Having traveled to so many other cities around the world, I sometimes forget to truly appreciate my home city. So I decided to take a day off to explore Melbourne as I would in any other city; as a tourist. Armed with my iPhone 6 and an internal map already loaded, I took to the streets and grew to love Melbourne even more than I already did.
Melbourne is filled with the best lane-way culture I have ever seen with incredible graffiti art, an abundance of cafe’s (we have the largest cafe culture out of all Australian cities), bars, restaurants and beautiful parks. It has it all. I’ll leave most of the talking to the pictures, but here’s what I discovered (or re-discovered) on my day as a tourist. And all without paying a cent (well except for my train ride in).
Flinders Street Station
I still marvel at this beautiful building every time I see it. The iconic station is the oldest in Australia with the first one on site opening in 1854. The current heritage-listed building was built in 1910 and it is the busiest suburban railway station in the southern hemisphere.
Degraves Street
No doubt that Melbourne has some of the coolest lane ways in the world and this would have to be my favourite. Find the entrance right off of Flinders Street, opposite the famous station. There are a few connecting laneways, one with a few restaurants with al fresco dining, then a more grungy laneway with smaller cafes and hole-in-the-wall style eateries (pictured).
Block Arcade
Head to the corner of Elizabeth and Collins Street to find this beautiful arcade for a bit of shopping or just to enjoy the beautiful architecture. Another lane way filled with cute restaurants will meet you half way through the arcade.
Royal Arcade
My favorite of the arcades and just a block from the Block Arcade. The Royal Arcade sits just off Bourke Street Mall. If you’re a crazy macaroon fan like myself, head to A La Jolie (center stall) for a wide range of flavors. I chose the ‘candy floss’ and I have to say, it was the best I’ve had since France over two years ago.
Bourke Street Mall
Not a real secret but I had to add it anyway. This is the epicenter of the city. Come here to check out some local buskers and indulge in some shopping!
Union Lane
One of the most popular graffiti alleys, it’s just off Bourke Street Mall and full of colour and talented artists work!
ACDC Lane & Duckboard Place
These two streets link together and have some pretty cool art pieces. I was a first time explorer of this one, and whilst it wasn’t as colourful and crazy as Union or Hosier Lane, it was creative in its own way.
Hosier Lane
My new favourite spot in Melbs and probably the most famous graffiti alley! The art in this street is incredible. The city’s council pays artists to do some of the incredible works of art. It’s easy to get to as well as it sits just off of Flinders Street, opposite Federation Square.
Federation Square
Find more cafes, bars and shops here as well as an array of museums and galleries (most are free). Check out what events are running here. Find the information center here as well. The big screen in the square makes it a popular venue for major events that are broadcasted for the public.
Alexandra Gardens
A nice place to relax and just a few steps from the bustling city center.
Queen Victoria Gardens
Keep walking and you’ll find these pretty gardens, often scattered with students during summer, relaxing under the trees.
Shrine of Remembrance
A beautiful monument to the Australians who fought for our country. Climb the stairs to the top for an amazing view of the city skyline (and free!).
Royal Botanic Gardens
Also not a real secret, as it’s very popular with tourists and locals alike. Beautiful and a peaceful getaway from the CBD (Central Business District). You could either spend a whole day exploring it, or just sit around one of the lakes for a picnic lunch.
Southbank Promenade
Southbank is a beautiful spot to walk around and there are many fab restaurants along the esplanade or a few on the water as well such as Ponyfish Island (pictured above) which sits right in the middle of the Yarra River. Arbory Afloat and Yarra Botanica are also great floating bars. Many beautiful and unique bridges span the Yarra, and provide beautiful views of the city skyline behind it, old and new.
Crown Casino & Promenade
Along Southbank you can get to Crown Casino. There are some fine dining restaurants, foodcourts, lively bars, clubs, designer shops and gambling areas inside. The decor is very elegant and shiny inside and outside you can find stunning city views, buskers and watch the gas brigades which are towers with fire throwers atop them that go off every hour after sunset.
Overall, my day as a tourist really made me realise what a great city Melbourne is, and how lucky I am to call it home.
For tips on how to plan your next trip check out my Travel Planning 101 Guide.
0 COMMENTS
WAHIDA
9 years agohi,
Thanks for your interesting short trip story. These should be the best way on how I and my family will explore one of the most expensive city in the world perhaps seems your are a local from there and know more about the best things inside the city. I always looking for the best part for photos opportunity rather than spend a hundred dollars for a various fees. However, if we pay for something different with our culture and nature experience, it is not a big matter to us actually. The circle city tram will help us more. I would more appreciate if you can tells us, where we can start our steps starting from the first day visiting Melbourne during autumn 2016. We will stay at Ibis Budget by the way. Thank you
-From Malaysia to Australia
leggett around the world
9 years ago AUTHORHi 🙂 sorry for the late reply. A good place to start would be Flinders Street station. You can use that as a base as Federation Square is right across the road, South Bank (with beautiful views) is just behind it along the river and the main shopping streets are all very close by. Queen Victoria Markets will be a tram or train ride away from there but most other things should be walking distance. How long will you be in Melbourne for? I hope you have an amazing time and this helped a little. I have also written a piece on the 13 best things to do in Melbourne. Just search for Melbourne on my home page and it should pop up or find it under ‘Location Reviews’.