Sporting capital of Australia, nationwide cultural capital, and world’s most liveable city – Melbourne uses lots of hats, and with great reason. Within the city and its surroundings lies a world of sports, wine, and all the other good stuff. Here’s a convenient overview of the Melbourne Must-dos.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground – “The G”
It’s the world’s biggest cricket ground; however it’s a lot more than that. Take a tour of the stadium, stroll the hallowed halls of the picture gallery (which includes the picture of Sachin Tendulkar and Sir Donald Bradman). While there, step into cricketing history at the National Sports Museum, and walk through Australia’s finest collection of sporting heritage.
Queen Victoria Market
For fresh food, unique gifts and endless deals, the renowned Queen Victoria Market has everything. Eat, shop, check out and discover your way through the food halls and heritage sheds where the small talk is as fresh as the fruit and vegetables. Or simply absorb the atmosphere of potentially the largest al fresco market in the southern hemisphere.
Premiums and gastronomy
Melbourne prides itself on its fresh prepared meals, and the city’s range of dining options is statement to its culinary track record. You could start with MasterChef host George Calombaris’ Press Space, which produces a creative Greek menu. Or book ahead for award-winning fine-dining dining establishments – think about Attica, among the world’s 50 best dining establishments, and delve into Ben Shewry’s special menu. Dine at Flower Drum, Vue de Monde or taste knock-out tapas at the original MoVida in Hosier Lane.
Walk through the history
Spend a long time in the city centre and you’ll discover it’s nicely divided into little pockets for you to explore. Navigate Melbourne on foot with an expert strolling guide. Take in a heritage path, see well known street art in the narrow alleys and laneways of the CBD, or take your camera on a night-time photography tour. Melbourne slopes extremely carefully down to the bay, so you can bike your method to shops and cafes or through the Yarra River’s parks and gardens without developing excessive of a sweat.
Coffee culture
Melbourne is the coffee capital of Australia. In the CBD, the cobblestoned laneways are filled with the aroma of espresso originating from a myriad of breakfast restaurant spots. At the city’s best cafes, professional baristas will talk beans and machines while tending to your brew. Specialty roasters are emerging quicker than ever and the majority of the very best coffee shops offer their provider’s coffee, so it’s easy to bag in your area roasted beans to take home. Watch out for local favourites Padre, Seven Seeds, St Ali, Five Senses and Di Bella.
Colonial Tramcar Restaurant
What’s glossy, burgundy and dispense terrific meals (apart from the Hogwarts Express)? Melbourne’s Colonial Tramcar Dining establishment, of course! Cruise through the city streets in the lap of heritage while drinking Australian wine and tucking into a delicious seasonal menu aboard the world’s first travelling tramcar restaurants. The atmosphere is cosy, the service friendly and the design as inviting as the colonial duration these cable cars show.
Yarra Valley
An hour from Melbourne’s CBD lays a range of wineries in the yarra valley. The change of the landscape – from slick streets to vines and mountain ash forests, is poetic. Domaine Chandon, the Australian winery of French Champagne’s huge Moet & Chandon, is a popular stop. Even if you’re not an addict of sparkling wine, the homage is worth it, for the Green Point Brasserie does fresh, seasonal fare to opt for the wines and views.
Support nature on Phillip Island
A 90-minute drive from Melbourne, every verb you utilize to describe your experience on this Island, with its diverse wildlife and outdoorsy way of life falls under variations of the verb “to interest.” Have a close encounter with penguins, get week-kneed over nests of fur-seals, or observe animals romping in their natural environment without being caged or included.
Sovereign Hill, the museum with a distinction
If museums were classified, Sovereign Hill would fall under the category of “vibrant.” Set in what used to be a gold-picking location, this al fresco neighbourhood museum is deeply entrenched in gold-rush history. Be it interacting with the dressed-up actors, panning for gold in the Red Hill Gully Creek – peppered with great alluvial gold – or taking a horse-drawn carriage around town, the Sovereign Hill experience sweeps you in.
Own down the Great Ocean Roadway
Running along the Southern Ocean, the Great Ocean Road is a tantalising strip of tar that takes the wonderstruck chauffeur along substantial cliffs, raving browse, relaxing bays, stunning beaches and rich forests. It has wonderful straights with stunning ocean views, as well as curved areas. After forests and pastures the eyes are treated to that many well known traveller destination of the Great Ocean Roadway – the renowned Twelve Apostles, the remains of an extended cliff line that has actually been crafted into stacks of rock by the continuous pounding of the sea and the abrasive caress of salt packed winds. The best way to see them all is to book a helicopter trip, and drink in the sight of the Apostles as well the surrounding rock formations.