Melbourne

Victoria’s capital, Melbourne, is renowned for its sense of style and elegance, boasting glamorous festivals, a passion for eating and drinking, and a flourishing interest in the arts. Outside Melbourne, you’ll find a host of regional attractions, from Phillip Island with its famous Little Penguins to the spectacular Great Ocean Road.

Melbourne sits on the Yarra River and around the shores of Port Phillip Bay. Lauded for its sense of style and elegance, Melbourne boasts glamorous festivals and events, Australia’s best shopping, a lively passion for eating and drinking, and a flourishing interest in the arts. Restored and preserved nineteenth-century architecture, built following the discovery of gold, provides a heady reminder of a prosperous age, while beautifully tended parks and gardens present a therapeutic respite from the pace of city life.

Melbourne is a city with something for everyone. From chic fashion stores to buzzing laneway cafés and trendy bars, botanic gardens to sports stadiums, elegant Victorian-era streetscapes to Manhattan-style skyscrapers, film and food festivals to galleries and opulent theatres, Melbourne has an activity and attraction that will interest you.

Events—Melbourne and Victoria host some of Australia’s most prestigious events throughout the year, including the Spring Racing Carnival culminating in the Melbourne Cup in November, the Australian Open Tennis Championships in January, the Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix in March, the Melbourne International Arts Festival in October, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in March and April. Your tastebuds will be rewarded with a number of food and wine events around the state.

Dining—Melbourne’s melting pot of cultures is reflected in its microcosmos of restaurants, cafes, bistros and bars. Fashionable, eclectic and eccentric—Melbourne’s dining spots offer a dizzying spread of the world’s great cuisines, serving meals from the substantial and classic to the truly exotic.

Shopping—From locally designed originals to the best of international brands you’ll be spoilt for choice in Melbourne’s shopping precincts. Explore department stores and shopping centres and meander through the city’s myriad of arcades and laneways.

Entertainment & Nightlife—Variety and energy characterise entertainment and nightlife in Victoria. Nightclubs, pubs and jazz and rock concerts can be found in the main regional centres. Melbourne features an ever-changing number of trendy clubs and bars and live music venues, as well as theatres and cinemas.

Tours—There are many different ways to immerse yourself in the magic and mystery of the Melbourne. You can explore this beautiful city on foot, follow the city’s historic City Circle Tram route, go on a city bus tour or take in the majesty of the cityscape as you taxi down the Yarra in a river cruiser.

Click here for more information on tours when based in Melbourne.

Must See And Do

• Eat out—Enjoy dinner on the famed Colonial Tramcar Restaurant or discover Melbourne’s fab food and wine scene in restaurants, cafés, bistros and bars
• Spectator sports—Get along to a game of footy—Aussie Rules that is, check out the cricket and catch spring racing fever
• Shopping—Stroll around St Kilda Markets & check out Melbourne’s city center for designer boutiques and quirky laneway stores
• Art & culture --Visit the many art galleries & museums, dynamic festivals and community events