later selling the work (which is done by both local and foreign, mostly Italian, artisans). Recent shows have focused on wonderfully sculptural fabric jewelry (my fave: a tubular…Collingwood
David Jones
This swank department store takes up a full two blocks, its sides divided into men's and women's goods. The cosmetics counters carry goods from across the world, and we always enjoy grazing our way through the Food Hall here.Central Business District- Art
Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi
Since 1983, Gabrielle Pizze (the woman and owner of this gallery) has been bringing Aboriginal art to the world's attention. Many of the artists she has worked with are now in world–class museums, and Ms. Pizze has been a leader in fostering new artists from this community, as well…Central Business District - Food
Haigh's Chocolates
Founded in 1915 by Alfred E. Haigh (who studied confectionary arts in Switzerland), this small chain has long been Australia's favorite choclatier. In its heyday, its candies were sold in movie theaters across the nation. Today, those with sweet tooths head to stores that recall the…Central Business District - Fashion
Leonard Street
Graphic designer Amanda McCarthy creates the Pop Art-esque prints which are used as the basis for the classically cut clothing one finds here. Both the colors and the patterns are bold, and so look better (I think) on tall folks who can carry off looks as vibrant (or loud, depending…Central Business District - Fashion
Megan Park
Though Megan Park's clothes are now carried in department stores across the globe, she has only two stand-alone stores: this one, in her hometown of Melbourne, and one in Sydney. And these collections carry children's as well as women's clothing, meaning you can put together a truly…Fitzroy Myer
The big competitor to David Jones, we think this Melbourne is the more elegant of the two, and offers clothes that are far more on trend than its rival. In addition, Myer carries perfume, jewelry, household goods, and foods.Central Business District- Arts & Crafts
Original & Authentic Aboriginal Art
Arts and crafts from the Central Western Desert, the Kimberley, and Arnhemland are on sale here, and you'll find everything from finely crafted didgeridoos to bark paintings. They also sell boomerangs, clap sticks, dot paintings and Aboriginal glass art. All of it is authenticated…Downtown Melbourne Queen Victoria Market
This Victorian-era market started out as a creamery only (you can still see the signs above some of the inside stalls advertising butter and milk), but by the end of World War I it had expanded so much that the outdoor stalls had to be built over an old graveyard. Today the market…Central Business District- Fashion
Sa Dot Na
You’re in for a treat if designer and owner Bronwyn Nicholson is in the store when you pop by. A witty ginger who’s as fun as her asymmetrical, often sculptural, playfully chic clothes, she’ll size up your body type and then quickly pull out a raft of clothing so unique and so…Fitzroy - Fashion
Smart Alec Hatters
Boaters, bowlers, fedoras, panamas, felt trilbys, berets, top hats, cufflinks—these are the old–fashioned, but always natty, items on sale at this men's-only hattery. Just walking inside will whisk you back to a more genteel era. The hats are top quality, the service gracious, and…Fitzroy - Housewares & Furniture
Tarlo and Graham
In another time, this store would have been called a “curiosity shop”. And it is filled with quirky, decor-enhancing wonders like a taxidermied duckling on a spindle, sets of exquisite Japanese laquerware bowls, an insect in a resin block, or a plastic sculpture of the inside of the…Windsor - Arts & Crafts
The Australian Geographic Shop
A treasure trove for Australian-themed souvenirs (flag baseball cap, anyone?), the Australian geographic shop also carries all sorts of scientific gadgets (from telescopes to make-your-own solar panel kits) and great toys for kids.Central Business District - Fashion
Tiffany Trelour
This designer-helmed store is the place for women who enjoy a touch of whimsy in their wear. Trelour is a painter as well as a clothing designer, so the prints (and most of the pieces are print-based) are made from fabrics she’s designed, as well as fabrics printed with photos taken…Fitzroy - Fashion
Vegan Wares
Cruelty-free shoes, belts, bags, wallets and more in a material that looks and wears like fine leather, but isn't—that's what's on sale at this innovative store (the materials used are microfibers). And not, only that the fashions here are darn stylish and can be customized, for an…
Melbourne Nightlife
Eccentrically furnished bars are a city trademark, recreating lounges from the 1950s or Hollywood bachelor pads of the 1970s. Theatre and performing arts cluster around the Arts Centre near Southbank. New and established bands perform at Inner North and St Kilda clubs. Roofed venues are smoke-free and open to 3am on Friday and Saturday.
