BootsnAll Travel Community

My parents and I (and possibly my 19 year old brother) are going to Melbourne soon, just for a little over a week.
We've been quite a few times before. What are some things you'd recommend doing?

G'day Aussie,

Depends what you guys are into Melbourne is tops heaps of different things to do in the city...Bars, Shopping, Sport

To the east of Melbourne are the Dandenongs, forest type area boutique shops and tea houses and funky new school accomodation, or you can check my favorite parts of Vicco Torquay/ Rye - Sorrento trendy beachside suburbs with ace surf...What do you want to know???

G'Day Aussiegirl,

When will you be arriving in Melbourne - the weather you know?
Melbourne official website here. Sovereign Hill is a beauty you can do a day trip and I'd recommend you watch the sound and light show "Blood on the southern Cross." The story of the Eureka Stockade. Geeze it's so damn realistic you'd swear there was a train coming down on your right. And at other times you'll turn your head looking for the horses. It's so real and bloody fantastic. When the Charles Napier Hotel is burnt it so looks like real fire.

The GOR - if you haven't done it its a must. It's classed as one of the best drives in Oz, fantastic scenery, the Twelve Apostles. London Bridge, the road winds along a beautiful windswept shoreline. The Great Ocean Road or if you want a Bus tour

Wineries - the Yarra Valley to the east of Melbs less than an hour's drive or up north to the Macedon Ranges beaut country side there as well as somw wineries. Daylesford/Hepburn Springs with it's day spas and healing waters. Blackwood Forest is on the way and very scenic.

Puffing Billy the oldest working steam train in Oz is a good day trip as it winds its way through the Dandenongs up to Emerald and
Cockatoo. If you're driving you go to Belgrave, or by train from Melbs catch the Belgrave train from Flinders Street or Southern Cross Station in Spencer Street.

For Melbourne's bars and clubs there's something to suit everybody. I can recommend Cookies at 252 Swanston Street, was there at the weekend the balconies overlook Swanston Street and the atmosphere is fabulous. Or go down to Southbank, lots of places there.

The Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle is a good way to get around the city and best of all - it's free. Taking you to many of the major sights and attractions it's easier than driving around.

Need any more help I'll be glad to help. Have a great time in Melbs.

Oh do be ever so careful Millsy and Whistler!
There is on this board, a sad uptight little man who abhors the use of Australian vernacular, and what is worse he seems to have the support of some of the boots establishment. Please, I beg of you, try to avoid terms such as "g'day" and "geeze". Try "Howdy" and "Lands sakes" perhaps as substitutes or you may come under some sort of serial abuse.

Love the Melbourne museum, art gallery and its regular exhibitions are tops, zoo is excellent, check what's on at the theatre (they seem to get it all before Sydney), I know women who fly to Melbourne just to shop, the city circle bus that Whistler mentions is tops, stroll around the Botanical Gardens and maybe have a barbecue there (good berbecues and tables) by the river and go to the Tourist Centre opposite Flinders St station and ask for the brochure about the downtown "Golden Mile" self guided walk. Well worthwhile. There's also the dome in the public library, guided tours of Parliament House and the Immigration Museum, which is more than interesting.

I'm off now, like Grandma's rissoles, shooting through like a Bondi tram. I've gone to Gowings, sloped off, had my innings.
See yez.

G'Day,.

Strewth I nearly forgot, the Tramcar Restaurant
is an icon in Melbourne and very popular. A very good selection of beaut tucker offering lunches and three dinner settings.
Cheers.

Things to see and do in Melbs -

Captain Cook's Cottage - www.cookscottage.com.au
City Circle Tram
Federation square
Melbourne Aquarium - www.melbourneaquarium.com.au
Melbourne Observation Deck - www.melbournedeck.com.au
Melbourne River Cruises
National Trust Properties - www.nattrust.com.au
Penguin Parade - www.penguins.org.au
Puffing Billy - www.puffingbilly.com.au
Queen Victoria Market - www.qvm.com.au
Royal Melbourne Zoo - www.zoo.org.au
Williamstown Ferry Service
Parliament House
St. Patricks Cathedral
St. Paul's Cathedral
Science Works
Shrine of Remeberance
Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Town Hall

Things out of Melbs

Ballarat Wildlife Park - www.wildlifepark.com.au
Chesterfield Farm - www.chesterfieldfarm.com.au
Geelong Waterfront Walk
Narana Creations - www.narana.com.au
Queenscliff-Sorrento Ferry - www.searoad.com.au
Sovereign Hill - www.sovereignhill.com.au
Werribee Zoo - www.zoo.org.au
Bellarine Adventure Golf
National Wool Museum Geelong -
Surf World Museum - Torquay
Torquay Surf Shops & Seconds
Werribee Park Mansion
You Yangs look out
Hedgend Maze - Healesville

If your planning to visit Melb's in winter make sure you rug up. It can get very windy here too. (eg. I was woken at 5am this morning with the sound of the wind whistling and the roof creaking. Yawn!!)

If you are after shopping: Check out Chapel st, Bridge Rd and Brunswick st.

In the summer I love heading to St Kilda to people watch, drink beer in the many bars/pubs and also of course go to the beach.

The food and bars in Melb's are brilliant. I wouldn't even know where to start recommending places to eat. My favourite would be Lentil as Anything on Sydney rd, Brunswick. Absolutely Beautiful!! And you pay for what you think it's worth- which is a very hard decision because the food is so good.

Yarra Valley is beautiful, especially if you like wine. Healesville is a small town in the Yarra Valley and it offers so many different wineries, restaurants and The Healesville Sanctuary -http://www.zoo.org.au/HealesvilleSanctuary/

Along the Yarra River in the evening the Crown Casino put on a fire show every hour.

Check out Beat http://www.beat.com.au/home.php if you want to see any bands or acts.

I haven't been but have heard that the Immigration Museum and Holocaust Museum are worth the visit. (hmmm!! I realy should think about going there)

Having opened our home and played Melbourne tour guide to hordes of visitors for the past six months, here is what they loved, liked and disliked:

Loved:
Healesville Animal Sanctuary – All the Australia wildlife “must-sees” in one spot. Go to the “bird of Prey” show.
Shrine of Remembrance – very moving.
Queen Victoria Market – best market in the world
AFL at the G – a real Melbourne experience
Eating, drinking and wandering in the Laneways
Mornington Peninsula Park – walks along oceanside cliffs

Liked:
Golden Mile Walk
City Circle Tram & Melbourne Tourist Shuttle for the free transit
Immigration Museum
Federation square
Melbourne Museum
Botanical Gardens
Yarra Valley Wineries
Mornington Peninsula Wineries
Walking Along Southbank

Disliked:
Captain Cook's Cottage - voted ”biggest disappointment” several times and it’s not even his cottage! Instead, walk around the outside to get the same experience for free and then enjoy the Fitzroy gardens and greenhouse - beautiful!

Sovereign Hill – I know it was recommended by Whistler, but we found the entry fee very expensive and then were still charged additional fees for everything to do on the inside. But by all means see Ballarat’s historic Sturt Street and get to the Eureka stockade.

AFL in Melbourne is played at the M.C.G. and Telstra Dome. AFL at the G is in Brisbane.

The European Bier Cafe has a very good selection of beers local and around the world. The Standard Hotel in Fitzroy has a very good atmosphere and has an outdoor beer garden. they hold 'Trivia Nights' on a Tuesday and the No. 112 tram goes from Southern Cross to Fitzroy and takes around 20 minutes.

quote:

we found the entry fee very expensive and then were still charged additional fees for everything to do on the inside.

The entry fee can be considered pricey but comparable with other parks around the world. Not sure what you mean by additional fees for everything to do on the inside.
Gold panning is free - Cobb & coach ride is free, bowling is free, the school house is free, mine tours are free except for one and requires to be pre booked.
Okay you do pay for food and souveniers but that isn't unusual.

Sov. Hill will also allow free entry if you only wish to go and purchase something you have seen previously or heard about. They also have a freebie night in December.

The management of Sov. Hill is a non profit organisation and all excess funds are put back into the park in upgrades/improvements or new features.

Will agree that Cooks Cottage doesn't quite make the WOW factor but if you are interested in a bygone era worth the couple of dollars for the 5minute look around. The park lands around the cottage are nice as is the conservatory.

Ms Scanna I totally agree.
I went to Sov. Hill with my family when I was very young. I absolutely loved it. All the people in characters from the past and the buildings and horses...ect. It was so magical as a child.
I then went back in my early 20's with high hopes. I was worried that I had such high expectations it would be hard to live up to. I was wrong. I still loved it. And when I stepped into the lollie shop, I was a child again. Mmmm!!! Candy!!

I too agree with the previous two posters. Having been to Sovereign Hill several times over a number of years, it is good to see how it has developed from it's original humble beginnings to what it is today. Not ony as a tourist attraction, it gives us the opportunity to see, and feel what it was like living in the bygone era of the gold rush days.

And yes, those boiled lollies...my favs are the humbugs, all that aniseed. And the icecream in a cone really does taste like strawberries and not the adulterated muck of today.

Sovereign Hill is not government funded and relies solely on visitors, tourists and the many people who work there, many of whom are volunteers.

quote:

AFL in Melbourne is played at the M.C.G. and Telstra Dome. AFL at the G is in Brisbane.

What planet are you from! The 'G is the MCG when the context is AFL or cricket. maybe for Union the G is the Gabba but you could get life or killed in melboune for suggesting different.
I agree with the recommendations (being from melb myself) I am going back for a couple of weeks soon as part of my avoid the Olympics scheme.

Chinamonty, I live in Melbourne and over here, people call the Gabba the "G"

The M.C.G. has never been referred to as the "G" it is always called the M.C.G.

In the context of AFL and most especially Cricket, the "G" is not the M.C.G. (the M.C.G. is considered "hallowed" ground.)

quote:

Oh do be ever so careful Millsy and Whistler!
There is on this board, a sad uptight little man who abhors the use of Australian vernacular, and what is worse he seems to have the support of some of the boots establishment. Please, I beg of you, try to avoid terms such as "g'day" and "geeze". Try "Howdy" and "Lands sakes" perhaps as substitutes or you may come under some sort of serial abuse.

Or suspension...

quote:

Or suspension...

What!!! You would have to be joking - suspension for using common every day oz words - a bit over the top don't you think.

I've sent you a pm. And yes. It is over the top.

Here's the offending thread.

http://boards.bootsnall.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2363025637/m/56200830516/p/1

I just checked this thread again and I appeared to cause a stir with my "thumbs down" on Sovereign Hill.

To be clear, I found it interesting and think it serves an important educational purpose. But I've never paid $37.50 per person for a museum, art gallery, or other educational event, so I think it was expensive for what it delivered. No, I did not expect free souvenirs or food (although that would have been nice!) and there was still plenty to do for the half day we were there. It's just that I didnt think it was value for the money - an obviously minority opinion. To each his or her own.

I must add the horse rides are no longer free (or weren't when I was there in April). We were told we'd have to pay $10 each.

ABout the "G" ruckus: all my Melbourne friends and work colleagues think the G is here in Melbourne, the MCG calls itself the G (even on its web site), and it's called the G on the radio and in the paper here in town. But I've never spent much time in Brisbane so maybe they call the Gabba the G as well? This isn't the alphabet so can't we have two Gs?

quote:

so maybe they call the Gabba the G as well?

They do indeed. (I'm from Brisbane).

having spent 28 years of my life living in Melbourne and going to the 'G I would think differently. I rang my mate who is a memeber of the MCC and he laughed at the suggestion that the G was anywhere else but Jollimont.
Maybe you should also let the MCG trust know as well.

http://www.mcg.org.au/News%20and%20Media/Media%20at%20the%20G.aspx

The MCG is also a fascinating place to visit if you like sport. It was the main stadium for the '56 Olympics and has organized tours as well as a museum attached. It is worth an afternoon if you are so inclined.