Melbourne

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

Melbourne [1] is the second-largest city in Australia and the capital of the south-eastern state of Victoria. Located on the southern coast of Australia’s eastern seaboard, it is considered by many to be one Australia’s most cultured cities, the exclusive title to which Melbourne vies for with its great rival Sydney. The city’s features include Victorian-era architecture, many cultural institutions such as museums, galleries and theaters, and large parks and gardens. Melbourne's 3.8 million population is both multicultural (with large Greek, Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese and other immigrant communities) and sports-mad.

Contents 1 Districts 1.1 Inner city 1.2 Outer suburbs 2 Understand 2.1 History 2.2 Culture 2.3 Sport 3 Get in 3.1 By plane 3.1.1 Melbourne International Airport (Tullamarine) 3.1.2 Avalon Airport 3.2 By train 3.3 By car 3.4 By bus 3.5 By boat 4 Get around 4.1 By foot 4.2 By public transport 4.3 By bike 4.4 By car 5 See 5.1 City Centre 5.2 Carlton 5.3 St Kilda 5.4 South Yarra 5.5 Prahran 5.6 Northern Melbourne 5.7 Southern suburbs 6 Do 7 Learn 8 Work 9 Buy 10 Eat 10.1 Australian 10.2 Café/Delicatessen Food 10.3 Chinese 10.4 Ethiopian 10.5 Greek 10.6 Indian 10.7 Indonesian 10.8 Italian 10.9 Japanese 10.10 Jewish 10.11 Malaysian 10.12 Middle Eastern 10.13 Seafood 10.14 Thai 10.15 Vegetarian 10.16 Vietnamese 10.17 Others 11 Drink 11.1 Coffee 11.2 Bars 12 Sleep 12.1 Budget 12.2 Mid-range 12.3 Splurge 13 Contact 13.1 Post 13.2 Phone 13.3 Internet 14 Stay safe 15 Get out 15.1 Melbourne Area (less than an hour's drive each way) 15.2 Northern Victoria 15.3 Southern Victoria 15.4 Eastern Victoria 15.5 Western Victoria

[edit] Districts

Australia's second largest city, Melbourne is a vast sprawl of suburbs, spreading southwards along the shoreline of Port Philip Bay, east towards the Dandenong Ranges, westwards towards the city of Geelong and northwards towards the plains of central Victoria.

Like any large city, Melbourne is divided up into many suburbs - not all will be of interest to travellers.

NB: The districts below do not necessarily correspond with the suburbs of the same name, and will often include neighbouring areas.

[edit] Inner city

• City Centre - Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD) and historical core north of the Yarra River, including the Southbank district immediately south of the Yarra and the new Docklands precinct to the west
• Albert Park - home of Melbourne's F1 Grand Prix circuit
• Carlton - traditional home of Melbourne's Italians and the University of Melbourne
• Collingwood - working class suburb with funky shopping on Smith Street shopping
• Fitzroy - the Bohemian quarter filled with interesting restaurants
• Prahran - favourite shopping district with Chapel Street as its main attraction
• Richmond - North Richmond is Melbourne's Little Vietnam while the southern part of the district is famous for low price fashion outlets
• South Melbourne
• South Yarra - South of the river, with high-end shopping and dining, covers South Yarra and Toorak
• St Kilda - suburb on Port Philip Bay with its famous Sunday art market, also Melbourne's red light district
• Yarraville - inner-western suburb with well-preserved Victorian architecture and a funky, arty vibe

[edit] Outer suburbs

• Eastern suburbs - highly desirable parts of Melbourne to be living in, stretching from almost inner suburbs of Kew, Hawthorn and Camberwell to the outer areas like Belgrave, Lilydale, Ringwood, Glen Waverley and the Dandenong Ranges.
• Northern suburbs - covering suburbs like Tullamarine, Broadmeadows, Epping, Bundoora and Eltham.
• Southern suburbs - spread along the coast of Port Philip Bay and covers areas like Brighton, Elwood, Sandringham and Frankston. Its main attraction is the beach along the bay.
• Western suburbs - includes areas like St Albans, Keilor, Altona, Laverton and Werribee

[edit] Understand

[edit] History

The settlement of Melbourne commenced in 1835 when settlers from Tasmania "purchased" land on Port Phillip Bay and the Yarra River from the local Aboriginal tribes. The streets of central Melbourne were carefully laid out in 1837, with some streets 30 metres wide. The first British lieutenant-governor, Charles La Trobe, arrived in 1839 – his cottage still stands and can be visited in Kings Domain. The year 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 goldrush. Aspects of goldrush 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. In 1888 the property boom collapsed and Victoria suffered the depression of the 1890s. Throughout the gold and building booms Melbourne managed to retain its many and spacious parks and gardens and these remain to this day.

In 1901 the British colonies of Australia became an independent federation and Melbourne the de facto capital of Australia, 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, its mainly Anglo-Celtic population boosted by immigration from Europe, particularly Greece and Italy. Today Melbourne has the biggest Greek city population (over 800,000) outside Greece and the biggest Italian city population (over 230,000) outside Italy. The significant pre-war Jewish population was also boosted after the war. From the mid-70s many immigrants came from South-east Asia, particularly Vietnam and Cambodia. Melbourne has had a Chinese population since the goldrush of the 1850s and Chinatown has existed from that time but the population of Chinese and other East Asians has also been boosted by immigration in recent years.

New high-rise buildings replaced many of Melbourne’s interesting old structures in the construction boom of the 1970s and 80s. Melburnians 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 upset many Melburnians with its introduction of a crass gambling culture and the sucking of money from the rest of the city. Melbourne’s development continues in the 2000s with the opening of the Melbourne Museum, Federation Square and the Docklands precinct.

[edit] Culture

Melbourne considers itself the cultural capital of Australia, a boast supported by its many art galleries, film festivals, orchestras, choral and opera productions, vibrant live music scene and a strong food, wine and coffee culture. Particular events to note include the Melbourne International Film Festival in August, the International Art Festival in October, and the Melbourne Comedy Festival in April, as well as individual 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.

[edit] Sport

Melburnians are sports enthusiasts and particularly passionate about Australian Rules football [2], a sport invented in Melbourne. In fact AFL is not so much a sport as a religion in Melbourne with 9 of the 10 Victorian teams being based in Melbourne, the only other being based in Geelong. As a guide, the entire national competition only has 16 teams, meaning over half the league is based in Melbourne. Horseracing 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 [3], one of the world’s famous horse races. Cricket is the big summer sport and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (the 'MCG') [4] is one of the world's leading grounds. Each January Melbourne hosts tennis' Australian Open [5], one of the world’s four Grand Slam championships. In March, Melbourne hosts the first race of the Formula One season [6]. The race is held in Albert Park in South Melbourne. Melbournians have also taken Football (Soccer) to their hearts in recent times. The Melbourne Victory, playing in Australia's premier competition, the A-League, enjoy enormous crowds and colourful, boistrous support at their home ground, the Telstra Dome. 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 the Australian Football League is based at the Telstra Dome.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Melbourne is serviced by two airports, Melbourne International Airport at Tullamarine (International/Domestic) about 25km north of the city centre, and Avalon Airport (New Zealand/Domestic Only), about 60km west of Melbourne towards Geelong.

[edit] Melbourne International Airport (Tullamarine)

Melbourne Airport [7] (MEL), located 22 km north-west of the city centre at Tullamarine, provides regular access from all major Australian cities, as well as many international destinations across Europe, America, Asia and the South Pacific region. Note that due to Australia's distance from most parts of the world, many international flights may go via an Asian hub (for example Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong) or a Pacific Hub like Auckland, and/or transfer in Sydney.

The airport is divided into three terminals, T1, T2 and T3 which are all in the same building.

• T1 (the "North Terminal") is host to Qantas [8] and Jetstar [9] domestic services
• T2 (the "International Terminal") is host to international services. It is the middle terminal of the airport.
• T3 (the "South Terminal") is host to Virgin Blue [10] and REX Regional Express [11] domestic services.

All arrivals are on the lower level of the terminals, with departures from the upper level. Unlike many airports around the world, all the terminals at Melbourne Airport are connected and within easy walking distance of each other. However, each terminal has separate security screening, and access between terminals is not available once in the sterile area.

Taxis between the airport and the city centre cost around $40-$45 and take about 25 minutes when traffic is no problem.

Skybus [12], tel 9670 7992, runs a 24/7 shuttle to and from the Southern Cross Bus Terminal on Spencer Street at the west end of the Central Business District, just north of Lonsdale Street. The trip takes 20 minutes and is the fastest way between the airport and city by road (it uses an enhanced freeway route with bus lanes). It costs $15 adult one-way, $24 adult return, $5 child one-way (between 4 and 14 years of age). There are also several family ticket options available.

There are two airport pickup locations. One is outside the Virgin Blue/REX terminal (T3), 50m from the international terminal (T2). The other is outside the Qantas/Jetstar domestic terminal (T1). There are ticket desks at both T1 and T3, and if unattended tickets can be purchased electronically or from the driver.

Frequency ranges from hourly during the wee hours to quarter hourly from about 6:30am-7:30pm (always on the quarter hour). They also run a connection service between the terminal and central hotels/hostels during the day (M-F 6am-8pm, Sa-Su 8am-6pm). Book hotel pick-up 3 hours ahead. Bookings are not needed for travel from the airport to hotels.

It is worth noting that the Skybus will drop you at Southern Cross bus terminal, which is connected (albeit not very well) to Southern Cross train station, where you can board all suburban trains and country/interstate trains.

[edit] Avalon Airport

Avalon Airport (AVV), is Situated in the Geelong outer suburb of Lara. The Airport is located 55 km to the south-west of Melbourne. Sun Bus Australia operates a shuttle service to Melbourne's CBD at $19 per adult one way. The Avalon Airport Shuttle provides a service to other areas of Victoria from $12 per adult one way. Avalon Airport is serviced by Qantas subsidiary low-cost airline Jetstar which services destinations such as Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin and Perth.

Note that Avalon is quite a distance from Melbourne city (about 50 minutes drive), although only 10 minutes from Geelong. Avoid a taxi as this will cost around AU$100. Consider arriving at Melbourne Airport if possible for convenience.

Avalon Airport itself is host to the biannual Avalon International Airshow, the most recent being held in March, 2007.

[edit] By train

All intercity rail services from interstate and intrastate destinations operate to and from Southern Cross Station (formerly Spencer Street Station), located on the western edge of Melbourne's central business district. The station has recently been renovated and has excellent links to the rest of the city's public transport network as it is part of the City Loop.

Train rides from major cities take about 10 hours. CountryLink operates a twice daily service from Sydney (10½ hours away), a faster alternative to driving. Great Southern Railway run four services a week from Adelaide (10-11 hours away).

Services from cities within Victoria are operated by V/Line. These services operate from regional centers such as Geelong, Ballarat, Albury, Bendigo, Bairnsdale. Note that V/Line also operates bus services which connect with these trains.

VicLink is a handy website to manage your state-wide travel on trains and buses across Victoria. Regional Victoria's public transport is controlled by VicLink.

[edit] By car

From Sydney, the quickest route is the Hume Highway, which takes about 9-10 hours (non-stop). A more popular, longer route is along the coast on the Princes Highway. This adds several hours to the journey as it is longer in distance and there are fewer bypasses.

Adelaide is slightly closer, and can be reached in 7 hours. Once again, it is possible to go inland or along the coast - the coast is very scenic, but will add a couple of hours to the journey.

Although not often travelled, a direct journey from Brisbane takes around 20 hours (non-stop) and takes you further inland through areas not commonly visited (along the Newell Highway). This makes an interesting alternative to the more common Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne coastal route.

[edit] By bus

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

Bus services within Victoria are operated by V/Line, and operate from most major and many minor Victorian towns. VicLink is a handy website to manage your state-wide travel on trains and buses across Victoria.

[edit] By boat

Melbourne can be reached from Devonport, Tasmania by car/passenger ferries run by Spirit of Tasmania. The journey takes 10 hours and runs every night (in both directions), departing at 9pm and arriving at 7am. During the peak of Summer, there are also day sailings (departing 9am, arriving 7pm) on many days - check in advance.

Ticket prices depend on time of year and your sleeping accommodation. A seat (no bed) is the cheapest, starting (in off-peak season) from $108 for adults and $82 for children. Bear in mind, the seat is most uncomfortable, equivalent to a cinema seat. Cabins with bunk beds start from $187 adults, $97 children. Peak season costs are about 25% higher. Cars cost $59 all year round.

[edit] Get around

[edit] By foot

Melbourne is an excellent city for walking and you should have no problems navigating the CBD. It is a very large metropolitan area, but most areas of interest can be reached within about 20 minutes from the CBD on the train or tram. Maps can be purchased from bookstores such as Angus & Robertson [13], taken from Federation Square [14] or viewed online. If you're planning on taking the train to a specific area and walking the rest of the way, a combination of the afore-mentioned site and a decent printer will serve you well.

[edit] By public transport

Melbourne has an extensive network of public transport making private vehicle travel unnecessary for most trips around the city and regional Victoria.

Melbourne’s public transport system, known as Metlink [15], comprises of trams, trains and buses: trams service the central city and inner suburbs, trains service the suburbs, and buses where there are no tram or train tracks. A single ticket (called a "Metcard") allows travel on all three modes of transport. The trains are generally dirty, slow, run down, hot in the summer time and fairly expensive to ride($9.90 fare from the city to the suburbs). If you are from Europe do not expect the clean, safe, modern, efficient public transport that you may be used to.

The "Met Shop" in the Melbourne Town Hall, on the corner of Swanston St and Little Collins St provides timetables and brochures, and sells tickets, maps and travel merchandise (open 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, 9am-1pm Saturday). The Metlink Information Centre, ph 131638 (131MET), every day 7am-9pm, provides information and the Metlink website also provides information including maps, fares and zones and all timetables. Metcards are also available from:

• many retail businesses (especially 7-Eleven stores)
• train stations - less than one-quarter of Melbourne's suburban train stations are staffed. At unstaffed stations, Metcard vending machines are provided. All ticket machines accept coins and will issue a maximum of $10.00 in change. Most stations will also have at least 1 machine that will take notes but little-used railway stations may have just coin-only machines.
• trams - all trams have a coin-only ticket machine that issues a limited range of tickets (up to a day-ticket).

Metcards are divided into "Zones", with Zone 1 covering the central city and inner suburbs (and consequently almost the entire tram network) and Zone 2 covering the middle suburbs and some outer suburbs. Until recently Zone 3 covered the remaining outer suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula however this has now been incorporated into a 2-zone system. Almost all tickets are time-based; that is, they can be used for the given period of time within the specified zone(s) from the first time you use it. The following are the most useful tickets (and some indicative costs) for travellers (fares as at 3/06/2007):

• two-hour (adult Zone 1 $3.30)
• daily (adult Zone 1 $6.30)
• weekly (adult Zone 1 $27.60)
• Sunday Saver (travel across all zones, all day Sunday; $2.50 but the ticket is not available at automatic ticket machines)
• City Saver (a single trip within the CBD only; adult $2.40)

Concession Metcards are available for all children aged under fifteen years, but concessions for older students are only available to Victorian residents who are eligible and have paid for a student concession card. Concessions are also available to holders of Victorian Seniors Cards, Victorian Health Care Cards, and Australian Pensioner Concession Cards. A concession Metcard costs roughly half the price of an adult Metcard. Children under 4 years old travel free.

Before each journey, and sometimes to gain access to the station platforms, a metcard must be "validated" by inserting it into a validation machine. On trams, the metcard must be validated after boarding the tram; however, tickets purchased on the tram (from the machine) are already validated. Note that a two-hour metcard that is validated for the first time at 6:01pm (18:01) or later is valid for the rest of the night, so if you’re heading out after 6pm for an evening’s entertainment, don't buy or validate a day ticket. Note that you will not be allowed to leave a station with fare gates if you did not validate your ticket before you first got on the train.

Ticket inspections are rare during peak hour for obvious reasons, but more common during the middle of the day. You'll find that Flinders Street station and the adjacent tram stops almost always have a large population of inspectors floating around who'll swoop on you as soon as you make a move to exit the station - especially if you appear to be young or are carrying a concession ticket. If you are caught using a concession ticket without a concession card, you will be fined. The ticket barriers have a light on the top which flashes if you are using a concession ticket. It has now been written into law that your ticket can be inspected even after you have left your train, tram or bus. Fines start at $158 and can be as high as $500.

Services generally operate between 6:00am and midnight Monday to Saturday, and after 8:00am Sunday morning. After midnight on Saturday and Sunday mornings only there are NightRider buses which run defined routes to the suburbs. Metcards are now valid on Nightrider services, but you should keep in mind that daily and 2-hourly Metcards expire at 3:00am - if you're boarding a bus after this time, you'll need to buy or validate a new ticket. If you board a bus scheduled to depart before the expiry time on your ticket, it will be considered valid for your entire journey, even if you don't alight until after it expires.

However it is a common joke made by melbournians and visiting comedians that few people buy tickets on public transport. When ticket inspectors get on a tram (particularly those packed with students) it is not uncommon to see almost everyone on the tram exit the tram at the same time, as many do not carry tickets. One way to avoid this is to carry 2 hourly tickets and validate them when inspectors enter a tram, so that you will have a valid ticket.

Note that it is impossible to fare evade on buses as tickets must be validated in front of the driver on entering the bus. You can fare evade on trains however it is risky as when inspectors enter you cannot validate a ticket on a train (there are no machines on trains) and it is usually a short distance to the next station (you are unable to exit the train). However inspectors on trains are also less common. It must be also noted that there a gates at inner city stations so it is impossible to exit a city station without a valid ticket, unless you jump over the gates, usually ensueing a chase by inspectors who have been known to beat down on youth that do 'jump gates'.

Although Melbourne is a reasonably safe city, crime can and does occur on public transport. If you're waiting at a station at night, it would be wise to stand in the designated 'safety area'. These areas are well lit and provide easy access to the emergency intercom. Some outer suburban stations are known to be 'hang-outs' for youths and louts. Generally the stations are still safe and you will no be hassled if you mind your own business and ignore any illegal behaviour that may be occuring. It is particularly safe following sporting events at night when there are lots of people using public transport in particular families.

You'll find that the trains have intercoms as well, but be warned: if you move to the next carriage to send a message to the driver, everyone onboard will be able to hear it.

The free City Circle [16] trams run around the CBD perimeter, covering Flinders St, Spring St, Nicholson St, Victoria St, La Trobe St and Harbour Esplanade. It is an older style tram, easily recognisable by its maroon colour. The tram stops along the route are sign posted with City Circle. They run in both directions every 12 minutes every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day from 10am-6pm, and until 9pm Thursday-Saturday during daylight savings. Several of the trams on this service are equipped with recorded commentary about attractions passed. Tourist information is often available on board either from brochures or from a city guide person. These trams are geared to visitors and provide access to sites of interest to the tourist. They are a great introduction to central Melbourne and a free way to have a tram experience.

The free Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle [17] bus service stops at key tourist destinations in and around the city. The buses run at 15 minute intervals between 10am and 4pm every day. A complete circuit takes 45 minutes, and there is onboard commentary.

[edit] By bike

Melbourne has an excellent network of bike paths, making pedal-power a great way to take in the city. Most 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 legal to cycle on footpaths only when supervising cycling children or when the path is marked or signposted as allowing bikes. Helmets are required by law, and care should be taken when cycling near slippery tram tracks.

The main paths of interest to travellers are:

• The 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. See [18].

• The 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. See [19].

• The Bay Trail is a pleasant trek aroung Port Phillip Bay, running from Port Melbourne, through the bustling beachside precinct of St Kilda, past the famous bathing sheds of Brighton, all the way to Carrum. A punt operates under the West Gate Bridge allowing a start at Altona Meadows along the Williamstown Trail, across the punt, and joining with the Bay Trail. See [20].

Detailed maps of the bike path network can be found here.

Information about cycling rules can be found at Bicycle Victoria.

Bikes can be hired from Hire-a-Bike near Federation Square at Vault 14 Princes Walk, Federation Wharf on the north side of the Yarra, ph 0417 339 203.

[edit] By car

The cheapest car rentals are from places like Rentabomb but use may be restricted to the Melbourne metropolitan area.

Mid-range rental companies give good value. Try:

• Snappy, 225 Franklin St, Central Melbourne or 79 Matthews Ave, Airport West
• Crown, 371-379 King St, Central Melbourne or its affiliate Abel, 247 Mickleham Rd, Tullamarine.

The more pricey major chains are well-represented. These include Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty.

Be aware of rental car insurance conditions in Australia. You will pay an excess on damage even if it is not your fault.

Driving in the city shouldn't be attempted without at least a basic map! You can buy a very detailed 'Melways' or 'UBD' directory of the metro area from most bookstores or petrol stations.

Drivers should watch out for "hook turns" in the inner city areas. Normally, a driver would have to be in the right-most lane of a multilane street in order to legally perform a right turn. When a hook turn is indicated by a sign "Right turn from left only", the driver must go as far as practicable into the intersection, staying on the left. When the light of the street you are turning into turns green, you complete the turn. Lots of Melbournians are confused about this, but you should not complete the turn until you get a green light on the street you are turning into. The point of hook turns is to keep all turning cars away from the tram tracks, as it is an offence to delay a tram by trying to turn right across traffic. Check out Wikipedia's hook turn page.

Check out CityLink's site for details of Melbourne's T-shaped tollway which links the Westgate, Tullamarine and Monash (formerly South-Eastern) freeways. It is a fully electronic road with no manual toll gates. You can buy a day pass in advance, or within 3 days of having driven down it, giving your registration and car details. You can do this by phone, internet, or at some Shell petrol stations. The registered owner of the car will get a fine in the mail if you do not buy a pass within 3 days. The tolled sections are indicated with purple and orange signs, rather than the standard green and white. CityLink can cut a worthwhile amount of time from your journey, especially if you are driving from, say, the south-eastern suburbs to Melbourne Airport. Motorcycles are free, cars are around $11/day. Larger vehicles are more.

In progress is the EastLink tollway. Formerly called the Scoresby, then the Mitcham-Frankston freeway, it will link the Eastern, Monash, Frankston and Mornington Peninsula freeways.

[edit] See

Melbourne has a seemingly endless list of attractions. Here is a listing according to their respective districts. Please go to the respective district pages for full details.

[edit] City Centre

The City Centre probably has the most to attract the traveller than any other in Melbourne. Hit the streets and soak in the energy, and make sure that you take as many coffee breaks as possible in between your sight-seeing and shopping so that you can make the best of the many cafes the City Center has to offer.

• Docklands - an entire new precinct filled with shops, bars, restaurants and a stadium with a waterside setting
• Eureka Tower - tallest building in the southern hemisphere, panoramic views of the whole of Melbourne
• Parliament House of Victoria - the first seat of the Australian federal government
• Queen Victoria Market - huge and colourful, fresh and dry produce and tonnes of souvenirs and other interesting things
• State Library - pretty good if you're into books
• AFL Sensation - a great introduction to Australian Football
• Southbank - pretty promenade on the south bank of the Yarra, good restaurants and a Sunday art market
• Federation Square - modernistic but wonderful space to see Melbournians live life

[edit] Carlton

The attractions in Carlton are mostly recreational, thanks to the huge Royal Park in Parkville, historical as it houses the museum, and cultural with its strong Italian heritage.

• Lygon Street - chock-a-block with Italian restaurants, gelatelerias and coffee shops
• Melbourne Museum - this billion dollar museum, unfortunately, is really not worth the hefty admission price. By trying to be "all things for all people" this museum has no focus and ends up being very bland with few if any compelling exhibits.
• IMAX Cinema - right next to the museum
• Melbourne Zoo

[edit] St Kilda

St Kilda is Melbourne's beachside suburb and is tremendously popular.

• Luna Park - historic amusement park built in 1912
• St Kilda Pier - popular spot for fishing and walking
• St Kilda Esplanade - fine place for walking, skating, sunbathing and on Sundays, the Esplanade Sunday market
• St Kilda Botanical Gardens - first trees planted in 1859
• Jewish Museum of Australia - depicts history of the Jewish community in Australia
• Jewish Holocaust Museum

[edit] South Yarra

Greenery and high-end living are the main draws to South Yarra.

• Royal Botanic Gardens - while not having any impressive flower gardens it does have some nice trees and the grass is green when water restrictions are not in effect.
• Toorak Road - kilometre-long strip of fashionable shops

[edit] Prahran

Prahran lies to the south of the city and shopping is the main draw.

• Chapel Street - famous for its street cafes, boutiques and op shops
• Prahran Market - smaller version of Queen Victoria Market.

[edit] Northern Melbourne

Tullamarine

• Woodlands Historic Park - immediately north of Melbourne Airport, contains an 1840s homestead and a nature reserve

[edit] Southern suburbs

Brighton

• Brighton Beach - one of Melbourne's favourite beaches

[edit] Do

• See interesting films at Cinema Nova in Carlton, the Kino or ACMI in the city, or the Astor in Windsor. There are several moonlight cinema programmes in summer. The Melbourne International Film Festival is on in August.
• 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 mesmorising process of personalised hard candy being hand-made at Suga. Around lunch time is a good time to see (and sample!). There is one 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 Telstra Dome during the winter, or a Cricket Match during the summer, AFL Fixtures Cricket Fixtures bookings at both the MCG and Telstra can be made through Ticketmaster.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Work

If you have an appropriate Visa (e.g. Work & Holiday Visa, temporary work) you can join a temp agency and get placed in positions all around Melbourne. To get started it's recommend to walk around in the Backpacker Hostels and look for the jobs corner or surf in the Internet. Although checking the website of major companies in your preffered industry will give you an idea which positions are open.

Most popular 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 a certain kind of skills. At the moment there are a lot of job offers for nurses etc and craftsmen.

Fruit picking is a possible source of income but in the greater Melbourne area not many jobs are offered. Better chances are in the dairy business but some basic experience should be proved.

[edit] Buy

Melbourne is the Fashion Capital of Australia without a doubt. Bridge Road 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. In the CBD itself, Little Collins Street is home to some of the world's top designers and fashion houses; Collins St also boasts a Louis Vuitton outlet. Brunswick Street features an eclectic mix of vintage, retro and alternative gear for the more adventurous. There are also several huge shopping complexes in the suburbs, such as Chadstone (dubbed "the Fashion Capital") in the South-East and Knox City in the outer East. and With its numerous Shopping Malls and boutique lined streets, Melbourne has more than enough to keep the most avid shoppers happy!

[edit] 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 — though authentic Mexican is a notable weak point. While prices have increased in recent years, eating out remains noticeably cheaper than in Western Europe but not nearly as affordable as North America. The service in Australian restaurants is more discreet than many North Americans may be used to. Don't expect your waiter to fawn over your ever move, once your meal has been brought to your table expect to see little of your server. Some suspect this may because there is no tipping in Australia, so service personnel have no incentive to 'go the extra mile', although service staff in Australia are paid considerably more than their North American counterparts, this may also be because Australia is a more conservative society and your waiter/waitress may not want to 'annoy you'.

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.

This section gives an introduction of the various types of cuisine available in Melbourne and where the can be found. Please see the respective district pages for outlet listing.

[edit] Australian

What exactly is Australian cuisine, one may ask. Often divided into traditional fare and "mod oz", Australian food includes everything from the traditional fish and chips and meat pie to the fusionistic creations which combine tastes from the various cultures which have called Australia home. Restaurants offering such food are scattered throughout Melbourne, and can easily be found in the city centre, Southbank and Docklands (see listing in Melbourne's City Center. Other major shopping districts such as Prahran, South Yarra and St Kilda also have outlets offering all kinds of Australian food.

[edit] Café/Delicatessen Food

Make sure you do not miss having at least one meal at the many cafes and coffee shops in and around Melbourne. The standard menu will almost always include various gourmet sandwiches, hot food such soups, and a selection of pastas. Degraves Lane in the City Center has attained almost legendary status for such food. The many malls in the city center are full of such outlets, as is the area around Victoria Market (recommended for breakfast). Cafes can also be found in abundance in all other shopping precincts, such as in Prahran and South Yarra.

[edit] Chinese

Even the Chinese themselves agree that Melbourne has some of the best Chinese food, thanks to the many migrants from Hong Kong and mainland China. Most of the food on offer will be 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 now an extremely popular Sunday pastime for Australians of all ethnic backgrounds. Restaurants are concentrated in Melbourne's Chinatown on Little Bourke Street in the City Centre, although interesting and good Chinese restaurants can be found in virtually every corner of Melbourne.

[edit] Ethiopian

Footscray is the place to go for Ethiopian food, and there is also one restaurant in Fitzroy. The broth or curry dishes are served on a large pancake in the middle of the table. Everyone eats with their hands which is messy but fun!

[edit] Greek

As they say, Melbourne is the third largest Greek city in the world after Athens and Thesaloniki, and has its fair share of Greek coffee outlets and restaurants. Lonsdale Stree in the City Center is Melbourne's Greek prescinct, which is known as much for their sweets and coffee as their meals. Good Greek restaurants and food outlets can also be found in Southbank, Sydney Road in Melbourne's north, and other suburbs.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Indonesian

For Indonesian who want to have Indonesian food, there are many Indonesian restourants in Melbourne. One of the most famous Indonesian restourant is Blok M, it is located on Commercial road, Prahran. This restourant is one of must visited for Indonesian. Many famous Indonesian have eaten there. Another popular restourant is Nelayan on Swanston street, Bali Bagus on Franklin street, and Bali Bowl on Flinders lane. There is Warung Gudeg, Javanese specific cuisine on Caufield.

[edit] Italian

Having one of the largest Italian population outside Italy, Melbourne has countless Italian restaurants, mostly offering food from the southern regions of the Italian peninsular. Pizza outlets are now very much part of the Melbourne landscape. However, the gravity center for Italian food still has to be Lygon Street in Carlton just north of the city centre. Lygon Street is where Melbourne's coffee culture originated.

[edit] Japanese

[edit] Jewish

East St Kilda and Caulfield are home to vibrant Jewish communities and kosher bakeries and cafes abound. Nearby Acland St in St. Kilda is noteworthy for both felafel and cakes.

[edit] Malaysian

Malaysians and Singaporeans feeling homesick need not worry as there is a host of restaurants and even foodcourt outlets offering favourites like roti canai/paratha, nasi lemak, prawn noodles, laksa and the like. The City Center is a good place to start, although there are Malaysian restaurants scattered throughout the whole of Melbourne.

[edit] Middle Eastern

You can choose from Lebanese, Moroccan, Arab and Turkish. The place with the most number of restaurants to choose from is along Sydney Road in Brunswick to the north of the city center.

[edit] Seafood

[edit] Thai

Thai restaurants are ubiquitous in Melbourne: even dining precincts mostly known for Italian or Vietnamese food boast Thai restaurants. Prices range from affordable to exorbitant. A useful rule of thumb is that an ostentatious-looking Thai restaurant will usually be expensive, but its food is not necessarily as good as its less luxurious rivals.

[edit] 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, 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.

[edit] 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. One or two outlets have also appeared along Swanston Street in the City Center.

[edit] 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 faux-American 'diners', but US cuisine is otherwise absent: delicacies such as Southern-style barbecue or clam chowder are virtually unknown here.

There are several Korean restaurants in the city centre.

[edit] Drink

[edit] Coffee

Caffeine lovers rejoice, for Melbourne is a city of cafes. Fuelled by the passion of Italian migrants arriving in the aftermath of World War II, Melbourne's lauded cafe culture makes it one of the few cities in the world where an espresso is never more than a few metres away. Thousands of cafes, ranging from the bohemian and cool of Fitzroy to the Euro-chic glamour of Collins Street or the traditional coffee houses of Carlton, are waiting to dispense half-froth decaf-a-chinos, soy lattes, or just a high-fuel espresso. All caffeine addicts have to fear in Melbourne is a case of the jitters. Warning: There is plenty of bad coffee in Melbourne too and if all you want is an ordinary cup of filtered coffee, rather than a cappuccino, espresso, late, etc, your best bet is Mcdonald's or Starbucks. Travellers from North America who are used to paying 75 cents for a cup of coffee should beware that a coffee in Melbourne is generally in the $3-$5 range (except at McDonald's) and that if you'd like to go out for a coffee in the evening that virtually all coffee shops, at least in the suburbs, are closed for the day by 5pm!

The blog Melbourne Coffee Review is well worth a read.

[edit] Bars

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 Center (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.

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. If you think the British have an enthusiasm for drink, you might be in for a surprise here.

Melburnians 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 midday to 2pm, and reopen their kitchens for dinner from approximately 6pm to 9pm.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Budget

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

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

[edit] Mid-range

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

[edit] Splurge

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

• Langham Hotel Melbourne, One Southgate Avenue, Southbank, +61-3-8696 8888 (Fax: +61-3-9690 5889), [21]. Five-star luxury hotel with 387 guestrooms and suites on the banks of the Yarra River in the Southbank Promenade.

[edit] Contact

[edit] Post

After a fire gutted the original building in 2001, most of Melbourne's grand General Post Office (250 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne; Phone: 13 13 18; Fax: 9203 3078; Mon-Fri 8.30am to 5.30pm, Sat 9am to 4pm, Sun 10am to 4pm; australiapost.com.au) has now been turned into an upmarket retail precinct, but it still has a range of postal services including post restante.

[edit] Phone

Telstra payphones are easily found through the city, but many are being phased out due to growing mobile phone ownership. These phones are coin-operated or use prepaid Telstra Phonecards, which are available from most convenience stores or newsagents. International calling cards are also available at these outlets.

Mobile phone coverage within the CBD and surrounds is usually good-to-excellent. Melbourne's area code is 03.

[edit] Internet

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. Some of the best include:

• The store "mag nation" on 88 Elizabeth St has a free wireless network. As usual Down Under, it's rather slow (dial-up speed), but the ones you pay for aren't faster either.
• 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.
• World Wide Wash (361 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) is a laundromat with plenty of internet terminals to keep you busy while your socks are tumble drying. There's an espresso machine, friendly staff and their motto is "Our internet is so fast you'll s*#t your pants ... and then you can wash them!"
• The City Library (253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne) offers free internet access to members - temporary membership is available. The service will soon have charges.
• The State Library offers free internet at many workstations and does not require membership. 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.
• You'll find that some of the McDonald's restaurants in the city offer wireless access as well, provided by Telstra. It's around $12 an hour though, so certainly not the cheapest option.

[edit] Stay safe

Melbourne is a very safe city for its size, but the usual precautions still apply as for any large city, including keeping valuables hidden, and travelling with a friend or companion on the street or a train late at night, if possible. Certain areas which are fine during the day can be unsafe at night if you are alone, including the Collingwood and Footscray areas.

Melbourne's red-light districts include King Street in the CBD and Grey Street, St Kilda, but you're more likely to face drunken revelers and unwelcome approaches from street walkers than any major threat. Melbourne City Council has also recently established all-night "Safe City" taxi ranks with security guards on King Street, outside Flinders Street Station and on Bourke Street.

If traveling by train at night, travel in the front carriage close to the driver's area and note emergency buttons. If a problem occurs, push emergency buttons on the train or railway station to attract attention. Stay in Safety Zones while on stations at night. These are marked with yellow lines and are usually well lit and have emergency buttons as well as about 4 cameras pointed at the area. Robbery does happen on the train system, especially at night, though, this kind of occurance is rare. Railway police patrol most services.

If you are driving your own car or rented automobile, car theft or break-in is possible. Avoid temptation by hiding valuables out of sight, and always lock the car and leave the windows up before you leave. If you are waiting in your car, it is only sensible to 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 out the front of Flinders Street station and the first block of Swanston Street (between Flinders and Collins Streets).

Beggars frequent the southern ends of Elizabeth and Swanston Streets, Bourke Street Mall, and the intersection of Bourke and Russell Streets. Very rarely are they threatening or aggressive however.

Although scams are rare in Melbourne, be wary of real estate agents (especially if you have newly arrived and plan to stay only for the short term). There have been many cases of real estate agents preying upon overseas students in particular. Common scams include charging tenants for costs that don't exist (eg. charges for 'advertising' when tenants move out) and deducting costs for non-existent reparations and cleaning from the bond. Be sure to consult the Tenants Union of Victoria and know your rights when you are charged for anything and move in and out.

As with any large metropolis, be vigilant but not paranoid, as Melbourne is generally a very safe city.

[edit] Get out

Melbourne is more-or-less centrally located on the coast of Victoria, and there are many natural and manmade attractions close enough to easily visit in a day's return drive. Another way to visit regional Victoria is utilising the VicLink public transport system. Regular train journeys leave from Southern Cross station. Regional attractions include:

[edit] Melbourne Area (less than an hour's drive each way)

• Werribee
• 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
• Mount Donna Buang (winter sightseeing snow)
• Kinglake National Park

[edit] Northern Victoria

• Echuca-Moama
• Mount Buller (skiing and sightseeing)

[edit] Southern Victoria

• Twelve Apostles.

[edit] Eastern Victoria

• Mornington Peninsula
• Phillip Island
• Lake Mountain (cross-country skiing)

[edit] Western Victoria

• the Victorian Goldfields - Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine, Maldon
• Macedon Ranges and Spa Country
• Geelong
• Bellarine Peninsula
• Great Ocean Road with its many scenic vistas.
• Grampians National Park

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!

WikiPedia:Melbourne

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