Melbourne attractions

Opened in 1892, the Royal Arcade is Melbourne’s oldest shopping arcade. It’s a visual feast, with a lofty glass ceiling that streams natural light onto the delicate Victorian metalwork, and home to a choice selection of boutiques, jewelers, chocolatiers, and cafes.

Boasting a prime location on the banks of the Yarra River, Melbourne Southgate is a shopping, eating, and entertainment complex. As well as offering one of the most diverse shopping experiences in the city, Melbourne Southgate is just a few minutes walk from Flinders Street Station and Arts Centre Melbourne.

Stark and solemn, the Shrine of Remembrance is Victoria’s memorial to Australians who have served in war or peacemaking operations. Set within the Kings Domain grounds, the shrine combines Athenian and Turkish architectural styles, and also exhibits more than 800 artworks and historical artifacts.

The Melbourne Zoo has been open since 1862, making it Australia's oldest zoo. Modeled after the London Zoo, the Melbourne Zoo houses more than 300 species from around the world, from elephants and lions to Aussie natives like kangaroos and koalas. The zoo is also a conservation center dedicated to fighting wildlife extinction.

Best known as the home of the Australian Open tennis tournament, Rod Laver Arena hosts a variety of sporting events and concerts by big-name musical acts. The stadium features a retractable roof to keep players, performers, and spectators shielded from Melbourne’s notoriously unpredictable weather.

Queen Victoria Market is Melbourne’s premier farmers market. It’s filled with fresh fruit and vegetables from local farmers, regional meats and cheeses, gourmet items, handicrafts, and much more. Since 1878, the market has been a gathering place for locals and tourists to peruse the stalls and relish delicious treats from stallholders.

First opened in 1856, the Parliament House of Victoria is home to the state parliament of Victoria, and its grand colonnaded frontage makes it a Melbourne landmark. The Parliament House steps are a popular spot for wedding photos—and for protesters, although the lawmakers here operate at local level and sit relatively infrequently.

Dating back to the 14th century, St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a recognizable feature of Melbourne’s skyline. As well as being hailed as one of the finest examples of Gothic-Revival architecture in the world, the cathedral is the tallest and largest Christian structure in Australia. It’s also home to an organ that boasts 4,500 pipes.

With more than 74 acres (30 hectares) of natural bushlands and hundreds of animal residents, Healesville Sanctuary is one of the best places in Victoria to spot native Australian animals. Kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, platypus, emus, and Tasmanian devils are just some of the many creatures that call the sanctuary home.

Dating back more than 150 years, Fitzroy Gardens is an historic addition to Melbourne’s green spaces. The park is conveniently located near Melbourne CBD and features notable attractions such as Captain’s Cook Cottage, which was transported from England, the richly decorated Fairy Tree, and a model tudor village.

The Koala Reserve on Phillip Island is a fun and informative place to learn more about the popular Australian marsupial. Stroll elevated boardwalks through eucalypt woodland as you observe koalas in their natural habitat.

Distinct and diverse, Chinatown Melbourne is a beloved district of the Victorian city. Located on Little Bourke Street, the area represents the oldest Chinatown in the Southern Hemisphere—it has been thriving ever since it was established in Australia's Gold Rush era. It comes to life at night with award-winning restaurants, karaoke rooms, and cocktail bars.

The building that once held Victoria’s most notorious criminals is now one of Melbourne’s oldest surviving structures and a museum devoted to its past. From 1845 to 1924, hundreds of violent criminals were jailed and hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol, including the infamous bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly and gangster Squizzy Taylor.

Melbourne’s laneways—narrow, pedestrian-friendly alleys that divide up the central business district (CBD)—are a city signature. One of the first laneways in Melbourne, Degraves Street links the city’s fashion precinct with Flinders Street Station. Stop by for coffee, wine, snacks, meals, and shopping, or listen to the performers who line the bluestone cobbles.

The State Library Victoria is an iconic Melbourne landmark and an important community resource. It is Australia's oldest public library and one of the world’s first free public libraries. Dominating an entire city block, on the corner of Swanston and La Trobe Streets, the library is worth exploring for its heritage architecture alone, which includes tiled floors, grand marble staircases, stained glass, and bluestone walls.

The coastal outcropping of Wilsons Promontory is Australia’s southernmost point. Towering granite peaks and white-sand beaches dominate the scenery in the area known as The Prom by locals. Look out for kangaroos, koalas, and penguins in this remote-seeming area that's not far from Gippsland.

A slabby, concrete complex, topped with a soaring 531-foot (162-meter) spire, Arts Centre Melbourne is a waterfront landmark—particularly at night, when the spire glistens in a web of color. Yet it’s also a world class arts center, with five main spaces hosting theater, comedy, opera, drama, ballet, circus, and music, and exhibitions too.

Known as Melbourne’s grandest avenue, Collins Street offers an eclectic mix of designer boutiques, theaters, global bank headquarters, high-end hotels, and restaurants. Stretching 1 mile (1.6 kilometers), it’s the traditional main street of the city, and its architecture ranges from Victorian Gothic structures nicknamed “Cathedrals of Commerce” to sleek glass skyscrapers that are some of the tallest in Australia.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Royal Exhibition Building and surrounding Carlton Gardens were built for the 1880 International Exhibition. Designed by Joseph Reed, the building is an eclectic, photogenic piece of architecture. The site still houses a range of exhibitions today, including the Melbourne International Garden and Flower Show.

Arguably the most iconic of Melbourne’s sporting stadiums, AAMI Park is famous for its cutting-edge design and riverside location. With a capacity of more than 30,000 spectators, AAMI Park is Melbourne’s premier medium-sized soccer, rugby union, and rugby league venue, and was awarded the World’s Most Iconic and Culturally Significant Stadium award in 2012.

Grampians National Park offers more than 646 square miles (1,673 square kilometers) of rugged sandstone peaks, with wildflowers, waterfalls, fern gullies, and vineyards. The park is known for its stunning natural landscape and many ancient Aboriginal rock art sites.

Australia’s largest conference and exhibition space, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), spans more than 750,000 square feet (70,000 square meters). Perched beside the Yarra River, near the city’s Central Business District (CBD), it hosts conferences, meetings, exhibitions, concerts, and more.

Spanning two city blocks and boasting more than 300 retailers across five levels, Melbourne Central is a prime shopping destination in downtown Melbourne. It features a historic shot tower once used to create lead bullets, surrounded by a 20-story glass cone. A museum about the structure is found behind the R M Williams shop.

Designed by a 19-year-old architect in the 19th century, this building is one of Melbourne’s finest architectural showcases. The Old Treasury Building museum houses the original gold vaults used in the Victoria gold rush era. You can also find rare documents describing important events in Victoria’s history. There are ongoing, revolving exhibitions taking you into Victoria’s past.

Australia might be famous for its kangaroos and koalas, but the Werribee Open Range Zoo offers all the excitement of an African safari on Aussie shores. Lions, rhinoceros, giraffes, and gorillas all roam freely in the park’s 494-acre (200-hectare) grasslands, affording visitors some incredible wildlife-watching opportunities.

Victoria's Dandenong Ranges lie just east of Melbourne and overlook the Yarra Valley wine region, offering a mountain retreat on the city's doorstep. What the peaks lack in size—the highest are under 2,620 feet (800 meters) above sea level—they make up for in scenery, such as ash forests, valleys of tree ferns, and wild bushlands.

First opened in 1912, Luna Park Melbourne is a slice of theme park history. Enter through the mouth of Mr. Moon and ride historic attractions, including the Great Scenic Railway wooden roller coaster. Old-time favorites, such as a ghost train and hall of mirrors, offer thrills to kids, as do bumper cars, carousels, and modern rides.

Home of the Melbourne Cup Thoroughbred horse race, Flemington Racecourse dates back to the 1840s and is Australia’s premier horse-racing venue. The arena is a hive of activity during this prestigious annual event, whose significance is similar to the American Kentucky Derby.

Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria is Australia’s largest and oldest art gallery. Since 1861, it has housed many impressive collections and works by homegrown talent as well as Asian, American, Oceanic, and European artists, including Rembrandt and Picasso. It features a large free permanent collection and rotating, ticketed exhibits.

A seaside suburb of Melbourne, St. Kilda draws both locals and visitors with its wide stretch of sand beach on Port Phillip Bay as well as its shopping centers, eateries, and relaxing vibe. The suburb dates back to the Victorian era, when it was a destination for the city’s affluent residents.