Melbourne

Melbourne could be uplifted to Europe and feel at home. Sydney may have a hard time getting through Customs. There is a European ‘feel’ to the city in culture, architecture, restaurants, fashion and even the Yarra ‘canal’. And Melbourne is home to the largest Greek community outside Athens.

It’s a sophisticated city of theatre, music and art, with the serious side balanced by Australia’s best, and most original, stand-up comedy and a sports-mad population. Melbourne is home to the Melbourne Cup, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Australian Open Tennis and Australian Rules Football.

The city's multicultural mix of people from more than 100 countries has created myriad cafes and restaurants.

Shopping is a way of life and one thing that jumps out is the quantity and quality of the bookshops.

Most of the major attractions are on the borders of the city centre or near its southern border, the banks of the Yarra River.

Top Five

1. Victoria Markets
2. Southgate
3. Little Bourke Street for Asian food
4. A comedy Club/Pub
5. Williamstown by ferry

Suggestions

The Southgate complex, on the southern bank of the Yarra across from the city, is a major arts and leisure venue that is relaxed while feeling sophisticated and classy. On St Kilda Road is the massive bluestone National Gallery of Victoria about to re-open after massive renovations. Alongside, the Victorian Arts Centre with its massive spire is the hub of Melbourne's music, dance and drama scene.

The Melbourne Concert Hall and the Sunday Market are adjacent, along with the Performing Arts Museum, one of the world’s best theatre museums.

Alongside the Southgate riverside promenade are arty galleries, boutiques, cafes and quality restaurants and, of course, there’s the casino. The Crown Casino is huge and tinselly, but somehow avoids the tacky feeling of Star City in Sydney. There’s a good chance if you leave your machine or table for a restroom break or drink, you may not find your way back to the same one. The casino caters to the Chinese gambling community, ensuring lucky numbers abound, even down to the registration plates on limousines and shuttle buses. For those not into gambling, it’s still worth a visit for the entertainment on offer, and meals are excellent value. There’s a free pick up shuttle service for groups of twenty or more, and it has been known to be used by young people to hop a free, safe lift to town without having to have a designated driver to stay within the strict drink-driving laws. Oops, have I given something away?

Let’s take a walk from Southgate into the CBD.

Southgate is connected to the city by a number of bridges. The Princes Bridge and the footbridge take you to either end of the wonderful Flinders Street Railway Station. Built in 1854, its 700-metre main platform is the longest in the country.

Across the road (on the corner of Swanston and Flinders) is St Paul's Anglican Cathedral. It’s Gothic with a 96-metre central spire, one of the best cathedral organs in Australia and the choir sings an evensong daily. Livelier evensong can be heard from within Young & Jacksons (opposite corner). This is an excellent pub and home to Chloe, a nude painted by 19th century French artist, J.J. Lefevre. First exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1875, at the time, it was considered almost obscene. Chloe is there in all her (modest by today’s standards) glory, upstairs, during pub hours. Diagonally opposite is Federation Square, the contemporary focus for the city with its open spaces and modern art galleries.

Further along Swanston is the Town Hall and Collins Street. Turn left to Block Arcade for stylish shopping in the country’s oldest arcade and the ANZ Banking Museum for the history of banking in Australia.

Little Bourke Street is home to Chinatown and, for me, by far the best selection of Chinese cuisine in the country. The Museum of Chinese Australian History in Cohen Place traces the history of the Chinese who arrived in the wake of the 1850s gold rush and established Chinatown.

If it’s raining, you may want to take shelter in the Bureau of Meteorology at 150 Lonsdale Street. It’s a working ‘museum’ that covers 200 years of weather watching in Australia. Little Lonsdale is home to Melbourne Central, a spectacular blend of ultra-modern architecture with a huge glass cone, the largest freestanding glass structure in the world, enveloping a historic shot tower. Shopping aside, it’s still worth a visit.

Across Swanston Street, the State Library of Victoria has the largest collection of reference material in the State, historical and current, from newspapers to books. The library also has specialist collections such as children's literature and theatre programs.

The Old Melbourne Gaol (where Russell turns into Lygon Street) once dominated the Melbourne skyline. Between 1842 and its closure in 1929 it was the scene of 135 hangings, including bushranger Ned Kelly. It was used as a US military prison during World War II. Displays include death masks and histories of famous bushrangers and convicts.

The Royal Exhibition Building and the Carlton Gardens can be found at the northeastern corner of the city. The main building has a dome higher than London’s St Paul’s Cathedral. The Australian Parliament sat here from 1901 until its move to Canberra in 1927.

The Imax Theatre also lives here, as does the new Melbourne Museum with its excellent social and natural history exhibits and one of the finest Aboriginal history collections in Australia.

At the northwest corner of the city is the Royal Mint (William Street). It houses collections owned by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, including a library of Victorian history, historical manuscripts and photographs. Across the road is Flagstaff Gardens. Small at seven hectares, it has views of the city and Port Phillip Bay, and some of Melbourne's early settlers are buried there.

The Queen Victoria Market (corner of Elizabeth and Victoria streets) is the largest outdoor market in the world and draws more visitors than any other attraction in the State.

Opened in 1878, it has more than 1000 stalls selling craft, shoes, clothes, souvenirs, plants and food. It is closed Monday and Wednesday, except in summer when part of the market opens on Wednesday nights for the Gaslight Night Market. Wine tastings are held on Sunday afternoons.

To the east of the city, Parliament House (Spring Street) is an imposing building with a wide sweep of stairs leading to the street. Tours run several times a day on weekdays and the public galleries open when parliament is in session. Behind, St Patrick's Cathedral, built between 1858 and 1897, is a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture and the largest church in Australia. The nearby Fire Services Museum traces the early history of fire fighting, including exhibits of fire engines, helmets, uniforms, medals and photos.

The Old Treasury Building (corner of Spring and Collins) was designed by 19-year-old John James Clark and is regarded as one of the finest buildings in Australia. Fully restored, it houses The Melbourne Exhibition tracing the city's social history and architectural heritage.

East from here are the Treasury Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens with a conservatory of floral displays, a model Tudor village and avenues of large elm trees. Cook's Cottage lives here and is appealing to all ages. It must be, as it’s the first ‘historical attraction’ in my memory. I must have been under five as I can’t remember a sister in a pram, but I do recall it being a largish house and wondered why they lived with little velvet ropes across the entrance to the bedrooms. On a more recent visit it was, in fact, a tiny cottage and you still couldn’t jump on the beds. It was built for Cook’s parents in 1755 at Great Ayton in England, bought by Sir Russell Grimwade in 1933, dismantled and rebuilt in Melbourne in 1934.

Nearby Yarra Park is home to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (the MCG), the city’s second most visited attraction. Built in 1853 it has been constantly improved, and can hold 100 000 spectators. The MCG was for many years the home of Australian Rules football and is a hallowed ground for cricket fans.

Guided tours run hourly except on match days. The Australian Football League has developed a new Australian Rules headquarters at the Colonial Stadium (Docklands). The league also conducts tours of this complex.

South, on the bank of the Yarra River, is the Olympic Park complex used in the 1956 Olympic Games, and the very modern Melbourne Park which hosts the Australian Open tennis in January.

Across the Yarra, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in the Kings Domain is used in summer for outdoor concerts. Government House and Latrobe's Cottage, the first government house, are at the corner of Birdwood Avenue and Dallas Brooks Drive. Government House, built in 1872, is still the official residence of the Governor of Victoria and entry is restricted to tours. The Domain is also home to the Shrine of Remembrance and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

Adjacent are the Royal Botanic Gardens. Beautifully kept sweeping lawns surround large ornamental lakes, and there are tearooms, restaurant, kiosk and picnic areas.

A few other attractions worth noting … The Victoria Police Museum, at the Docklands end of Flinders Street, covers the history of the State's police force. Exhibits include armour worn by one of the Kelly gang. Near Kings Bridge, opposite the casino, is the Melbourne Aquarium and, over Spencer Street Bridge is the Polly Woodside Maritime Museum, which traces Australia's maritime history. Built in 1885, the vessel was bought by the National Trust and restored by volunteers. Those still willing to take high-flying lifts are rewarded with a 360-degree view over the city with powerful binoculars and television monitors at the Rialto Towers Observation Deck in Collins Street.

The Yarra River is, in some ways, the heart of Melbourne. Forget the jokes about it flowing upside down – it may look a bit muddy, but is actually a habitat for many fish, and gives the city a reflective personality, day and night. There are cruises, water taxis and ferries for a relaxing look at the city.

Melbourne was slow to recognise and exploit its water frontages, but now riverside and bayside suburbs are booming.

River cruises leave from Princes Walk and Southgate every half hour, cruising upriver to Herring Island, or downriver towards historic Port Melbourne. Each cruise lasts an hour.

Williamstown Bay and River Cruises has a regular 1-hour Southgate-Williamstown ferry service calling at Crown Casino, Polly Woodside Museum and Scienceworks/Melbourne Planetarium. This trip to the western side of Port Phillip across Hobsons Bay is a pleasant cruise, as is the 30-minute crossing from St Kilda Pier.

St Kilda, once Melbourne’s red-light area, is now awash with trendy cafes and bars. Adjacent to St Kilda beach is Luna Park, modelled on New York's Coney Island and opened in 1912. With traditional rides and sideshows, it's a simple family fun park as well as a slice of history. Wander from there to an al fresco snack (great cake shops) or a meal in Acland St and watch the varied passing parade.

The bayside suburb of Albert Park is a major community sports centre.

Despite protests from locals, the Victorian Government built a racetrack in the park to host the Australian Grand Prix as part of the international Formula 1 car racing championship.

Victoria ‘stole’ the race from South Australia, but are the good-natured people of Adelaide bitter? Absolutely!

If you fancy zoos, Melbourne Zoo is Australia's oldest and is regarded by experts as one of the world's best. It’s just 4 kilometres from the city centre.

The zoo has preserved some buildings and exhibits from the early 1900s to show just how much zoos have changed. Allow around four hours.

An open-range zoo can be found at Werribee Park, about 30 kilometres south-west of the city on the way to Geelong.

It’s home to groups of Australian, Asian and African plains animals. Werribee Park covers 10 hectares, mostly gardens, and was once a family estate. The Italianate-style Chirnside family mansion (1877) was the largest in Victoria. Faithfully restored with period paintings and furniture, it shows just how wealthy some wealthy families were.

More Information

For more information about Victoria:

• Events And Festivals
• Accommodation
• To See And Do
• Yarra Valley, Dandenongs & Mornington
• Great Ocean Road
• Goldfields
• High Country
• Grampians
• The Murray
• Gippsland

Victoria Tours With Tours To Go