Melbourne is Victoria’s capital city and the business, administrative, cultural and recreational hub of the state.
There is a lot to love about Melbourne just ask the locals. This sophisticated world city in the south-east corner of mainland Australia inspires a deep passion in those who live here.
Melbourne is very much about lifestyle. It is no huge surprise to residents that their city has been ranked as one of the world’s most livable cities.
Melbournians’ love the city’s vibrant energy, restaurants, fashion boutiques, café-filled laneways, cool bars, unbeatable galleries, spacious parks and village-like inner suburbs, each with its own special character. Melbourne is less than 200 years old and never sits still. Modern, cutting-edge designs add to the fascinating mix of heritage architecture and ensure the skyline is constantly changing.
Sometimes, the best part of visiting anew city is when you depart from the tourist trail. While the big attractions can be great fun, often it’s the more subtle “insider” experiences that leave you feeling really satisfied.
Culture
Melbourne is notoriously multicultural, which can only be a good thing. You can spend an evening learning how to dance like an African tribesman, listening to the latest in German techno, or enjoying the high-end vibes of a top-class sushi restaurant. The city hasn’t lost any of its Aussie charms, either, though, with football around here referring purely to the Australian rules version of the game, a local passion that surpasses even cricket and the city’s sumptuous art scene in terms of getting the locals all fired up.
People
Melbourne’s population is made up of many groups of people of all ages and from many different cultures. City residents include young professionals, international students and older couples looking to enjoy everything the city has to offer now that the kids have grown up and left home. The people of Melbourne can’t seem to get enough of spending time enjoying their city. They’re not the type to sit at home and spend a quiet night in, expect vibrance round every corner, with plenty of time spent enjoying a beer or two in the searing mid-summer heat (remember summer’s in December in Australia…) or wondering the popular districts of Fitzroy or St Kilda, shopping or listening to music. It’s a sparkling, sociable place that will make socialites glow, and wish their city had such a lively outlook.
When to go Melbourne?
Melbourne is best visited in the summer months when temperatures are in the mid-twenties. The summer months are from December through to March.
Melbourne can be visited any time of the year because it enjoys temperate climate temperate climate with warm-hot summers; spring and autumn are balmy and mild, the winters cool.Melbourne is seldom unbearably cold or unbearably hot, temperature extremes when they do occur see the hotter realms of the thermometer causing more problems than the colder. But it is colder than most Australian capital cities in the winters. Snowfalls are extremely rare in the city.
Places to Visit in Melbourne
Flinders Street Station
is a famous landmark on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets in the city central. It is the central railway station for the train network that services the suburbs of Melbourne. A row of clocks above the main entrance shows the current departure times of the next train on each line.
Queen Victoria Market
The Queen Victoria Market is the largest open air market in the city. There are many stalls selling all kinds of items from meat, seafood, fruits and vegetables to crafts, plants, souvenirs, clothes, jewellery, toys, shoes, pets, hardware tools, watches, gadgets and lots more.
The Crown
This is a huge entertainment complex next to theYarra River in the heart of the city. There are cinemas, shops, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, hotels, shops and the Crown Casino. Visitors can indulge themselves with selections of dining, relax at a cafe overlooking the Yarra River or try their luck at the casino.
Docklands
Docklands is situated around theVictoria Harbour and this is Melbourne’s waterfront next to the CBD. There are prominent buildings in the area including the Etihad Stadium, Seven Network broad casting centre, Costco and Harbour Town at theWater front City. The Water front Cityis an entertainment and shopping hub with restaurants, cinemas, bowling alleys, boutiques and amusement fairs.
Luna Park in St Kild
Luna Park was built before the World War II and is Melbourne’s historic amusement park located in St Kilda. It has a historic roller coaster that is still operating and plenty of other rides the children will enjoy.
Chinatown
Melbourne’s Chinatown has been around since the gold rush in the 1800s and is the oldest Chinatown in Australia. It is situated on Little Bourke Street in the city and has a huge range of Asian restaurants and grocery stores.
Melbourne Aquarium
Bring the children to Melbourne Aquarium for an educational and entertaining tour of the underwater world. Touch some sea urchins and starfish at the touch pool, watch the sharks and other fish dive for food during their feeding times and walk through the Oceanarium to discover many species of marine creatures.
Federation square
This is probably the place with the ugliest group of buildings in the whole of Australia but then you might have a different opinion when you see the place. Federation Square is situated opposite the Flinders Street Station and a lot of events and activities are held at the centre. The centre includes the National Gallery of Victoria, ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image), SBS TV and Radio Headquarters, some shops, restaurants and bars.
Melbourne Zoo
Kids will enjoy their day at the Melbourne Zoo. Meet Mali and her baby brother Ongard, the first elephants to be born at the Zoo in 2010. See other wildlife animals like the Tree Kangaroo, Brown Bear, Snow Leopard and many more.
Port Melbourne
Board the tram from the city to Port Melbourne. Relax and have a cuppa at one of the cafes. Take a stroll along the beach and enjoy the sea breeze.
Yarra River Cruises
Go on a sightseeing cruise on a ferry along the Yarra River. Enjoy the spectacular views of the city as the ferry cruises by Williamstown and the Docklands.
Chapel Street
Chapel Street is made up of boutiques, shops, restaurants and entertainment centres. There are a number of sites of interest like the Prahran Town Hall, The Jam Factory and Prahran Market selling fresh fruits. Nearby is the Melbourne Bowling Club which is the first bowling club in Australia.
Melbourne Museum
The Melbourne Museum has had exhibits from Egypt and China in the past. It has numerous galleries including aboriginal exhibits, a gallery for children, an amphitheatre, a discovery centre, souvenir shop and a cafe.
Puffing Billy
The Puffing Billy is a hundred-year-old steam train that is still running every day, bringing locals and tourists through the mountains from Belgrave to Gembrook. Enjoy a scenic ride through the Dandenong Ranges, stopping at Emerald which is the highest station in the journey. Hop off at Lakeside station and enjoy the day with a BBQ picnic or paddle boats at the Emerald Lake Park, or continue your journey to explore the historic town of Gembrook.
Healesville Sanctuary
Kids will love this zoo in the bushland. Come and meet the native animals like kangaroos, wallabies, wombat, dingoes and platypuses.
Mount Buller
Skiing season opens from June to September every year. Less than 3 hours from the city,MountBuller is a popular alpine destination for tourists. It has the most resort accommodations for visitors and offers skiing lessons for those who wants to learn how to ski. Bring your own warm snow clothing if you want to go to MountBuller.
The Twelve Apostles
The Great Ocean Road journey continues to the Twelve Apostles which are limestone rock formations near the coast of Port Campbell National Park. Some of the limestones have collapsed under harsh erosion and only eight remain standing.
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsulais one hour from the city. Go and relax at the many beaches along the coastline of the peninsula, do some fishing, scuba diving or sailing. Visit some of the wineries, play a game of golf or hang out at the restaurants and cafes.
Night Life in Melbourne
Melbourneis all about cool little bars in difficult-to-locate lanes. In fact, the harder it is to find, the better it usually is, so take along a good map! A Melbourne city centre bar crawl will provide ample opportunity to people-watch and sample a variety of cocktails to the background of some chilled out tunes. Visit:
Hairy Canary (212 Little Collins Street) – good pre-dinner drinks locale and they make great pizzas! Double Happiness (21 Liverpool Street) – a new and recent discovery, totally random and worth a visit. It is Chinese style complete with propaganda posters on the wall.
The Supper Club (161 Spring Street) – for red wine and cigars and a beautiful and enormous window you must see.
Honky Tonks (Duckboard Place) – very difficult to find but very worth it, a 1920s style bar complete with a set of decks positioned in the middle of a grand piano (nice touch) where you will often find local and international DJs playing.
The Kitten Club (267 Little Collins Street) – for amazing cocktails. It is even has an old-fashioned Powder Room (ho ho) for the ladies.
Indian Restaurants in Melbourne
Spirits n Spices
Restaurants, Indian, Serves Takeaway, Restaurant Bookings, Menulog Delivery and Pickup
94 Wheatsheaf Rd, Glenroy, Melbourne
Level One Restaurant & Bar
Restaurants, Indian, Nepalese, Family Dining, Fine Dining
90 Queensberry St,Carlton,Melbourne
India House
Restaurants, Indian, Food Delivery, Serves Dinner, Serves Takeaway
459 High St, Prahran, Melbourne
Tandoori Masala
Restaurants, Indian, Serves Takeaway, Menulog Delivery and Pickup, Free Parking
Shop 8, 102 Canterbury Rd, Kilsyth South, Melbourne
Savera Tandoori Indian Restaurant
Restaurants, Indian, Fine Dining, Romantic and Intimate, BYO
Shop 6,238 Main St, Lilydale,Melbourne
Fitzroy Curry House
Restaurants, Indian, Vegetarian, Good for Groups, BYO
240 Johnston St, Fitzroy, Melbourne
Bangla Sweets & Curry Cafe
Restaurants, Cafes, Indian, Vegetarian, BYO
199 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, Melbourne
Photo Gallery of Melbourne
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