Melbourne is the capital and most populated city in the Australian state of Victoria. The city is located on the bay of Port Phillip and expands into the hinterlands toward the Dandenong and Macedon mountain ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. 

Melbourne rates highly in education, entertainment, tourism and sport, making it the world’s most liveable city for the fifth consecutive year in a row in 2015.

The birthplace of Australian rules football and the Australian film and television industry. It is recognised as a UNESCO City of Literature and a major centre for street art, music and theatre.

Home to many of Australia’s largest and oldest cultural institutions such as Melbourne Cricket Ground, the National Gallery of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building.

Federation Square

Melbourne City Centre: is the area where Melbourne was established in 1835. Now the two oldest areas of Melbourne; the Hoddle Grid and Queen Victoria Market. You can get a tram up from Richmond to areas of Docklands and Southbank/Wharf past many popular night spots and good places to eat.

The retail precinct includes Melbourne Central Shopping Centre complete with its own underground railway station, the Bourke Street pedestrian Mall, the part-time Swanston Street Mall, and Collins Street which is home to exclusive fashion and jewellery stores.

For some culture; stop into Chinatown at the eastern end of Little Bourke Street 

station

  Here you will find traditional Chinese shopping and dining experiences, established during the gold rush of the 1850s.

Another option which will keep the kids busy is Federation Square which is situated across the road from Flinders Street Station and opens out onto the

Yarra River

Yarra River and parkland. Here you will find the official visitor information centre, cafes, restaurants, and a hotel.

For great photography I suggest you walk from here along the Yarra River down to the Aquarium, especially on a Summer’s day or while Moomba Festival is on over Labour Day weekend.

This city grid became Melbourne’s central business district, bounded by La Trobe Street, Spring Street, Flinders Street and Spencer Street. Home to five of the six tallest buildings in Australia. In recent times, it has been placed alongside New York City and Berlin as one of the world’s great street art meccas.

Queen Victoria Market: is the heart and soul of Melbourne. Eat, shop, explore and discover your way through the iconic food

Queen-Victoria-Market

halls and heritage space where the local discussion is as fresh as the produce. Or soak up the atmosphere of the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere.

There’s no place like the Victorian Market. It’s an experience that engages all the senses.

Open on Tuesdays 6am – 2pm. Thursdays 6am – 5pm through to Sundays 9am – 4pm. Check the website for speciality store closing times. On Saturdays the market closes at 3pm. Open only some public holidays it varies year to year.

Due to be revamped in years to come, this is the place to go for all things Australian. If you want to purchase something to take back home or as a gift for loved ones, you should find it here.

A very family friendly place. there’s something for all ages at the Queen Vic Market.

From the beginning of November to the end of March the night market runs. This a great place to go for a cheap meal and cultural experience. Take a look on the main market website to see what is currently happening.

Parliament House

Parliament House: is a mightily impressive civic building dating back to 1855, the largest of its kind in Australia. The building, which was built purposefully because at the time viewed the whole city.

Today it stands with superior grandure and distinction next to the cool and modern Federation square. Parliament house is on the tourist route with public tours taking place throughout the day monday – Friday.

For those with an interest in what goes on inside, there is the opportunity for tourists to watch the Legislative Council or the Legislative Assembly live in action on a sitting day.

The Royal Botanic gardens: is a Garden of Eden in the middle of the city with over 10, 000 plant species; rare, native and non native vegetation. The staff of this oasis have created an experience to teach and enlighten guests

Royal Botanic gardens

about the power of plants in a truly mesmerizing  environment. Discover all there is to know about nature’s colourful creations and their science. Get lost walking the 38 hectares of gardens, spot the black swans on the lakes, take in the myriad of trees, flowers and plants and be amazed! Dogs are allowed in the gardens but must be kept on lead.

The Royal Exhibition Building: is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne built in 1880.

Today, with its carefully restored interior, large galleries and soaring dome, the Great Hall offers an impressive setting for trade shows, fairs, cultural and community events. 

Since 1990 the Melbourne Museum has been a part of the Exhibition Building.

Exhibitions seen on display here come from far and wide including Tutan Khamen. Outside the Royal Exhibition leads you out to Carlton Gardens, the edge of the City Centre and well known neighbouring streets.

Government House

National Gallery:  Built in 1981 the the National Gallery of Victoria is the oldest public library in Australia. There are two sites in Melbourne; NGV International in St Kilda and The Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square which is home to art works from Australia, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

Part of the International site in St Kilda had a beautiful stained glass ceiling which is one of the world’s largest pieces of suspended stained glass. Both are free to enter and open daily. The combined sites exhibit over 68,000 pieces in all.

Melbourne Zoo: as more commonly known is home to 300 species of animals from all over the world. All the usual suspects are roaming around like big cats, big monkeys including a Baboon sanctuary and an Orang-utan lookout, there are elephants to butterflies and an Austrailian animal reserve.

The zoo holds regular events including musical events to raise money for fighting extinction and even sleepovers at the zoo if you find daytime hours arn’t long enough.

The Shrine of Remembrance: located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road, Melbourne was built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I and is now a memorial to all Australians who have served in war.

The Shrine welcomes all visitors to enjoy their visit to the memorial and respects the cultural diversity of it’s visitors. The request to visitors when at the Shrine is to remain respectful to the nature of the Shrine as a sacred place for commemoration.  

You will find most local people chose to attend the Shrine for ANZAC Day celebrations on the 25th of April, a day to remember those who fought for Australia and New Zealand in World War I.

Another key date is on 11th November for Remembrance Day, a day to remember all those who sacrificed their life for the freedom we have today.

Open from 10am to 5pm daily, closed Good Friday & Christmas Day. Last admission 4.30pm, no cost to enter but a donation is requested. 

Guided tours at 11am and 2pm daily, leaving from the Visitor Centre.There’s cafes nearby if you need to grab a bite to eat. As well as 2-4 hour parking.

St Paul’s Cathedral: is an Anglican cathedral in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. St Paul’s Cathedral is in a prominent location

Cathedral

at the centre of Melbourne, on the eastern corner of Swanston Street and Flinders Street. It is situated diagonally opposite Flinders Street Station, which was the hub of 19th-century Melbourne and remains an important transport centre.

The location for the cathedral marks the place of the first Christian service held in Melbourne in 1835. Previous buildings on this site include a corn market and St Paul’s Parish Church.

China Town

China Town:  The Chinese population is big in Melbourne, it boasts the second largest Chinese settlement in the world (behind San Francisco) endorsed by the city’s China Town.

Originating in the 1850’s when the Chinese settlers arrived for the gold rush, Chinatown today is boiling over with places to eat all things Chinese.  As with any famous district that draws in crowds, there are the places to avoid and places to join the queue.

The place is crowded, and the choice can be overwhelming, but be sure to do your research as many of the eateries win awards on a regular basis for their traditional and modern Asian cuisine.

Eureka Tower: Until 2010 Eurika Tower was the tallest residential building in the world until Dubai ’s HHHR tower outgrew it.

It stands at a whopping 974 with 90 floors on Melbourne’s Southbank. There is an observation deck on the 88th floor and if you

Eurika-Tower

are feeling really brave, go and stand at The Edge, a glass cube that overhangs the edge of the main building to put some extra jelly in your legs.

Aquarium

Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium: is a Southern Ocean and Antarctic aquarium in central Melbourne. Located on the banks of the Yarra River and under the Flinders Street Viaduct and the King Street Bridge. 

Opposite the Crown Casino, it is one of Victoria’s leading visitor attractions and a great outing for the whole family.

 Melbourne Aquarium is home to thousands of animals known to Australia, including sharks, turtles, stingrays, swordfish, tropical fish and much, much more.

The aquarium treats its animals as an educational resource, showing its animals alongside educative programs, informing the public on the biology, status and conservation problems of the species.

Melbourne is consistently crowned Earth’s most liveable city for the six years!