Melbourne Things to Do: Free City, Paid Trips
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Melbourne as a base: what to actually do
Used as a base, Melbourne splits neatly into two kinds of things to do: a city core that’s almost entirely free, and a handful of Victoria day trips that cost real money but are worth every dollar. Spend two days on the free half before you spend a cent on the paid one.
The nearly-free city start
Two days covers it: walk the CBD laneway circuit (Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane, Degraves Street, Centre Place), free. See both NGV buildings, NGV International on St Kilda Road and the Ian Potter Centre/NGV Australia at Federation Square, plus ACMI next door, all free permanent collections. Add the MCG (free to walk the grounds, ~$38 with the guided tour and Australian Sports Museum), Queen Victoria Market (free to browse, trading since 1878), and the St Kilda penguins at dusk (free, but book the timed reservation ahead - it books out). The full breakdown, including entry requirements and transport, is in the Melbourne budget day-trip base guide .
The paid day trips that earn their cost
| Day trip | Drive | What you’re paying for | Cost (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillip Island Penguin Parade | ~1.5-2h | Little penguins coming ashore at dusk, car or tour only | ~$33, book ahead |
| Great Ocean Road / Twelve Apostles | ~3-4h one way | Koalas at Kennett River, the Twelve Apostles limestone stacks | Self-drive fuel or a bus day-tour, varies |
| Yarra Valley | ~1h15 | Wine cellar-door tastings plus Healesville Sanctuary wildlife | Varies by cellar door and tour |
| Ballarat / Sovereign Hill | ~1.5h | The 1850s gold-rush open-air museum, reachable by V/Line train | Check the official site, prices change |
| Dandenong Ranges / Puffing Billy | ~1h | The heritage steam train, reachable by Metro to Belgrave | Check the official site, prices change |
Prices are volatile across all of these, so treat the numbers above as a starting point and check the official site before you book.
Which one is actually worth doing first
If you only add one paid day trip, make it Phillip Island or the Yarra Valley: both are true single-day trips with no overnight logistics, and both deliver something the city itself doesn’t (dusk wildlife, working vineyards). The Great Ocean Road is the marquee experience but honestly wants two days, not one, so it’s the trip to plan around rather than slot in. Ballarat and the Dandenongs are the easiest additions if you’d rather not rent a car at all, since both work by train.
Don’t bother with this one
Skip the Melbourne Star observation wheel entirely - it’s closed for restoration with no confirmed reopening date, no matter what an older list says. Eureka Skydeck (Southbank, 88 floors, ~$30-40) is the view that’s actually open.
For the fuller day-by-day sequencing, see the 2-day or 5-day Melbourne and Victoria itineraries, and check Melbourne’s essential facts before you go.
One habit worth keeping: do the free city half first and completely, so the paid day trips you add afterward are genuine additions to the trip rather than filler for days you didn’t plan well.