Top Places To See When Visiting Melbourne City
Top 10 Things To Do and See When In Melbourne
Welcome to Melbourne city. As a child growing up I used to wonder about what Melbourne was like. I had visioned it to be a bustling city with heavy traffic, divine food and people always rushing around. As I grew up I realised that this wasn’t too far from the truth.
Yes the food is divine and there are so many places to choose from to enjoy a lovely meal. Yes there is heavy traffic but what city doesn’t have traffic! but along with all that comes a really cool Melbourne vibe that only Melbourne city can claim!
Driving through Melbourne was different, we are from Perth and we don’t have trams so the roads are wider to accommodate for the trams. The trams are another cool part of Melbourne, they go just about anywhere and are hop on and off. The trams are cheaper than driving your car…why? Well the toll fees are harsh for one!
In Perth we do not have toll fees either so when we were driving around we quickly realised that we needed to download an app to pay our way on the motorway. Once downloaded we also then received the updated bill we had already accumulated in the few days of driving around site seeing. My advice download the app straight away so you know where and how much you are expected to pay. Here is the app here LinktGO
There really is so much to see and do in Melbourne and depending on whether you have children or not will decide on what places you will like to see. Below I have compiled a small list of the places we visited plus some extras that are on the bucket list for when we return.
Melbourne Zoo
The famous Melbourne Zoo is a zoo on a mission to help fight wildlife extinction. This Zoo is well known and attracts visitors from all over the world. As you can imagine it is big and has all the bells and whistles.
Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG)
The iconic Melbourne Cricket Grounds is the place where the AFL (Australian Football League) all started. If you are an aussie rules fan then you will want to stop here for a weekend game. The season is between April through to September every year. If you are cricket lover then November through to January is cricket season to catch a game.
Queen Victoria Markets
Do you love a good market. Imagine waking up late on a Sunday and then heading in to stroll and taste your way around the morning markets. This place is filled with aromas of food and essential oils. The Queen Victoria Markets is your place to go. They have foods, fresh produce, clothing and other bric brac to browse. The markets are open Thursday- Sunday and Wednesdays.
Royal Botanic Gardens
Do you love to walk in every cities Botanic Garden. There is something special when walking through the thousands of different types of plants. The gardens are so large and there is usually never a person in sight. Each city has it’s own quirks and inspired arts theme through-out. Melbourne’s Botanical Gardens is no different. For an enchanted forest feel head to Fern Gully where all your worries just disappear as you walk through. Fern Gully walk was such a beautiful walk for us and so relaxing.
Eureka Skydeck
Do you love sky high views. Melbourne has a great viewing platform from the Eureka Skydeck. The floor to ceiling views will have you in awe and give you a new inspired feeling from up above. But don’t forget to do the Virtual Reality Plank Walk, this comes with all sorts of added dangers to try and enhance the feeling of walking on the plank even though your feet are planted firmly on the ground.
Yarra Valley
After a big day of exploring the city it might be wise to put your feet up and head to the most relaxing place just outside of Melbourne….Yarra Valley. Sitting back and staring out at the vast acres of green land with a drop of one of the countries best tasting wine sounds blissful. And don’t forget the dairy while your are out there….cheese and crackers.
Ride A Tram
Exploring all the weird and wonderful things in Melbourne does become expensive but one thing that does not cost a lot are the trams! Trams are a part of the Melbourne culture. They are everywhere and take you pretty much anywhere you want to go. So when in Melbourne don’t forget to ride a tram!
Phillip Island
The wonderful Phillip Island. There is a lot to do for kids and for those young at heart. A day trip here would be sufficient but you can easily spend a few days here exploring and walking around the coast. Phillip Island is most famous for the penguins that come onto the shore at night time and for the Internation MotoGP track.
Take the ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento
If you are time poor and want to see and do as much as possible then I would suggest taking the ferry across to Sorrento/Queenscliff. You can even pay the extra $100 to have your car put on as well, so you can drive around on the other side. It will be worth the extra few dollars for you to see all that each peninsular has to offer.
Kokoda Track Memorial Walk
After all that exploring and eating a walk is required. The Kokoda Track is a 1000 step climb through beautiful nature. Wear good walking shoes and don’t forget your water. You can have a rest along the way but it is well worth the effort and a great calorie burner.
If you have any comments or feedback we would love to hear them. Drop a comment below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
From Kylie and Dan