Destinations

Destinations: Melbourne Guide

Melbourne

Melbourne

Australia's second-largest city, Melbourne, capital of Victoria, is the most European in style with trams rattling through streets past Victorian buildings, parks and outdoor cafes. The city centre is laid out in a simple grid pattern, the long, wide north-south streets gently sloping down to the Yarra River, crossed by a mix of narrow lanes, and the main shopping streets such as Bourke and Collins Streets. The CBD is easily navigable by foot, and if a rest is needed after a session of sightseeing or shopping there are numerous parks nearby, such as the Royal Botanical Gardens, Fitzroy Gardens and Carlton Gardens. Alternatively, you can take one of Melbourne's signature attractions, a tram. The burgundy-coloured City Circle tram is free, and is a good way to get your bearings as well as explore the inner city, while for those wanting to go further afield the tram network extends about 10 miles (15km) into the Melbourne suburbs.

Melbourne's population of over three million is made up of a variety of cultures, including Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, Lebanese and Greek, who have all added their touch to this thriving city. A fierce rivalry exists between the cities of Melbourne and Sydney, but local residents bask in the satisfying knowledge that Melbourne beats Sydney hands-down on the cultural front, noted for its wide variety of high standard performing arts, as well as its sport. The city plays host to world-renowned sporting events like the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open Tennis and Qantas Australia Grand Prix. Around the city, within an hour's drive, there are numerous places worth visiting, including the Macedon Ranges, which is Australia's spa capital with its world-renowned mineral springs, as well as the spectacular Great Ocean Road along the coast, which passes stunning rock formations such as the Twelve Apostles. One of the most popular self-drive routes for tourists to follow is the circular Great Southern Touring Route, which includes spectacular scenery and takes in some of Victoria's most beautiful, scenic and cultural attractions.

Getting Around

Melbourne's efficient public transport system, known as The Met, is an integrated service utilising trams, trains and buses, with standard fares. The best way to see the city and central suburbs is by tram, a fast, cheap and convenient system that is one of the largest and oldest in the world. City Circle trams, which provide a commentary, are a very convenient way to tour the city centre, providing a free round trip service that takes in many of the city's main attractions. The suburban train network is extensive and is the fastest way to reach outlying suburbs, and also has an underground city loop. Buses cover the areas that trams and trains don't reach, as well as those they do, but are little used by visitors; on weekends there is a limited night bus service. Taxis, highly visible in bright yellow, are numerous but expensive. Car hire companies are available throughout the city, but if driving in the city beware of the unusual hook turn where drivers must get into the far left hand lane in order to turn right and vice versa.

Activities

Chinese Museum,Melbourne
The Chinese Museum was established in 1985 to preserve and display the history of Chinese Australians since the mid-1800s. It has become a living part of Melbourne's modern Chinatown, with its five levels of galleries, showcasing artefacts and photographs depicting the life and culture of Chinese Australians. The museum is also the home of Dai Loong, the world's largest dragon. There are numerous other museums catering to different national cultures in the heart of Melbourne.

Admission:
A$7.50 (adults), A$5.50 (children)

Opening time:
Daily 10am to 5pm

Cooks' Cottage,Melbourne
This cottage was originally built in the village of Great Ayton in Yorkshire, England, in 1755 by James and Grace Cook, the parents of Captain James Cook. When the cottage was offered for sale in 1933 it was bought by a prominent Melbourne businessman, Sir Russell Grimwade, for 800 British Pounds. He arranged for it to be taken apart brick by brick and transported via ship and train to Melbourne. In early 1934 the cottage was rebuilt on its present site in Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne. Today it provides visitors with the opportunity to glimpse what life was like in 18th century England.

Admission:
A$4 (adults), A$2 (children); concessions available

Opening time:
Daily 9am to 5pm

Yarra River,Melbourne
A visit to Melbourne would not be complete without a good look at its main river system, the Yarra River. Often the centre of many jokes due to its brownish colour, it is actually not dirty, just muddy. The Yarra has become the focus of much development in the central business district, with many new buildings, walks and parks having been created along its banks in recent years, including the relatively new Riverside Park. For the best view of the Yarra River walk to Princes Bridge, St Kilda Road, or take a cruise along the river from Princes Walk (below Princes Bridge).

Government House,Melbourne
Government House is the official residence of the Governor of Victoria, located within the Botanical Gardens. The house is built in the style known as Italianate, and is one of the finest examples of this type of architecture in Australia. The house was built during the gold rush and is said to be the grandest house in Victoria. Tours of the state apartments start from La Trobe's Cottage (home of Victoria's first Lt Governor, Charles la Trobe) on the corner of Birdwood Avenue and Dallas Brooks Drive, South Yarra.

Opening time:
Visits are by advance booking only and tours operate on Mondays and Wednesdays

Old Melbourne Gaol,Melbourne
Victoria's oldest surviving remand prison gives visitors a chilling insight into prison life in a model 19th-century gaol. Behind the thick and forbidding walls Ned Kelly, the infamous bushranger, was one of 135 men and women who were hanged on the gaol's scaffold. Visitors can view the Hangman's Box, the Particulars of Execution book and other exhibits relating to this grim period of Victoria's history, as well as the death masks used in the study of phrenology to predict criminal behaviour. The Women in Prison exhibition reveals the fascinating stories of the crimes committed by the female inmates. There are free performances every Saturday of The Real Ned Kelly Story - Such is Life at 12.30pm and 2pm, and night performances on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with hangman 'Michael Gately' as he recounts stories of the gaol by candlelight (not for the faint hearted or children under 12 years of age).

Admission:
A$12.50 (adults), A$7.50 (children). Concessions available. Night tours: A$25 (adults), A$16.50 (children under 16)

Opening time:
Daily 9.30am to 5pm (Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day)

Royal Botanic Gardens,Melbourne
Established in 1846 by the first Governor of Victoria, Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens are considered one of the worlds finest. They contain extensive landscaped gardens covering 35 hectares (86 acres) and are home to more than 51,000 individual plants, representing over 12,000 different species. The gardens have become a natural sanctuary for native wild life including black swans, bell birds, cockatoos and kookaburras, filling the air with their distinctive song. Free guided walks are available.

Admission:
Free

Opening time:
Daily 7.30am to 8.30pm (November to March); 7.30am to 6pm (April, September, October); 7.30am to 5.30pm (May to August)

National Gallery of Victoria,Melbourne
The National Gallery collections are divided between the redeveloped gallery at St Kilda Road, which houses Victoria's impressive international collections (including Picasso's Weeping Woman) and the Ian Potter Centre, the spectacular new home for the country's most important Australian collection.

Admission:
Free. An admission is charged for special exhibitions

Opening time:
Daily 10am to 5pm (closed Mondays except when a public holiday)

Ballarat,Melbourne
This historic town of great elegance and charm is the gateway to the goldfields. The name is an Aboriginal word meaning 'resting place', which is well suited because a tranquil lake and botanical gardens are the focal point of the city. The main Avenue of Honour is lined with 4,000 trees as a memorial to citizens who served in World War I. The city is steeped in the history of the Gold Rush era. Visitors enjoy the Eureka Trail, a two-mile (3km) walk that retraces the route taken by the police and soldiers during the Australian rebellion of the Eureka stockade in 1854. It is also possible to undertake a self-guided Heritage Walk through the inner city's streets.

Great Ocean Road,Melbourne
From Melbourne one of the most popular self-drive routes for tourists to follow is the circular Great Southern Touring Route, which includes spectacular scenery and takes in some of Victoria's most beautiful, scenic and cultural attractions. The first part of the route hugs the coastline going south along the Great Ocean Road, renowned for its coastal scenery, passing lush Otways rainforests and on to the magnificent limestone rock sculptures known as the Twelve Apostles in the Port Campbell National Park. Other attractions along the Great Ocean Road include the historic villages of Port Campbell, Queenscliff, Portland and Port Fairy, as well as resort towns and coastal cities such as Torquay, Apollo Bay, Geelong and Warrnambool.

Grampians National Park,Melbourne
The lofty summits and ridgelines of the Grampians region provide for some inspiring natural beauty in a park that is home to a variety of habitats, unique wildlife and more than one third of all plant species found in Victoria. The park is particularly well known for its colourful displays of springtime wildflowers, particularly during October. There is an abundance of wildlife in the lowlands, including emus, kangaroos, possums, koalas, wallabies and more than 200 species of bird. The park also has some interesting Aboriginal art sites among its 167,000 hectares of woodland, heath, swamp, forest and sub-alpine zones.

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Events

Moomba Waterfest,Melbourne
Melbourne's biggest and brightest annual event, with a hearty tradition of free family fun, pays tribute to the important role water plays in citizen's lives. Each year the programme for the four-day fair grows bigger and better, with activities like open-air movie shows, giant sand sculptures, waterski and wakeboard championships, Dragon Boat races, the crazy 'Birdman Rally' and a spectacular fireworks display, to name but a few. Highlights are the Moomba Parade and the Waterfest Carnival. Contact the Melbourne Moomba Waterfest at waterfest@melbourne.vic.gov.au for more information.

Date: March 2008, TBC
Venue: Swanston Street, Melbourne CBD
Time: Moomba Parade: 11am to 12pm

Australian F1 Grand Prix,Melbourne
Motorsport fans have a real treat when it comes time for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at the superb modern Albert Park Lake circuit. The main race is the first on the annual Formula One schedule, and forms the centrepiece of four days of events from karting through all racing categories and off-track entertainment.

Date: March 2008, TBC
Venue: Albert Park Lake, near St Kilda

Melbourne International Comedy Festival,Melbourne
Visitors come to Melbourne from all over the world for a good laugh during the city's International Comedy Festival, when the downtown precincts turn into a melee of mirth provided by comic artists in a feast of funny stand-up, theatre, cabaret, street entertainment, art exhibitions, film and music. This is the only event of its kind in Australia, and one of the largest (and funniest) in the world, reflecting the city's well-known comedy culture. For more information, email info@comedyfestival.com.au or call (0)3 9417 7711.

Date: April 2008, TBC
Venue: The Town Hall precinct, Victoria Hotel, Hi Fi Ballroom, Capitol Theatre, The Forum, Duckboard House and peripheral pubs, clubs and theatres

Melbourne Cup,Melbourne
Melbourne's premier turf event is not just any old horse race. The annual Melbourne Cup has been variously billed as 'the celebration that stops a nation', and 'Australia's most famous Tuesday'. The race is the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, and draws interest from elsewhere in the world besides Australia. The race was first run in 1861 and carries a proud tradition. It is the highlight of the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Date: 6 November 2007
Venue: Flemington Racecourse
Time: 3pm

Melbourne International Arts Festival,Melbourne
Melbourne's International Arts Festival is recognised as a leader of its kind in the country, presenting unique national and international experiences of dance, theatre, music, opera, and visual arts, most of it free and offered outdoors during October each year.

Date: 11-27 October 2007
Venue: Various

Australian Open Tennis Championships,Melbourne
What started out as the Australasian Championships in 1905 has become what is known today as the Australian Open. It has been staged at six different venues: New Zealand, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. Since 1972, the tournament has been held every year at Melbourne Park. The Australian Open is one of the four tennis championships that make up the 'Grand Slam,' and a coveted prize for the top professionals.

Date: 14-27 January 2008
Venue: Melbourne Park

Melbourne's Big Day Out,Melbourne
The famous Aussie touring label crashes into Melbourne's Princes Park South for a festive day in the sunshine every year. Some of the biggest names in popular world music entertain the crowds with the latest tracks from the commercial and alternative music scenes.

Date: January 2008, TBC
Venue: Princes Park South
Time: 11am

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