Melbourne located in Victoria, Australia is a fantastic city which has so much culture and diverse activities for the visiting traveller.
There is so much to explore on foot and by tram. You can purchase a reloadable travel card which is similar to the Oyster Card in London. The reloadable travel card is called a myki. myki – Public Transport Victoria (ptv.vic.gov.au)
You can travel on trams, trains and buses and tap in. You can use the myki on V Line trains between Melbourne and Eaglehawk/Epsom, Seymour, Traralgon,Waurn Ponds and Wendouree. You can use the myki on buses within Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Seymour and the Latrobe Valley also.
You must visit Flinders Street Station and see it’s fun architecture, there is a tourist office there too.
One tram you can use for free is the tourist tram called the Circle line which is fun!
Melbourne has wonderful shops, boutiques and museums. I went to the Immigration Museum which was interesting, if you are a student/ senior you can get a discount too! I visited the Old Melbourne Gaol where the notorious Ned Kelly was imprisoned, it was a bit macabre but I’d recommend the Immigration Museum over the Gaol!
After much information processing at the museums, I’d recommend walking down De Graves which is a narrow alley with wonderful cafe’s selling fantastic Italian coffee and coffee shops which are the best. Melbournians love their coffee and will tell you if the coffee isn’t right or the food. There is a great culture in hospitality and plenty of fun bars to visit and try local craft beers and taste local wine from the Yarra Valley which is so local.
After a libation, I’d recommend looking around the local shops and boutiques. The locals love their shops and shoes and fashion! Another place I’d recommend is the Queen Victoria Market, it’s an outside market housing a melangerie of stalls, food, jewellery, leather, all types of things. I got a beautiful pair of earring from there which were my favourite, they were locally made, sourced and so unusual, I lost them in Ireland and have been trying to locate the artisans for years to get a copy made!
The Yarra river runs through Melbourne out towards the Yarra Valley and you can enjoy walking by it and over the bridges and taking in the city skyline.
Another neighbourhood I’d recommend is Fitzroy, it’s fantastic, funky shops, bars and has an eclectic feel to it. There are fun restaurants there too. There’s a fun bar called Naked for Satan which you must visit, there are spectacular views too, the website is :Naked For Satan – 285 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
There’s fun street art everywhere, so make sure you look around you, you never know what you may find!
Another place to visit when you are in Melbourne is St Kilda, where you can see the view of the city with the sand in your toes! There’s an old amusement park there too.
Melbourne is eclectic, fun, diverse and has so much to offer. I’d thoroughly recommend you walking around the city, using the myki, looking at the colonial architecture and people watch!
If you want to see how Melbourne, or how the State of Victoria was in the time of the Gold-rush you must visit Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, about an hour or so’s drive outside Melbourne. It’s like being transported back in time. It’s an open air museum and has buildings and actors dressed up in attire. You can also pan for real gold and go on a train in one of the mines with an ex-miner telling you all about it!
I found it fun and it was great exploring and learning all about the history! Check out the website: Sovereign Hill.
I thoroughly recommend visiting Melbourne and you should stay more than a few days. There is lots to see, there’s the city, the beach, the Dandenongs which is a rainforest, wineries, wildlife sanctuaries and much much more.
