Melbourne

Falling in Love with Melbourne: A Guide for First-Timers

Melbourne, the cosmopolitan capital of Victoria, is consistently ranked among the world’s most liveable cities and is a regular fixture on any thinking traveller’s Australian itinerary. A 5-million-strong city that feels smaller than it is, Melbourne packs a Victorian-era grid of grand boulevards, a labyrinth of graffiti-painted laneways, Australia’s finest coffee, one of the world’s great sporting calendars, and a green belt of gardens, rivers and coastal escapes all into easy reach of the CBD. Throw in a famously mercurial climate (“four seasons in a day”) and a Catalan-Italian-Vietnamese-Greek-Malaysian mix of diaspora kitchens, and you have a city that rewards curious travellers at any budget.

A Quick Orientation

The compact CBD is laid out on a 19th-century grid (the Hoddle Grid), its “little” streets between the main ones now filled with cafés, bars and street art. Southbank and Docklands hug the Yarra River to the south and west. North of the CBD, hip Fitzroy, Collingwood and Carlton are beloved for nightlife, boutiques and Italian Lygon Street. South-east, St Kilda offers beach and bayside atmosphere. Richmond and Prahran/Windsor hold Saigon-worthy Vietnamese strips and design-led shopping.

Must-See Attractions

  • Federation Square. The city’s divisive but essential public hub, home to the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia (free) and the ACMI museum of moving image. It is the gathering point for every major public event and the starting point of most first-day walks.
  • Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. 38 hectares of glorious gardens alongside the Yarra, featuring more than 8,500 plant species and the moving Shrine of Remembrance on its southern edge.
  • Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The spiritual home of Australian sport. Tour it on non-match days, or — even better — catch an Australian Rules football match from March to September, or cricket Tests over Christmas and the Boxing Day.
  • National Gallery of Victoria (NGV International). The beautifully waterwalled St Kilda Road building holds Melbourne’s most important international collection; free entry.
  • Queen Victoria Market. The huge Wednesday–Sunday market at the top of Elizabeth Street — produce, deli, meat and seafood halls plus the summer night market for street food and live music.
  • Laneways and street art. Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane, Centre Place and Degraves Street are icons of Melbourne’s laneway culture — stencil art, coffee, cocktails and secret upstairs bars.
  • Brighton Bathing Boxes. 82 rainbow-painted 1862 bathing boxes on Dendy Street Beach — a half-hour train trip south.
  • Eureka Skydeck and Melbourne Skydeck. 88-floor observation deck above Southbank, with the glass-floored Edge cube cantilevered over the void.
  • Werribee Open Range Zoo and Phillip Island Penguin Parade. Two justly popular wildlife day trips; the Phillip Island nightly penguin parade is an Australian institution.

Foodie Delights

  • Coffee. Melbourne’s claim to be the world’s best coffee city is debatable but plausibly true. Pilgrim-worthy roasters include Seven Seeds, Market Lane Coffee, Proud Mary and Patricia Coffee Brewers.
  • Laneway cafés. Hardware Lane, Degraves Street and Centre Place are prime brunch territory. Higher Ground, Hardware Société, Top Paddock and Kettle Black are renowned city-wide.
  • Chinatown. Australia’s oldest continuous Chinatown, on Little Bourke Street. Supernormal, Flower Drum, ShanDong MaMa and late-night yum cha institutions.
  • Fitzroy and Brunswick. Brunswick Street, Gertrude Street and Smith Street concentrate independent restaurants, wine bars and pubs at every budget — Cutler & Co, Ides, Marion Wine Bar, Saint Crispin.
  • Vietnamese Victoria Street. Richmond’s boulevard of pho and banh mi, led by Mekong (Little Saigon’s beloved CBD cousin) and legends like N. Lee Bakery.
  • Italian Lygon Street. Carlton’s century-old Italian strip — Tiamo, DOC Pizzeria, Grossi Florentino up in the CBD.
  • Queen Vic Market summer night market. Wednesdays October to April, for global street food and live music.

Accommodation Options

  • Budget. YHA Melbourne Central in Flagstaff, Flinders Hostel, and United Backpackers by Flinders Street Station are reliable and central.
  • Mid-range. QT Melbourne for design-forward rooms in the CBD, Jasper Hotel near the Vic Market, and Ovolo South Yarra for quirky design in Chapel Street.
  • Luxury. The Langham, Melbourne on Southbank for old-school luxury, Park Hyatt Melbourne for gardens views at the quiet eastern edge of the CBD, Crown Towers for full-fat casino-complex grandeur, W Melbourne for design-led new-build.

Activities and Entertainment

  • Explore street art. Self-guided or with Melbourne Street Art Tours — Hosier Lane is the most famous but far from the only canvas. Fitzroy’s Rose Street and Collingwood’s Keith Haring mural are essential.
  • Shop till you drop. Designer brands along Collins Street’s “Paris End,” young Australian labels on Flinders Lane, vintage on Gertrude Street and Smith Street, and Chapel Street for South Yarra style.
  • Catch a show. World-class theatre at the Princess Theatre, Her Majesty’s, the Regent and the Arts Centre Melbourne. The annual Melbourne International Comedy Festival (March–April) is the third-largest comedy festival in the world.
  • Day at the cricket or the footy. For many visitors this is the single most memorable Melbourne experience. Australian Rules Football runs March to September; cricket dominates December–February.
  • River cruise. An hour down the Yarra on a Melbourne River Cruises boat gives you Southbank, the Docklands and the working Port of Melbourne.
  • Ride tram 35 (City Circle). Free, heritage W-class trams loop the CBD.

Pro Tips

  • Myki card. Public transport (trams, trains and buses) is integrated on the Myki card, available at stations, 7-Elevens or preloaded. The CBD is a Free Tram Zone.
  • Weather. “Four seasons in a day” is real. Pack a light waterproof shell and layers, even in summer.
  • Tipping. Not obligatory; 10% for good restaurant service is polite.
  • Driving the Great Ocean Road. Allow at least two days; the Twelve Apostles are a four-hour drive from the CBD and the road is busy day-trip-ified.
  • Festivals to know. The Australian Open (January, tennis), the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (March), the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (March–April), the Melbourne International Film Festival (August) and the Spring Racing Carnival leading up to the Melbourne Cup (first Tuesday of November).
  • Coffee etiquette. Ordering a “flat white” or a “long black” will get you the classic Melbourne result. A “coffee” without specifying style may confuse the barista.

Beyond the City

  • Great Ocean Road. Take a scenic drive (or a long day-tour coach) along this 240 km coastal road, marvelling at sea stacks like the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and koala-rich Kennett River.
  • Phillip Island. Witness the famous sunset Penguin Parade, encounter koalas at the Koala Conservation Centre, and watch World Superbike at the circuit.
  • Yarra Valley. Wine tasting at Domaine Chandon, Yering Station and Rochford, 50 minutes east of the city.
  • Mornington Peninsula. Beaches, hot springs, seaside cafés and more wineries a bay-side drive south.
  • Dandenong Ranges. Towering mountain ash, fern gullies and the Puffing Billy heritage steam train, 90 minutes east.

Melbourne will capture your heart with its quiet-cool confidence, its laneway secrets, its sporting passion and its deep love of coffee and conversation. So pack layers, grab a flat white, and get ready to fall in love.