Our first trip to Melbourne was a long weekend the week before Christmas. We left Sydney in thunderstorms and arrived in Melbourne to blistering heat (40's). Therefore our usual method of walking around to explore a new city turned into short walks between air conditioned buildings. We did visit the
Royal Botanic Gardens; Melbourne Art Centre; National Gallery of Victoria;
Moving Image Museum;
Melbourne Museum; Federation Square;
Docklands area;
MCG; Tram Ride; Crowne Casino Complex and
South Melbourne Market. You can read more about those below.
If you only have a couple of days in Melbourne I would suggest concentrating on: the Docklands area for views, shopping, refreshments then in the opposite direction you have Federation Square, for entertainment, museum, graffiti street then a short walk to the Southbank for galleries and theatre, from there another short walk to the Botanical Gardens. To make your own itinerary check out the
official tourist site.
Royal Botanic Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens is a beautiful green space on the edge of the City Centre. It has a separate gated children's garden - The Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden, with miniature fountains to jump in and streams to run through. On the day we visited there were many, presumably local, families picnicking in the children's garden. We started our visit at the Cafe Jardin Tan and can recommend their homemade lemonade. We walked through the gardens and around to the lake. We were only going to stop for ice-cream at the Terrace cafe but when we arrived we saw people enjoying high tea so had to order the scones. Outside the Terrace you can go punting on the lake.
ACMI - Australian Centre for Moving Image
The
ACMI on Federation Square kept us occupied for hours and is free entry. There are movies, exhibitions and workshops. Downstairs is their permanent exhibition - Screen Worlds. It walks you through the history of the moving image from the very first images through to current techniques. It is very interactive and there is a treasure hunt for kids. We didn't get to finish the treasure hunt because we found the area with the video games - and didn't move for half an hour.
Melbourne Museum
I'm not sure how often the exhibitions change but when we visited at the end of 2015 there was plenty to keep my 4 and 8 year old interested. All exhibitions had elements that were interactive plus a dedicated play centre for younger kids with Lego tables; drawing; reading areas; building bricks; musical steps and other fun things. We started at the 'Forest Secrets' where you can walk under the stream and see the fish and frogs. 'Bugs Alive' is the permanent insect section displaying thousands of specimens including some still moving! Was helpful to see what spiders to avoid.We spent 5 hours at the
Melbourne Museum and only covered the ground floor, cafe's and play area.
National Gallery of Victoria
The
National Gallery of Victoria is a beautiful building and worth a visit if you're in the area. It's free to walk in and to visit the garden. Some exhibitions are chargeable.
South Melbourne Market.
When we arrived at
South Melbourne Market I thought it was just a fruit and veg market but as you walk deeper inside there are many different stalls. My son had his haircut at the Barber of Saville. There are also tempting nail stalls and massage stalls. We finished with fish tapas dinner at the corner cafe. Check open hours as it doesn't open every day. It was about a 30 minute walk from the Centre but you can get there by bus/tram or there is free parking (check restrictions).
Docklands Area
We jumped on the free CBD tram to the edge of
Docklands Area, walked across the bridge and enjoyed the waterside views. As well as numerous restaurants you'll find the
Harbour Town Shopping Centre which has outlet stores, a food court and fun park.
MCG Melbourne Cricket Club
We visited the
MCG to watch an evening game of Cricket. My husbands a big cricket fan. After watching games at Lords and the London Oval I still struggle with the rules and the slow pace. Still, it was an experience to sit in the stands and enjoy the atmosphere. Outside the ground they handed out free No4/6 runs cards and inflatable clappers. With the fan cams and sponsorship competitions it reminded me of American sports games.
Street Art at Hosier Lane
There are many streets listed under street art.
I only got to see Hosier Lane.
You can find others
here.
Free CBD Tram
Take a tram ride - it's free! The CBD has a free tram zone. All the stops are identified with 'Tram Free Zone', which my son pointed out was wrong because it's not free of trams! If you get on and off within the tram free zone you don't need a ticket. If you are travelling on beyond the free zone then you need a ticket but will only be charged for the extra stops.
