We went to Melbourne with no great expectations but we wanted to visit as we had heard so much about it. To us it was just one of the more popular cities in Australia that we wanted to see for ourselves.
As we started to explore the city, we realised it had a very interesting past we did not know about. Turned out, Melbourne had risen to prominence during the gold rush and was one of the wealthiest cities in the world for a certain period in history. As we went around the city, we throughly enjoyed ourselves and here are 5 suggestions we wanted to share.
- City Circle Tram Ride and the Historic Sites – the Route 35 of the city tram service is a free tram ride route that runs in the central business district in Melbourne. It passes through several of the city’s attractions and also has a running commentary to give you more information of the sights and buildings you see along the way. To us it was a great way to get introduced to Melbourne and it was the very first thing we did here. As you start to see more of the city, you’ll come across several historic sites giving the the city a very European vibe. Perhaps the most prominent historic landmark is the Flinders Street Railway Station, a huge but beautiful building.
- Free Walking Tour – after the first free walking tour that we really enjoyed in Edinburgh, we try to go for one in any new city that offers it. To our delight Melbourne had these as well and we went with one called I’m Free Walking Tours. You just need to show up at the State Library of Victoria, at the mentioned time and join the group they ask you to. After the tour is over, you can pay/tip whatever you feel it was worth. We had an enthusiastic young fellow who showed us around, filled us in with a brief history of the city and took us to several landmarks and explained their significance. As we walked we absorbed the city at a slow pace and also got a chance to interact with other travellers who had joined the tour.
- The Coffee and Food Culture – we won’t be surprised if you don’t see coffee chain outlets in Melbourne. That’s because the people love their local brew and you’ll find many cafes serving amazing coffee. To experience their coffee culture we strolled around Degraves Street, a pedestrian laneway filled with cafes, bars and eateries. It’s a bustling, exciting place to be at and of course to sit back, relax and grab a cuppa! We are vegetarians and even so we never ran out of options to try here. We were pleasantly surprised to find many places offering vegetarian options. Our favourite from amongst the restaurants we tried was, The Vegie Bar, a hip trendy casual dining restaurant in Fitzroy serving vegetarian and vegan food. The day we went there, it was packed and we had to wait for 30 mins to get a table. Didn’t realize till then that veggie eateries could be so popular.
- Street Art – Melbourne is known for its street art and we of course wanted to see it first hand. It seems like several street art hotspots have mushroomed overtime. Read this article to find out where you can see street art in the city. We however went to the most popular lane called the Hosier Lane to get a glimpse. As you can imagine, it was a colour riot with several different artist styles on display in one giant urban collage.
- A walk by the Yarra River – every major city is built around a river and so is the case with Melbourne. While you can take river cruises, we decided to stroll alongside and soak in the city sights. It was especially pretty to sit back and enjoy the city skyline and the sun set above it.
Some more information about our trip below:
When did we visit – we visited in September 2016 which is Spring in Australia. As you can imagine it was a great time to visit when it’s just a tad chilly in the evenings and days are not too hot. We did get a couple of rainy and windy days which made it quite cold in Melbourne, around 9 degrees C. We suggest to go prepared as the weather is very unpredictable here.
Where did we stay – we stayed in this amazing Penthouse Apartment in Preston via Airbnb. It was slightly away from the city but as we had rented a car, it was okay for us to commute. If you don’t plan on renting a vehicle, we would suggest to stay close to the city center and walk as much as possible. Certain tram routes are free of cost as well so read up on that to plan your days.
How did we get around – once we got to the city center, we parked our rented car and mostly walked around. A couple of times we also hopped onto the city trams.
That’s a wrap! We hope this post gives you a starting point as you plan your own travel to Melbourne.
