Melbourne - capital city of Victoria, Australia

For other places with the same name, see Melbourne (disambiguation).

Melbourne is the second largest city and the cultural capital of Australia, with Victorian-era architecture, extensive shopping, museums, galleries, theatres, and large parks and gardens. Many of its 5 million residents are both multicultural and sports-mad. The capital of the south-eastern state of Victoria, and located at the head of Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne is a magnet for migrants from all over the world, and consistently ranks as one of the world's most livable cities.

Visitors come to attend major sporting events, and to use it as a base for exploring nearby places such as Grampians National Park, the Great Ocean Road, and Phillip Island and its penguin parade. Many UK visitors come for tours of filming locations of the soap opera Neighbours.

Districts

Central Melbourne

CBD

Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD) and historical core north of the Yarra River, including the new, cosmopolitan Docklands to the west and the Southbank entertainment precinct on the Yarra River.

St Kilda

Sunny beaches and a great restaurant, bar and nightlife scene.

Inner south (Port Melbourne, Albert Park)

Includes the old ports of Melbourne, the historic Clarendon Street town centre and famous Grand Prix circuit.

Inner north (Carlton, Parkville, North Melbourne)

The University district, as well as Lygon Street, famous for Italian culture and cuisine.

Inner east (Fitzroy, Richmond, Collingwood)

Working-class and Bohemian quarter, with some trendy boutiques, cafés and pubs full of character, as well as the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Stonnington (Toorak, Prahran, South Yarra)

Expensive, upper-class neighbourhood of Melbourne, with high-end shopping and dining.

Greater Melbourne

Eastern suburbs (Boroondara, Box Hill and Glen Waverley, Manningham and Nillumbik, Ringwood and surrounds)

Stretching from almost inner suburbs of Kew, Hawthorn and Camberwell in Booroondara to the outer cities like Maroondah and the Dandenong Ranges.

Northern suburbs (Ascot Vale, Brunswick and Coburg, Hume, Moonee Ponds, Northcote and Ivanhoe)

Covering suburbs like Tullamarine, Broadmeadows, South Morang, Epping, Bundoora and Nillumbik Shire.

South-Eastern suburbs (Brighton and Caulfield, Dandenong and surrounds)

Spread along the coast of Port Philip Bay and covers areas like Brighton, Elwood, Sandringham and the city of Dandenong. Its main attraction is the beach along the bay.

Frankston

A southeastern beach suburb, the last stop on the Frankston line.

Western suburbs (Footscray, Flemington and surrounds, Sunshine and Melton, Hobsons Bay, Wyndham)

Includes areas like Altona, Williamstown, Point Cook, Footscray in Maribyrnong, Werribee in Wyndham, Caroline Springs, Sunshine, Melton, Keilor and Sydenham.

Understand

History

The British settlement of Melbourne commenced in 1835 when settlers from Tasmania "purchased" land on Port Phillip Bay and the Yarra River from the local Aboriginal people. The streets of central Melbourne were carefully laid out in 1837, with some streets 30 metres wide. The settlement was named "Melbourne" after William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, the British Prime Minister at that time. The first British lieutenant-governor, Charles La Trobe, arrived in 1839 – his Cottage still stands and can be visited in the Kings Domain.

1851 was a landmark for Melbourne — the colony of Victoria was separated from New South Wales and very soon after, gold was discovered in Victoria, sparking a huge gold rush. The gold rush history can be seen at the Gold Treasury Museum, housed in the Treasury Building built in 1858. Gold was the catalyst for several decades of prosperity lasting through to the late 1880s and examples of the ornate Victorian-era structures built during this time still stand. Throughout the gold and building booms, Melbourne managed to retain its many spacious parks and gardens that remain to this day.

In 1888, the boom collapsed and Victoria suffered through the depression of the 1890s.

In 1901, the British colonies of Australia federated and Melbourne became the temporary capital of Australia, with the Federal Parliament meeting in the Parliament House of Victoria until 1927 when the new Federal capital of Canberra was founded. After World War II, Melbourne grew rapidly, with its mainly Anglo-Celtic population boosted by immigration from Europe, particularly from Greece and Italy. Today Melbourne has the biggest Greek population (over 800,000) of any city outside Greece and the biggest Italian population (over 230,000) of any city outside Italy. The significant pre-war Jewish population was also boosted after the war. From the mid-1970s, many immigrants came from Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam and Cambodia. Melbourne has had a Chinese population since the gold rush of the 1850s. Chinatown has existed from that time but the population of Chinese and other East Asians has also been boosted by immigration.

New highrise buildings replaced many of Melbourne's interesting old structures in the construction boom of the 1970s and 80s. Melbournians belatedly recognised the loss of their architectural heritage and steps were taken to protect what was left. Construction of the huge Crown Casino (briefly the largest casino in the world) in the 1990s introduced glitz and gambling to the city centre. Melbourne's development continues in the 2000s with the opening of the Melbourne Museum, Federation Square and the Docklands precinct.

Culture

Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia, with its many art galleries, film festivals, orchestras, choral and opera productions, vibrant live music scene, and a strong food, wine and coffee culture. People in Melbourne tend to dress up more than the northern states - partly due to the colder climate. Many bars and clubs have strict dress regulations, such as requiring collars and dress shoes for men.

Particular cultural events to note include the Melbourne International Film Festival in August, the International Art Festival in October, and the Melbourne Comedy Festival in April. There are also many concerts and exhibitions throughout the year. In addition to the Melbourne Museum, there are special museums dedicated to subjects such as science, immigration, Chinese history, Jewish history, sport, racing, film and moving image, railways, police, fire brigades and banking.

Melbourne also has a strong subcultural scene appealing especially to young people, particularly in the suburbs of Carlton, Fitzroy, Collingwood and Abbotsford, where subcultural bars, cafes and art galleries are common. Check out the Abbotsford Convent and Brunswick Street.

LGBT+

Melbourne is highly tolerant of LGBT+ people, who generally live in the city with few difficulties.

While often referred to as Australia's cultural capital, Melbourne also draws much more influence from Europe in its architecture, fashion and food – and for the gay traveller it may feel like a more chilled out and refined experience after the glitz of Sydney. Melbourne is a city of less ostentatious delights than its northern cousin, regularly voted the world's most livable city – so set some time aside to relax and explore.

The gay scene in Melbourne is basically divided between the north side and south side of the city. In the north side the best options are Sircuit Bar (mixed on Tuesday and Sunday) or The Laird for guys of the bear variety, while The Greyhound in St Kilda is a good pick for a mixed weekend party featuring "Boylesque" performances.

Melbourne's main annual community events are the Midsumma Festival and the Melbourne Queer Film Festival.

Sport

Melbournians are sports enthusiasts and particularly passionate about Australian rules football, a sport invented in Melbourne. In fact the Australian Football League (AFL) is not so much a sport as a religion in Melbourne, with 9 of the 10 Victorian teams being based in Melbourne. As a guide, the entire national competition only has 18 teams, meaning half the league is based in Melbourne alone. The AFL culminates in the AFL Grand Final in the spring, which is played every year at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Horse racing is another passion, and the majority of the state has a public holiday on the first Tuesday of November for the racing of the Melbourne Cup (dead link: January 2023), one of the world's famous horse races. Cricket is the big summer sport and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (the 'MCG' or 'The G') is one of the world's leading grounds. On Boxing Day each year, the MCG hosts the boxing day test match. This usually sees The Australian Cricket team going up against another big cricketing nation. The National Sports Museum (NSM) (including the Racing Museum), Australia's only truly dedicated multi-sports museum is also located at the MCG, though it is temporarily closed for renovations, with reopening expected in February 2020.

Each January, Melbourne hosts tennis' Australian Open, one of the world's four Grand Slam championships. In March, Melbourne hosts one of the first races of the Formula One season, the Australian Grand Prix. The race is held in Albert Park in South Melbourne. Two professional Association Football teams are based in Melbourne, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City FC; the two teams now share the new Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, commercially known as AAMI Park, and also play select matches at Marvel Stadium. The city also boasts one professional team in each rugby code, with both also playing at AAMI Park. The Melbourne Storm play rugby league in the National Rugby League, with teams throughout Australia plus one in New Zealand. The Melbourne Rebels play rugby union in Super Rugby, which features three other Australian sides, four in South Africa, five in New Zealand, and one each in Argentina and Japan. Melbourne is the unquestioned sporting capital of Australia with the largest arenas and two of the major sporting administrations basing their operation in Melbourne: Cricket Australia is a stone's throw from the MCG, and AFL games are played at both the MCG and Marvel Stadium.

Climate

The city's climate is notorious for its changeability, often referred to as "four seasons in a day". Its climate can be described generally as temperate, with warm summers and cool winters. During the summer of December to February, temperatures hover around 26–30 °C (79–86 °F), but it is not out of the ordinary for the city to swelter through heatwaves of over 40 °C (104 °F). Humidity is rarely an issue, with mildly comfortable nights down to about 16 °C (61 °F). With approximately 600 mm of rainfall annually, Melbourne gets only half as much rain as Sydney. October is typically the wettest month.

Winter (June–August) is usually cool with a mix of clear, sunny weather and cold & damp conditions. Temperatures in winter can range from chilly overnight lows as low as 2 °C (36 °F) to daytime highs as high as 19 °C (66 °F) at times. Light snow has been recorded in and around Melbourne during the winter months only a couple of times over the last century, although the hills east of the city usually see a snow shower or two every winter. You should consider visiting Melbourne in the autumn and spring — temperatures during these periods are usually very pleasant, without being unbearably warm with daytime highs usually in the 20s °C (70s °F).

With such wild and unpredictable weather, it can be difficult deciding what to wear when planning a day out in Melbourne. A common tip is to wear layers of clothing, that can be removed or worn as the day goes on.

Get in

By plane

The city is primarily serviced by Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine which has international flights and a comprehensive domestic schedule. Avalon Airport is more distant, partway between Melbourne and Geelong, and hosts some domestic services with low-cost carrier Jetstar and international services to Kuala Lumpur with low-cost carrier Air Asia. A handful of regional flights also leave from Essendon Airport with minor carrier Fly Corporate, as well as some Sharp Airlines flights to King and Flinders Islands.

Melbourne Airport

Main article: Melbourne Airport

Melbourne Airport, also known as Tullamarine Airport, (IATA: MEL) is 22 km north-west of the City Centre in the Hume region. There are regular flights from all major Australian and New Zealand cities. There are direct flights from many Asian hubs, with connections from Europe, and direct flights from North America, South America and Europe. The Airport Taxi Service service operates with fleet of Silver Service Sedans and Wagons regularly to the Melbourne Suburbs, costing from $50, if you book online or call 0416271787. The SkyBus service runs regularly to the City, St Kilda, Mornington Peninsula and Western suburbs, costing $20, or $18 if you book online.

Avalon Airport

Avalon Airport (IATA: AVV) is a mainly domestic airport 55 km south-west of Melbourne in Lara, near Geelong. Although much further than Melbourne Airport, fares from Avalon are sometimes considerably cheaper. The terminals are generally very simple, with just an ATM, car hire desks and baggage carousels. Other facilities include a cafe, bar and a video arcade room. There are several flights in and out of Avalon each day, with many domestic operated by lower-cost airline Jetstar (which also flies to Melbourne Airport) and an AirAsiaX flight to Kuala Lumpur.

SkyBus operates a coach shuttle to Southern Cross Station in Melbourne's City Centre via the outer western suburb of Werribee, meeting every flight arrival and departure. The transfer costs $22 one-way for an adult, and $10 for a child (4–14 years). Other than the coach, there is no public transport; Lara Station is 8 km from the terminal, meaning one could ride a bike on the road to/from the airport or catch a taxi, which would cost about $15 to the station. A taxi to the city from the airport could cost upwards of $100.

The driving time from Avalon Airport to Melbourne's City Centre is about 45 minutes in good traffic conditions. Avalon Airport is also convenient for reaching nearby Geelong and the Great Ocean Road.

By train

Southern Cross Station is Melbourne's regional rail hub for interstate and intrastate travel. It's on the western side of the City Centre, with good public transport connections to the rest of the city.

• V/Line. The regional rail operator for Victoria, with services across the state from Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Bairnsdale and other places. V/Line also operates some services interstate, including the train to Albury, and combined train/coach services to Adelaide and Canberra.
• NSW Trainlink. This rail service between Sydney and Melbourne leaves twice daily in the morning and evening. The journey takes just under 11 hours, and you must book in advance.
• The Overland. This rail service between Adelaide and Melbourne takes just under 11 hours. Departures leave twice weekly in each direction.

By car

From Sydney, the quickest route to Melbourne is the Hume Highway, which takes 10 hours of driving without any stops. This road is almost all dual-carriageway (freeway). The Princes Highway (National Route 1) goes along the coast and is less crowded. It takes longer with lower speed limits, hills and bends, and fewer opportunities to overtake. See Sydney to Melbourne by car for more information.

Adelaide is slightly closer than Sydney and can be reached in 9 hours. The coastal route is scenic but slower.

A direct journey from Brisbane takes 21 hours of driving and takes you further inland along the Newell Highway. This makes for an alternative to the standard Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne coastal route.

By bus

Bus services to Melbourne from out of state are provided by Firefly Express and Greyhound.

Bus services within Victoria are operated by V/Line, and operate from most major and many minor Victorian towns.

By boat

Melbourne is served by several international cruise ships throughout the year, particularly in the summer cruise season.

The Spirit of Tasmania used to depart and arrive at Melbourne from Devonport in northern Tasmania, but since October 23, the Spirit of Tasmania terminal was relocated to Geelong.

All passenger ships serving Melbourne arrive at and depart from Station Pier in Port Melbourne, about 5 km from the city centre. Tram route 109 (towards Box Hill) departs frequently from the old railway station across the road from the Pier, travelling into the heart of Melbourne along Collins St. You can purchase mykis at the tram stop's machine or from a visitor desk in the peak season.

Get around

Melbourne has a very large metropolitan area, but most sights of interest are within the city centre, and most of the rest can be reached within about 20 minutes on the train or tram. Melbourne's city centre is laid out in an orderly grid system, similar to the grid system of Manhattan, meaning that navigating the city centre is easy.

By public transport

Melbourne has a comprehensive public transportation system consisting of trams, trains and buses: trams criss-cross the city to the inner suburbs and attractions, trains branch out from the city centre to the suburbs, and buses usually cover outer suburbs and suburbs between. There are connections to all major attractions of the city, and within the city centre and surrounds it is easier to get around without a car. Most of the train and bus network is wheelchair and pram accessible. Trams are only accessible via a low floor tram at accessible stops - mostly in the city centre and St Kilda. The accessible services and stops are indicated on the PTV website. Train, tram and major bus services generally operate between 5AM and midnight Monday–Saturday and after 8AM Sunday. On Friday and Saturday nights, all-night train, tram and bus services run on a limited night network.

Public Transport Victoria coordinates public transport and provides timetables, maps, disruption info and a very useful journey planner. Mobile apps (dead link: January 2023) are available for iOS and Android devices; Google Maps also integrates train, tram and bus information. The PTV app is useful to find out about potential delays and planned changes to timetables.

Tickets

Myki is the reloadable smartcard used for all travel on trains, trams and buses. Myki cards can be purchased and reloaded from staffed railway stations, machines at stations, major tram stops and the airport, online, and various retail stores such as newsagencies and all 7-Eleven stores. You cannot purchase them on trams, trains or buses. You cannot reload them on buses, trams or once on-board trains. Android users with Google Pay can purchase and reload "virtual" Myki cards and use them on all Myki readers.

Regular adult cards cost $6, and concession/under-18 cards cost $3. Concessions only apply to Australians with the appropriate concession card. The card comes with no preloaded credit and the fee is non-refundable. A myki Explorer ($16/8 adult child), which comes with a stack of attraction discount coupons, can be purchased at the Melbourne Visitor Centre, SkyBus terminals at the airport and Southern Cross Station, PTV Hubs and many accommodation providers.

To use myki, touch on by holding the card onto a reader before travel at the train station, or on board a bus/tram, and wait for the beep. Touch off when exiting a train station or a bus; touching off on a tram is optional and not recommended. Metropolitan Melbourne has two zones: Zone 1 which covers the entire city, and Zone 2 which allows a cheaper fare when travelling only in the outer suburbs. The fare (including the travel time and zone) is automatically calculated and deducted by myki, so there is no need to plan costs in advance. In the city centre, there is also a Free Tram Zone where one does not require a myki to travel and should not touch on if remaining within the zone. But you do need to touch on your myki if you wish to travel beyond the Free Tram Zone.

On-board myki readers come in two styles. The old style is a bright yellow and blue 'brick' design with a small screen, where the touch-on region is the blue rectangle; nowadays (as of 2021), this style is only seen on trams. The new style, seen on all modern buses, is a large touchscreen display. Older myki readers may take a while to process, and you need to hold the card up against the reader until it does, which is why touching off on a tram is not recommended to avoid holding up the people behind you.

Regulations and laws surrounding public transport are strict. Ticket inspectors are common, and fines are up to $413 on the spot for offences such as fare evasion, putting feet on seats, swearing, drinking alcohol, blocking public transport vehicle doors, and being inside unauthorised spaces.

Trains

The train network is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne with blue branding. A partly-underground "City Loop" forms the basis of the network, with all the other lines branching off to the suburbs like the spokes of a wheel. The lines are named after the station at the end of the line, and all run through Flinders Street Station, the city's famous suburban railway hub. Trains to the suburbs generally operate at 10-20 minute frequencies, with higher frequencies (but more overcrowding) in peak times. Be aware that some trains skip suburban stations when running express to and from the city; check information screens carefully to be sure.

Trams

Also see Trams in Melbourne.

Trams are a prominent feature in Melbourne's urban landscape and a tourist attraction in themselves. The city has the largest network in the world. The network is operated by Yarra Trams with green branding. Most tram lines cross the city in each direction, and branch out from the city centre like spokes. In the city, they often become crowded, and you are unlikely to get a seat. The network is operated by a mix of newer, low-floor trams with stop announcements and older models with step-entry. Stops in the inner city generally have platforms, although most stops require hailing the tram from the side of the road; take care at these stops and look for distracted cars which may illegally speed past. Most tram stops on Swanston Street (in city centre) are located on bike lanes. Please be careful not to walk onto the bike lane until the trams stops in front of you.

Yarra Trams' official iOS and Android app, tramTRACKER, is very useful for tracking real-time tram arrivals and following the tram's progress on board. Most tram routes will have 8-12 minute service during the day, with higher frequencies in the peak, but lower frequencies of 20–30 minutes in the evenings.

Travel on all trams in the city centre is free. The boundary of the Free Tram Zone is marked with plenty of signage, but remember to touch on at the start of your journey if you plan to leave the FTZ on that journey. This is in addition to the City Circle tram (Tram Route 35), a free tourist tram in the city centre, which runs past many major sights in historical trams.

Buses

Buses serve as connections to places without rail transport, often connecting to major shopping centres and train stations. Denoted by orange branding and stops, most buses are low-floor and air-conditioned. A few major trunk routes (including ones such as the 200/207 in the inner north, the 900 to Chadstone, 907 to Doncaster, etc.) operate at 10-15 minute frequencies, although for most buses, it is necessary to use the journey planner or check timetables, as service tends to be far less frequent than trains and trams.

Tourist services

As mentioned above, the free City Circle Tram (dead link: January 2023) (Route 35) runs around the CBD perimeter, operated by vintage-style maroon or green trams. Audio commentary provides information about attractions that are passed. These trams are geared to visitors and provide access to sites of interest to the tourist. More information is provided in the City Centre guide.

By bike

The inner suburbs of Melbourne have a good network of bike paths, plus a generally flat terrain, making pedal-power a great way to take in the city. Most bicycle paths are "shared footways" under the law, although the majority of users in most places are cyclists. This means cyclists should expect to share the path with pedestrians, dog-walkers, rollerbladers, joggers, prams and tricycles. Some trails contain on-road sections (in marked bike lanes). It is illegal to cycle on footpaths or pedestrian crossings, with the only exception when supervising cycling children or when the path is marked or signposted as allowing bikes. Helmets are required by law, as are lights when riding at night. Some bike lanes pass through tram stops - by law, you have to stop before the tram stop if passengers are boarding or alighting the tram.

Trails

• Yarra River Trail. Runs from the mouth of Melbourne's iconic Yarra River, through the city and onwards to Westerfolds Park in the outer suburbs.
• Capital City Trail. Runs a circuit through Melbourne's inner suburbs, the Docklands precinct and the city. It's a good way to see a slice of day-to-day life.
• Bay Trail. A pleasant trek around Port Phillip Bay, running from Port Melbourne, through the bustling beach-side precinct of St Kilda, past the famous bathing sheds of Brighton, all the way to Carrum. A punt operates under the West Gate Bridge on weekends and public holidays allowing a start at Altona Meadows along the Williamstown Trail, across the punt, and joining with the Bay Trail. You can't cycle on the West Gate Bridge.
• Maribyrnong River Trail. Starting at Southbank and finishing at Brimbank Park in Melbourne's west, the Maribyrnong river trail is a 28-km trail with easy to moderate riding on a good track. The trail takes you past the Polly Woodside ship and through the Docklands to Footscray Road. You'll then ride along the Maribyrnong River, passing Flemington Racecourse before crossing the river and over to Pipemakers Park. The remainder of the trail takes you through bushland and river reserves and underneath bridges before finishing up at Brimbank Park.

Detailed maps of the bike path network can be found .

Bicycles may be taken freely on trains, although there may not be space during the peak. Only folding bikes are permitted on trams and buses.

Bike rental

• Rentabike, Vault 14 Princes Walk (near Federation Square, Federation Wharf, on the north side of the Yarra), +61 4 1733-9203. 10AM-5PM. $35 per day
• Freddys Bike Tours & Rentals, 32 Rebecca Walk (Batman Park on the Yarra River near to the Melbourne Aquarium), +61 431 61 0431, james@FreddysBikeTours.com.au. 9AM-7PM. Bicycle hire and bike rentals. Also offers a range of guided bicycle tours through various Melbourne precincts. $25 per day

By car

Driving in Melbourne's city centre is generally inadvisable. Congestion tends to be bad, street parking difficult to find, and parking in multi-storey carparks tends to be rather expensive. In addition, you will have to learn how to execute a hook turn (described below) due to the large number of trams in the city. That being said, driving is generally the best way of getting around Melbourne's suburbs, as the public transport network tends to be less reliable, less frequent and more thinly spread out than in the city centre, particularly in the outer suburbs. If travelling from the outer suburbs to the city, it's generally best to park your car at the nearest railway station and catch a train in. In the centre, street parking can be as much as $3.50 an hour. Motorcycles and scooters may park on footpaths legally for free as long as they do not obstruct pedestrians or crossings.

The major car rental chains are well-represented. Independent car rental companies are also plentiful and can offer good value. Many of the rental companies are located close to Melbourne's Southbank, so if you are staying close to or on the outskirts of the CBD, it should be relatively easy to find both the well represented and independent car rental companies.

In the city centre, a number of intersections require you to perform the infamous hook turn (signage in the photograph) to turn right due to tram tracks running down the centre of the road. Follow the signs: move into the left lane and move as far forward as possible, wait and when the traffic signal for the street you are turning into turns green, make the turn.

There are two major tollways in Melbourne, both of which have no manual tollgates and require daypasses to be purchased in advance or up to three days after the trip online or over the phone. Registration number and car details should be provided; failure to buy a pass can result in expensive fines, and car rental companies will often stack their own administration charges on top of these. Be aware that major rental companies will often offer a toll option, which is usually cheaper than purchasing your own passes. Tollways are represented by blue and yellow road signage rather than the usual green and white signs.

CityLink is the T-shaped tollway through the city core, connecting the West Gate Freeway in the west, Monash Freeway in the south-east and Tullamarine Freeway in the north. These freeways are useful for travelling to Geelong and the Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island and Melbourne Airport respectively. A 24-hour pass costs $16.69 for cars, $8.32 for motorcycles and more for larger vehicles (May 2016).

EastLink is a north–south tollway through the eastern suburbs and is useful for reaching Frankston. A one trip pass costs $5.94 for cars, $2.97 for motorcycles and more for larger vehicles (May 2016). If you are likely to be using both tollroads, it may be worth purchasing a Melbourne Pass for $5.50 in addition to the regular toll costs depending on the length of the trip. Tags from other Australian cities work on CityLink and the EastLink tollway, but passes do not. At the very end of Eastlink, you'll arrive at an interchange with the Mornington Peninsula Freeway, which continues south to Mornington Peninsula. Eastlink continues south as the Frankston Freeway.

On foot

Melbourne is an excellent city for walking and you should have no problems navigating the CBD grid. The walking time between each end of the city is less than 30 minutes. A brisk walk may even see you keeping up with the trams as they crawl through the city centre.

By taxi

Melbourne taxis are ubiquitous in the centre but less often spotted in the suburbs. Taxis are traditionally yellow in colour, although silver and white colours also exist. Fares are standardized so that the meter starts ticking with the Day Rate (T1) (9AM-5AM) at $4.20 and clocking up $1.622/km, the Overnight Rate (T2) (5AM-9AM) at $5.20 and clocking up $1.804/km and the Peak Rate (T3) (10AM-4AM Friday and Saturday) at $6.20 clocking up $1.986/km, meaning that short hops within the centre can go for under $10, but longer hauls get expensive pretty fast. A $2 fee applies for telephone booking a taxi and a $4.50 fee for catching a taxi from the airport. The Airport Taxi Service service operates with fleet of Silver Service Sedans and Wagons regularly from Melbourne Airport to the Melbourne Suburbs, costing from $50, if you book online or call 0416271787. Sitting in traffic is $0.568/min at T1, $0.631/min at T2 and $0.695/min at T3. Between 10PM and 5AM, taxi fares can be prepaid: you pay an estimated sum to the driver in advance and the fare is corrected on arrival. There is no negotiated fares for taxis in Melbourne. The Taxi Services Commission provides a full fare list and useful fare estimator on their website.

• CabinMinutes Airport Taxi
• Taxis Melbourne Airport
• Uber
• Didi
• Ola Cabs
• HOP

See

Melbourne is a great city for arts, culture, dining, and events. Visitors frequently comment on the "good vibe" of the city, which can only be understood by experiencing it for yourself. There are a wide and varied assortment of attractions and sights, with something for every traveller. Most are in the City Centre, in close reach of public transport. Melbourne is also a good base for experiencing the other attractions of Victoria, most of which can be reached on day trips.

Do

Footy fever

It may be called "Australian rules" football, but the city that rules the game is Melbourne: until 1982, every team in what was then the Victorian Football League was based in Melbourne or Geelong, and even today 9 of 18 teams in the AFL hail from the city. The season runs through winter from late March to late September, with big matches drawing up to 100,000 spectators.

For the first-time spectator, the "footy" looks like untrammeled mayhem, with the oval rugby-style ball carried, kicked, bounced or even punched — but never thrown — across the oval pitch while the opposing team's players tried to grab it or pummel its holder into submission. The objective is simple enough: to kick the ball between the two tall goalposts (a goal, scoring 6 points), or barring that at least between a goal post and the shorter post next to it (a behind, scoring 1 point). No protective equipment of any kind is used except for mouthguards, and almost anything goes when tackling, although traditionalists bemoan rule changes, such as banning moves like grabbing a player's arms from behind and ramming them into the ground head first!

All that said, footy fans are a surprisingly well-behaved lot and hooliganism is nearly unknown, with plenty of families and little old ladies attending matches. Fans of the two opposing teams usually sit together at games, and even though the cheering can get very passionate, actual crowd violence is almost unheard of, even at matches featuring rival teams. Tickets can be booked in advance from Ticketek, but for most games you can simply show up at the stadium before the match, with general admission tickets starting from $20.

• See interesting films at the Art Deco-styled Astor Theatre in St Kilda. There are several moonlight cinema programs in summer. The Melbourne International Film Festival is on in August.
• Alternately, visit the Cinema Nova on Lygon Street (tram 1 or 8) on a Monday for $6 films before 4PM.
• Visit the Queen Victoria Market
• Fans of Neighbours can do a tour of filming locations (dead link: January 2023)
• Visit a comedy club. The Comic's Lounge has shows for $10–25 including a show filmed for Channel 31 on Mondays, or dinner and show for $45. The Comedy Club has dinner and show for $32 and shows only beginning at $7 (discount ticket price).
• Watch the mesmerising process of personalised hard candy being hand-made at Suga. Around lunch time is a good time to see (and sample!). There is a store at Queen Victoria Market, but if you visit the Royal Arcade location, you can also watch chocolate making next door at Koko Black.
• Watch a game of AFL football at the MCG or Marvel Stadium during the winter, or a Cricket Match during the summer.
• Women's World Cup is played 20 July - 20 Aug 2023, with 32 national women's soccer teams competing. Matches are played at AAMI Park, also in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, plus four cities in New Zealand the co-hosts.
• Kick back at one of Melbourne's fantastic cafes in the CBD (Degraves St, The Causeway, and other laneways are fantastic for this), South Yarra (Chapel Street) or Fitzroy (Brunswick Street, Smith Street).
• Melbourne has an exceptionally vibrant live music scene. Many bars and pubs will have copies of the free magazines "Beat" and "Inpress" which provide local gig guides. Fitzroy, Collingwood and St. Kilda are generally your best bets for seeing some of the great local talent Melbourne has to offer. Venues where you generally can't go wrong include: "The Evelyn", Hotel Esplanade aka "The Espy", The Corner Hotel in Richmond & The Northcote Social Club.
• The Black Light Mini Golf is located at the Docklands. This is an 18-hole mini golf range designed around an Australian theme. It is under black light with a light and sound system and featuring fluorescent colours. It is located behind the Big Wheel Being located indoors means that you can play all year round, Admission pricing is $13 for an adult and $10 for a child. It takes around 1 hr to play. An attraction to the Black Light Mini Golf is "The Coffin Ride". This is as freaky as it sounds, you take a virtual ride in a coffin with the lid closed, there are sounds, smells and your mates can have a really good laugh watching you on TV.
• Melbourne is an excellent place to master your photography skills. So many places to take a fantastic picture.
• Visit one of Melbourne's many arcade and laneways, tucked away from the main city streets and avenues. One of these, the Cathedral Arcade, forms a narrow laneway, connecting Swanston Street to Flinders Lane in the central business district. It is a T-shaped arcade, however one of the laneways terminates inside the Nicholas building.
• Melbourne's museums are generally well-regarded and worth a visit if you have time to spare. The Melbourne Museum and National Gallery of Victoria often have interesting temporary exhibitions.
• Visit the beach (St Kilda, Brighton, or Frankston on the east side. Williamstown on the west side.)
• Watch the tennis in January. The Australian Open or Kooyong Classic
• Experience fine dining in an inner city tram http://www.tramrestaurant.com.au/
• Be entertained at Crown Casino
• Go hiking on scenic Mt Dandenong -Challenge yourself physically on the 1000 steps, or visit the cute towns of Sassafras or Olinda, or take a ride on the century-old Puffing Billy steam train
• Chill out in the Botanical Gardens or one of the many parks (Albert Park, Carlton Gardens, Fitzroy Gardens)
• Have a laugh at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in March/April each year
• See amazing sand sculptures (dead link: January 2023) in nearby Frankston from the end of December to April each year (take the Frankston train line)
• Australian Grand Prix or Formula One is held in March / April, around at Albert Park in the Inner south.
• Visit the Eureka Skydeck for the best view of the city on level 88 of the Eureka Tower. Or indulge in fine dining by booking on level 89 of the Eureka Tower.
• Visit one of Melbourne's outdoor cinemas in the warmer months of the year (November to April)
• Get dressed up for "the race that stops the nation" on the first Tuesday of November The Melbourne Cup, or one of the other races in The Spring Racing Carnival
• Visit any or all of the three amazing zoos. At the Melbourne Zoo, visitors have the additional opportunities to interact, pet, and take close-up photography with a number of the animals, including kangaroos, meerkats, lemurs, and others
• Take a free tram ride around the city on the free city circle line (Route 35).
• See Melbourne's Yarra River by kayak
• Visit the State Library of Victoria, and its magnificent reading halls. The La Trobe Reading Room boasts a large domed study area with an art gallery featuring temporary exhibitions on its balconies.
• Take a scenic helicopter ride over Melbourne to explore Melbourne’s famous landmarks including Melbourne Star, St Kilda Pier, Luna Park, the Brighton Bathing Boxes and the MCG from the air.

Learn

You can take language classes, join a cafe book group, learn to draw, sign up for historical or foodie walks, study for your Victorian Certificate of Education or take computer or business classes at the Council of Adult Education (CAE). The CAE is also home to the City Library where you can sign up to borrow books or just read magazines in their cafe.

Universities

Melbourne is home to several universities, two of which belong to the prestigious "Group of Eight": the University of Melbourne and Monash University. There are opportunities for international students to enrol in these universities, either in their degree programmes or through exchange agreements with foreign universities, and these are opportunities for foreigners to live in Melbourne for an extended period of time.

Work

The most popular industry for a working holiday is to work in hospitality jobs around the St. Kilda area. The wages in all other industries are usually much better than working in hospitality but require more specific skills.

Fruit picking is a possible source of income but in the greater Melbourne area not many jobs are offered. You will find better chances are in the dairy business but you should have some basic experience. Grape vine tending is another possibility in the nearby Yarra Valley.

Australia has one of the highest minimum wages in the world.(February 2020) Find out the wage your should be getting by using the Pay Calculator.

Most visitor visas prohibit the holder from any employment, but working holiday and student visas may allow foreigners to work, but these visas come with restrictions on hours of work allowed among other restrictions. Please make sure you have the right work before doing so as working without the right to work is a deportable offence. If any workplace health and safety issue arises, you may contact WorkSafe Victoria, Victoria's health and safety regulator and manager of Victoria's workers compensation scheme. If you believe your employer is not complying with Australian workplace laws, you can also contact FairWork Ombudsman.

If you started employment it is recommended that you apply for a Tax File Number (TFN), as it facilitates the Australia Tax Office (ATO), in managing your tax profile. Some jobs may require you to apply for one before starting work.

Buy

Shopping hours in metro Melbourne are typically 7 days a week, 9AM–5:30PM weekdays and 9AM (maybe later)–5PM weekends. Most suburban shopping centres such as Chadstone have later closing hours on Thursdays and Fridays – mostly up to 9PM. Supermarkets have extended hours 7 days, the majority opening at 7AM and closing at midnight or 1AM; there are also many 24-hour supermarkets.

Alcohol in Victoria can be purchased at licensed shops/venues, and supermarkets often have an adjoining bottle shop that closes earlier than the supermarket. Some stock alcohol in the supermarket, if they close at the same time as their licence. You must be over 18 years old to purchase alcohol. Most bottleshops close by 10PM to midnight (even on weekends), but some open until 3AM (e.g. on Riversdale road in Booroondara and Russell St Melbourne), and 24-hour bottleshops on both Chapel and Lygon streets, in Stonnington and Melbourne respectively.

City shopping

Melbourne is known as the fashion capital of Australia with numerous malls and boutique-lined streets.

In the CBD itself, Little Collins Street is home to some of the world's top designers and fashion houses; Collins Street also boasts other high end shops such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès. Brunswick Street (Fitzroy), and the southern end of Chapel Street in Prahran/Windsor, have clusters of stores selling an eclectic mix of vintage, rave, retro and alternative gear such as Shag, Fat Helen's and Beaut Vintage to shop around.

Melbourne Central is another shopping mall based in the city, adjacent to the underground station of the same name. The Bourke Street Mall with the department store David Jones, as well as the flagship store of Myer, Australia's largest department store chain, is another city-central shopping hub.

For the bargain shopper, there is a DFO Outlet Mall (Direct Factory Outlet) located on the Southbank, next to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), a short walk from Southern Cross Railway Station.

Elizabeth Street has plenty of bargain backpackers stores, for example Mitchell's Adventure (255–257 Elizabeth Street), which can offer outdoor products for bargain prices.

Suburban shopping

Bridge Road in Richmond is a strip where warehouse direct outlets rule and no-one pays recommended retail price. Chapel Street in South Yarra is a favourite among the locals, with its spread of exclusive boutiques, cafes and well established chain stores. There are also several huge shopping complexes in the outer suburbs, such as Chadstone and Southland (Cheltenham) in the South-East. Doncaster Shoppingtown, Eastland (Ringwood) and Knox City are in the outer East. Northland in the north, Highpoint in the west.

Melbourne is also home to many of Australia's largest shopping centres; including Chadstone Shopping Centre in Malvern East (the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere) which has over 530 stores, Knox City Shopping Centre which has 350 stores, and Fountain Gate Shopping Centre in Casey which includes approximately 330 stores.

Looking for something in particular?

For those in the bridal market, High Street in Armadale, Stonnington and Sydney Road in Brunswick, Moreland are the two main clusters for bridal apparel and accessories. For those who are looking for local, aspiring designer creations, try Greville Street in South Yarra, Stonnington or Smith Street and surrounds in Yarra.

To buy funny souvenirs and Australian typical stuff, walk or take the trams on Elizabeth Street up to Victoria Market. You'll find all you need there and the price is usually a half or a third of the prices in the souvenir shops downtown. Make sure to try a bratwurst dog and check out the cheese stalls while you're there.

Eat

For the culinary traveller, Melbourne is one of the best destinations in the world. There is an abundance of affordable, high-quality restaurants representing almost every cuisine. Eating out is cheaper than in Western Europe but not as affordable as North America. The service in Australian restaurants may be more discreet than many North Americans may be used to. Service staff in Australia are paid considerably more than their North American counterparts so tipping is not customary, though you may choose to give a tip if the service was exemplary.

Excellent eateries can be found sprinkled throughout all of the inner (and some outer) suburbs, while certain neighbourhoods have become magnets for residents and restaurants of particular countries. A large range of restaurants and cafes offering high-quality food, and representing various cultures and countries, are scattered throughout the Central City, Southbank, Carlton (mostly Italian and touristy), Victoria Street in Richmond (many low cost popular Vietnamese and South East Asian restaurants), Docklands, South Yarra and Prahran. In Central City, the Queen Victoria Market's prepared-food stalls are also popular places to grab a quick breakfast or lunch. Sydney Road in Brunswick and Coburg is known for its many Middle Eastern, Lebanese, Greek and Turkish restaurants. The popular tourist area of St Kilda offers a large range of good quality restaurants and cafes, especially on Acland Street, and Fitzroy Street.

English-style fish and chip shops are scattered through the suburbs – particularly in bayside areas. Souvlaki/kebabs are very popular in Melbourne, with plentiful outlets in any neighbourhood you could visit; local terminology is split between 'souvlaki' and 'kebab' to refer to the wrap, depending on the area's immigrant mix. A local specialty is the halal snack pack (HSP), kebab meat and sauce served over chips (fries in American terminology). Japanese nori rolls and sushi is very popular and many stores through the city and suburbs sell these items.

African

There is a concentration of African cafes in Nicholson St, Footscray and Racecourse Road, Flemington. Most serve a small range of Ethiopian cuisine and coffee, and are frequented by the local African residents. The Abyssinian is a well-regarded Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant popular for locals and tourists for a more elaborate dinner. The stewed foods are served on a large pancake (injera) in the middle of the table. Everyone eats with their hands which is messy but fun.

Australian

"Australian cuisine" is a nebulous concept that may include traditional native foodstuffs and more modern cafe infusions of international influences. Items such an emu and kangaroo meat are unusual, and are most likely to be found only at the high-end fine dining restaurants as a speciality item. You can however find great kangaroo steaks at the Napier Hotel (Napier St, Fitzroy) for around $20, or at the Edinburgh Castle pub on Sydney Rd, Brunswick for around $10.

Meat pies are available from bakeries and convenience stores.

Café/delicatessen food

High-quality delicatessen-style eating is available in many of a cafes in the small lanes of central Melbourne. Many high-quality deli style diners can be found outside the city, in Acland Street, St Kilda.

Chinese

Chinese cuisine has a long tradition in Melbourne and a large number and range of quality restaurants exist. Many are in Chinatown in Little Bourke Street, City centre. They are also dotted through the inner and outer suburbs, with concentrations in Richmond, Footscray, and suburban Box Hill, Glen Waverley and Springvale.

Most of the food is from the Southern (Cantonese) school of cooking, although Northern favourites like dumplings are also available. Eating dim sum, which is consumed either during breakfast or lunch (called yum cha or "drinking tea" in Cantonese) is an extremely popular Sunday pastime for Australians of all ethnic backgrounds.

If you're after a budget option (meals $5–10), try Camy's dumpling house (Shanghai style dumplings) on Tattersalls Lane in the CBD. In the evening, the easiest – and most amusing – option is the all-you-can eat service for $12 per person. Service is dicey, but always exciting.

Greek

Lonsdale Street in the City Centre is Melbourne's Greek precinct with bars, cafes and restaurants, and cake shops. Greek restaurants and food outlets can be found in Sydney Road in Brunswick, Swan Street, Richmond, Coburg and Oakleigh in the south eastern suburbs which have many Greek cafes specialising in frappe, cakes and good souvlaki.

Indian

Indian restaurants can be found throughout Melbourne, particularly in the city, North Melbourne, and inner eastern suburbs such as Richmond and Hawthorn. There are also numerous Indian snack bars in the city that serve cheap but tasty curries and samosas, cafeteria-style.

Nepalese food is also popular in Melbourne, and some restaurants feature both Nepalese and Indian cuisine on their menus. An increasing number of Indian restaurants offer home delivery.

Indonesian

Befitting its large number of Indonesian students, Melbourne has many Indonesian restaurants. One of the most famous is Blok M on Commercial Rd, Prahran, which many famous Indonesians have visited. Another popular restaurant is Nelayan with two restaurants on Swanston Street and Glenferrie Rd, Agung on Glenferrie Road, Bali Bagus on Franklin Street, Es Teler 77 on Swanston St, Nusantara in Caulfield and Bali Bowl on Flinders Lane. There is also Warung Gudeg, specialising in Jogjakartan local cuisine in Clayton. Warung Agus in West Melbourne serves Balinese cuisine in a rather upscale atmosphere.

Italian

With its large Italian population Melbourne has countless Italian restaurants, mostly offering food from the southern regions of the Italian peninsula.

Italian cafes and restaurants are plentiful throughout Melbourne but are in the greatest concentration in Lygon Street, Carlton, just north of the city centre. Lygon Street is where Melbourne's coffee culture originated. Suburban Italian restaurants are often large and family-oriented and tend towards the pizza, pasta, seafood and steak formula.

Pizza outlets are very much part of the Melbourne landscape. These include Piazza 51 in Sydney Road, Brunswick, Spiga in Melbourne Central, Pizza Meine Liebe in Northcote, and countless options in Lygon Street.

Japanese

A quick "sushi" take away lunch can be bought on almost every block where there is food. In and out of Chinatown there are also plenty of places that have good bento, udon and donburi as well.

For dinner, many of the inner city suburbs have Japanese restaurants, but in the city itself there is a long an interesting Japanese restaurant history that continues to this day. Both Melbourne's oldest, Kuni's (which has been around since 1978) and its sister restaurant Kenzans are known for a very authentic, if expensive, meal. There are a plethora of choices for those on stricter budgets as well.

Jewish/Kosher

St. Kilda East and Caulfield are home to vibrant Jewish communities and kosher bakeries and cafes abound, most situated on Carlisle Street in Balaclava, Kooyong Road in Caulfield North and Glenhuntly Road in Elsternwick.

Malaysian/Singapore

Malaysians and Singaporeans feeling homesick will find a host of restaurants and foodcourt outlets offering items like roti canai/paratha, nasi lemak, prawn noodles, and laksa. Many are in the City Centre; there are Malaysian restaurants scattered throughout Melbourne. Little Bourke Street has a few Malaysian run eateries as well as QV's Kopitiam (corner of Lonsdale and Swanston St, CBD), Boxhill has a new Malaysian run (with Malaysian cooks – most Malaysian run eateries employ cooks from China) eatery called Petaling Street which has provided the most authentic fare so far.

Middle Eastern

Arab, Lebanese, Moroccan and Turkish restaurants tend to be concentrated in Sydney Road in Brunswick and Coburg to the north of the city centre. These restaurants can also be found in the outer suburbs that are home to those communities, including Dandenong.

Thai

Thai restaurants are ubiquitous in Melbourne: even dining precincts mostly known for Italian or Vietnamese food boast Thai restaurants.

Vegetarian

Vegetarian food is widely available in Melbourne, and you can expect every restaurant or cafe to have a few vegetarian or vegan options.

There are also many vegetarian restaurants: Vegie Bar in Brunswick St, Fitzroy, Moroccan Soup Bar, Shakahari in Faraday st, Gopals in Swanston St and Shakahari in Lygon St, Carlton are just some of the options. Crossways at 123 Swanston St. serves a very popular $5 all you can eat vegetarian lunch, Mon-Sat.

Vegetarian and vegan restaurants are geographically concentrated based on the type of food served. The inner northern and inner southern suburbs of Fitzroy, Richmond, Prahran, and Brunswick have many Australian or American style vegan cafes and vegan options at pubs.

Vegan and vegetarian Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese and other Asian restaurants are found in the city centre, Box Hill, Fitzroy, Northcote and Footscray. In Box Hill, Vegie Hut offers a vegetarian and vegan Yum Cha experience.

Vegetarian Indian restaurants are in mostly in the outer suburbs of Dandenong, Craigieburn, Reservoir, and Werribee, although there are options in the city centre as well.

Middle eastern restaurants, cafes and bakeries have many vegan and vegetarian options. A popular vegan lunch in Brunswick, Coburg, and Fawkner is a Zaatari wrap filled with tomatoes and olives, available at any of the many Lebanese bakeries.

Most Italian restaurants will cater to vegans; however, there are also fully vegetarian options in Carlton and the city centre. Casa Del Gelato is a Lygon St gelato institution which always has several vegan flavours.

Vegans looking to experience the city's coffee culture will find soy, oat, or almond milk at most cafes.

Vietnamese

Melbourne's Little Vietnams are in Footscray, North Richmond and Springvale out in the far eastern suburbs. The streets in these areas are lined with pho (noodle) shops and restaurants offering other Vietnamese favourites. Many outlets have also appeared along Swanston Street in the City Centre. However, for convenience to the city and reasonable prices, Victoria Street in North Richmond is your best bet.

Others

Spanish, Argentinian, Burmese and Polish restaurants can be found in the Richmond/Collingwood/Prahran area.

Melbourne has some Cajun/Creole restaurants and one or two American style diners, but US cuisine is otherwise absent: Foods like Southern-style barbecue and clam chowder are nearly impossible to find.

Korean restaurants are well represented and are scattered throughout the city.

Hopetoun Tea Rooms in Block Arcade on Little Collins Street offer sweets ranging from cakes and pastries to high tea.

Ice cream and gelato are popular post-dinner snacks in the warmer months. Try Piccolina and Messina, although don’t be surprised if the line stretches outside in summer.

Drink

Melbournians often draw a distinction between 'bars', meaning the small watering holes described above, and 'pubs', which are larger establishments in the usual Australian or British sense of the word. Melbourne's pubs, particularly those in the city and inner suburbs, usually serve restaurant-standard food and a wide range of local and imported beers. Pubs usually offer lunch from approximately noon to 2PM, and reopen their kitchens for dinner from approximately 6-10PM.

Pubs

Gay, lesbian and transgender party goers are welcome everywhere as Melbournians are on the whole very tolerant and welcoming people. Perhaps the one bad thing is that nothing really starts happening until midnight!

The city centre has a number of pubs, the most famous being the Young and Jackson. Melbourne is also famous for its many trendy bars in the CBD. Most of these, however, are down narrow alleys and streets, and are therefore hard to find unless you know where you are going.

The inner northern suburbs, such as Collingwood and Fitzroy cater for the young, laid-back, and bohemian crowd. Here you will find lots of live music, cheaper prices, and a relaxed atmosphere. Head for Brunswick and Gertrude Streets in Fitzroy and Smith Street, Collingwood for cafes, bars and live music, while Lygon Street, Carlton has a range of Italian restaurants and cafes with a student vibe, as it's located near the University of Melbourne. Victoria Street, North Richmond is the heart of Melbourne's Vietnamese community, with many cheap and cheerful restaurants serving good food.

Bars and clubs

Melbourne nightlife is 24 hours, loud, colourful and anything goes. Door policies can be strict but once inside high quality entertainment is guaranteed. DJ's, live music, artists and beautiful people can be found. There truly is something for everyone and every taste. It has a massive live music scene, with many inner-suburbs pubs catering to many genres, with drink and food specials all week. The key is to find one you like the most!

Alongside its many clubs, Melbourne is also a fast-rising festival city. Global event companies such as ID&T, Global Gathering, Ministry of Sound and Trance Energy have begun taking notice of the city and bringing their events. Upcoming electronic music events are well catalogued on

Chapel Street/Toorak Road in South Yarra and Prahran has the most glamorous bars and clubs. Here, expect high prices, strict dress codes, and beautiful people who want to be seen partying with the best. St. Kilda has a little bit of everything. With its proximity to the beach, it is often regarded as the Melbourne suburb that feels most like Sydney.

The past decade has seen a revival of Melbourne's inner-city bar scene, with dozens of weird and wonderful watering holes opening up within forgotten alleyways and anonymous lanes of the City Centre (CBD). Melbourne also has its fair share of stylish places to drink, although the better ones can be hard to find. The theory seems to be: the harder your bar is to find, the more people will talk about it. Secrets are tucked around areas like Prahran, South Yarra and many other areas. However, there are plenty of alleyway bars, once you find one they seem to pop up everywhere you look. Melbourne's clubs often market a members only rule which can upset your more upmarket traveler. The rule is in place to prevent fighting and unappealing groups of men entering a nice club and destroying the atmosphere.

Australian licensing laws are very similar to those in the UK, i.e. you are not allowed to be drunk on licensed premises. In practice though, Melbourne venues and bouncers draw the line very low. Ejection from a premises can be expected for fighting, vomiting, or frequent falling over. Some pubs and clubs are quicker to eject patrons than others, but it's only ever a short walk to another. Licensing is more liberal than what one may be used to, as you can still expect to find a drink past 2AM. This has led to a culture of late night drinking where some venues won't get busy until some time after 11PM, especially true during summer.

Coffee

Melbourne has a long and rich coffee culture beginning with Victorian era coffee palaces and further enhanced by Italian migrants arriving in the aftermath of World War II.

Perhaps the most famous Italian style cafe is Pellegrini's, 66 Bourke St, Melbourne city. Fitzroy is known for funky, bohemian-style cafes. Collins Street features many elegant cafes. Many Italian style cafes are found in Carlton; Brunetti's is open late and always packed.

Serious espresso connoisseurs would enjoy visiting St Ali cafe/roastery in South Melbourne, Auction Rooms (Errol St) in North Melbourne, or the Maling Room café in Canterbury.

Sleep

Budget

Melbourne's budget accommodation options can be found in two main areas, namely in the City Centre and in the seaside suburb of St Kilda. However, outside these two areas, there are also several popular budget options in bohemian Fitzroy, South Melbourne, and Windsor.

Around the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix (late March) and other international events, hostel accommodation is booked out and some hostels raise their prices. Be sure to book ahead.

Mid-range

Accommodation in this price bracket can mostly be found in the city centre. There are however options scattered throughout the suburbs.

Splurge

The City Centre remains the main area for this category of accommodation.

Connect

Post

• General Post Office, 250 Elizabeth St, +61 131318. M–F 8:30AM–5:30PM, Sa 9AM–4PM, Su 10AM–4PM. After a fire gutted the original building in 2001, most of Melbourne's grand General Post Office has now been turned into an upmarket retail precinct. The main post office in the Melbourne CBD is situated at the corner of Elizabeth and Little Bourke Streets. Poste restante services are also located here.

Phone

Some coin operated payphones can still be found around the city. Near stations and post-offices are the usual places to look. International calling cards are also available at convenience stores. Using a payphone to make a local call will cost you $0.50 (untimed, although some phones limit your call to 15 minutes).

Mobile phone coverage within the CBD and surrounds is usually good-to-excellent. 3G and 4G services are available throughout the city. You will require some identification to purchase a prepaid (PAYG) SIM card, which are sold at most convenience stores, newsagents and supermarkets. This may be requested at time of purchase, and/or time of activation.

The networks are run by Telstra, Optus and Vodafone with other resellers available, and sometimes at a cheaper price. Shop around online for the most suitable deal if you want to save a few dollars. As is the case throughout Australia you will need to be identified to access it - and if you're from overseas it's often easier to take your passport into a telco store than try and answer the identification questions online. Lycamobile and Lebara specialise in plans with cheaper international calls.

Melbourne's area code for landline telephones is 03 (internationally dial +613). To make an international direct dial call, the trunk line access code is generally 0011 or simply add a + in front of the number if your phone allows.

Internet

Melbourne offers a free public WiFi which allows for up to 250 MB per device, per day and does not require personal information or feature pop-up advertising in the Melbourne CBD including CBD train stations, Bourke St Mall, Queen Victoria Market and South Wharf Promenade at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, additionally Internet cafes are dotted throughout the city, especially near the backpacker enclaves of St Kilda and Flinders Street. Speeds are usually excellent and rates range from $2.50–12 per hour, the cheapest usually found in combination market/internet cafes in the Asian parts of town.

• Telstra Air, All throughout Melbourne. Telstra Air offers paid hotspot access (free for Telstra customers or those with a Fon plan). 2019-08-29
• mag nation, 88 Elizabeth St. This shop has free WiFi.
• HiSpeed Internet Kiosks. A chain with many stores across the country. 21 minutes for $2
• e:FiftyFive (55 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne) is like a huge basement lounge room that feels more like a bar than an internet cafe. Great DJs, comfortable couches and dirt-cheap $2/hour internet access when you buy a drink attract plenty of travellers and will make writing that email home an enjoyable experience.
• VA (Bourke Street, Melbourne) is one of the countless but arguably the best internet/LAN gaming cafes in Melbourne, which is packed full of "hardcore gamers" on Sunday afternoons (sponsored competition day). Non-member rates start at $3.50/hour while membership costs a mere $15 (includes $12 credit) and benefits include play offers such as $4/2 hours, $5/3 hours and $6/4 hours, as well as day and night packages.
• Cydus (Victoria Street, North Melbourne) large range of internet usage services every day and at any time (including most public holidays). Non-member rates start at $3/hour while membership costs $10 (includes 2 hours free play) and membership rates are $2/hour while member offers include "Endurance Pass" (5 hours play + $2.80 snack voucher) and "Survival Pass" (10 hours play).
• City Library, 253 Flinders Ln. Free internet access through Melbourne Library Service (approximately 2 Mbps down- and upload).
• The State Library (dead link: March 2023). Offers free internet at many workstations and does not require membership (limited to 15 minutes or 1 hour per session, no session limits). You can get a free membership for access to free wireless web access, however, the wireless access is limited and you may not be able to access some sites and services. Printing facilities are also provided for a fee.
• Melbourne Central shopping centre (corner of Swanston and La Trobe St) has free wireless internet access.
• Australia on Collins shopping centre (on Collins St) has free wireless internet access.
• Federation Square (corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street, outside Flinders Street railway station) is supposedly Australia's largest free outdoor wireless hotspot.
• McDonald's. All McDonald's branches in town have free WiFi. It's fairly fast and unlimited if you register.

Cope

Consulates

• 🇨🇳 China, 570 St. Kilda Rd, +61 3 9824-6450.
• 🇬🇷 Greece, 37-39 Albert Road Melbourne, Victoria 3004, +61 3 9846-4524, grgencon.mel@mfa.gr.
• 🇮🇸 Iceland, 48 Kooyongkoot Road, Hawthorn, +61 3 9818-4242, arnadottir@bigpond.com.
• 🇮🇳 India, 344, St. Kilda Road, +61 3 9682 5800, cons3.melbourne@mea.gov.in.
• 🇮🇩 Indonesia, 72 Queens Road, +61 3 9525 2755, info.melbourne@kemlu.go.id. 2018-01-15
• 🇯🇵 Japan, Level 25, 570 Bourke Street, +61 3 9679-4510, meljapan@mb.mofa.go.jp.
• 🇱🇻 Latvia, 3/30 Lansell Road, Toorak, +61 3 9824-0707, latcon@ozemail.com.au.
• 🇲🇾 Malaysia, Level 1, 432 St. Kilda Road, +61 3 9573-5400 (Recept.), +61 3 9573-5402 (Consul Gen.'s Office), +61 3 9573-5407 (Immigration Dept.), mwmelbourne@kln.gov.my.
• 🇳🇵 Nepal, Level 7, 28-32 Elizabeth Street, +61 3 9650-8338, info@nepalconsulate.net.au.
• 🇳🇿 New Zealand, Level 4, 45 William St, +61 3 9678-0201, melbourne.consulate@nzte.govt.nz.
• 🇵🇱 Poland, Level 12, 20 Collins Street, +61 3 9654-5180, georgejluk@hotmail.com.
• 🇵🇹 Portugal, 846 Toorak Rd, Hawthorn East, +61 3 9822-7140, portcon@mira.net.
• 🇷🇴 Romania, 448 St. Kilda Road, Etaj 5, Birou 5.05-5.06, VIC 3004, +61 997 838 04, +61 997 838 06, melbourne@mae.ro. Consulate.

• South Korea, Level 10, 636 St Kilda Road, +61 3 9533-3800, conmel@mofa.go.kr.

• 🇪🇸 Spain, 146A Elgin Street, Carlton, +61 3 9347-1966, cog.melbourne@maec.es.
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, 17th Floor, 90 Collins St, +61 3 9652-1600.
• 🇺🇸 United States, 553 St. Kilda Rd, +61 3 9526-5900.

Stay safe

It is important to take care around tram lines. Trams are heavy and it can take over 100 metres for a tram to safely stop. Even if a tram has passed, look carefully both ways, as trams will often run nose-to-tail on busy corridors like Swanston Street. There is often traffic around trams, so be careful crossing if running to catch a tram. If driving, it is illegal to U-turn across tram tracks or pass a tram while the doors are open and passengers are disembarking.

Melbourne has few problems with random crime and violence, although some parts of Melbourne are best avoided at night; these include parts of the western suburbs around Footscray and Sunshine, some northern suburbs such as Broadmeadows and southern suburbs like Frankston and Dandenong. The city centre, particularly the area around the nightclub and strip club district of King Street, can be a hotspot for alcohol-fuelled violence late at night. However, you are more likely to be heckled by drunken revellers and street walkers than you are to be actually threatened or randomly attacked. Demonstrating normal safety precautions and staying to well-lit streets is a good way to avoid trouble.

Protective Services Officers (PSOs) patrol Melbourne's railway stations from 5PM to the last train, with all stations possessing a 'safety zone' with increased lighting, CCTV cameras and easy access to the red emergency button. Trains also contain buttons in the case of an emergency, while it's a good idea to sit close to the driver while on a train, tram or bus late at night. The public transport network is generally safe, although drug or alcohol affected travellers occasionally give other commuters grief.

If driving a car, beware of car theft or break-in. Keep valuables out of sight when parked, always lock the car and leave the windows up before you leave. If you are waiting in your car, lock the car as well. A police officer will always show ID before asking you to open your door or window.

Pickpocketing is rare in Melbourne, but be aware of your belongings in and around Flinders Street Station and the crowded block between Flinders and Collins Streets on Swanston Street. Beggars frequent the southern ends of Elizabeth and Swanston Streets, although are unlikely to give you trouble.

Although scams are rare in Melbourne, some real estate agents attempt to prey on foreigners by deducting costs for non-existent reparations and cleaning from the bond. The Tenants Union of Victoria can help with these issues when moving in and out.

Go next

Melbourne is fairly centrally located on the coast of Victoria, and there are many natural and man-made attractions that make for a nice day trip. Another way to visit regional Victoria is utilising the PTV public transport system. Regular train journeys leave from Southern Cross station. Regional attractions include:

Melbourne outskirts

These places are within an hour's drive of central Melbourne.

• Werribee — historic mansion and open-range zoo
• Dandenong Ranges — national park, gardens, historic steam railway
• Wine-tasting in the Yarra Valley, Healesville and the Healesville Sanctuary
• Port Phillip Bay scenic drive and the Mornington Peninsula — the seaside resort locations of Sorrento and Portsea, offering both bayside and surf beaches
• Warburton and Mount Donna Buang — winter sightseeing snow

Northern Victoria

• Echuca-Moama.
• Mount Buller — skiing and sightseeing.

Eastern Victoria

• Wilson's Promontory
• Phillip Island. - Scenic parks, beaches, and a penguin watching area.

Western Victoria

• The Victorian Goldfields — Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine, Maldon.
• Grampians National Park.
• South West Coast — Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula, and Torquay. Some of the best surf beaches in the world.
• Great Ocean Road, with its many scenic vistas. Drive from Torquay to Warrnambool, with popular stops in Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell to see the famous Twelve Apostles.

Tasmania

From Port Melbourne, take the Spirit Of Tasmania to Devonport, the gateway to Tasmania. Crossings take approximately 12 hours.

Related: UNESCO Creative Cities