Once forgotten but now an integral part of Melbourne’s cultural scene, Hosier Lane is home to some of the city’s best street art. The laneway, which cuts between Flinders Street and Flinders Lane, exhibits regularly changing graffiti alongside a series of light boxes that exhibit the work of up and coming contemporary artists.
Open since 2000, in a contemporary building designed by Denton Corker Marshall, the Melbourne Museum is a cultural and natural history museum dedicated to life in the Australian state of Victoria. Science, nature, and the humanities are combined for an immersive and modern museum experience.
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.
Flinders Street Station is Melbourne’s most historic train station and a major transportation hub. Built in 1854, the station still features remnants of the past like the large clock on the facade, stained glass windows, and old-school flip displays for train departures. The station allows travelers to shuttle between the outer suburbs and the heart of Melbourne with ease.
Boasting a prime location in the heart of Melbourne CBD, the Block Arcade is a heritage shopping arcade that dates back to the 1800s. The arcade offers a boutique shopping experience that’s enhanced by carved-stone ceilings, a glass canopy, and mosaic-tile flooring. Highlights include Haigh’s Chocolates and Hopetoun Tearooms, renowned for its window display.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, housing a museum with accounts of this era. From 1845 to 1924, hundreds of prisoners were jailed and hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol. Exhibits at the museum recount stories and legends of Melbourne’s criminal past and showcase related memorabilia, including the death mask of infamous bushranger Ned Kelly.
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.
Chugging its way through the thick bushlands, fern gullies, and ancient woodlands of the Dandenong Ranges, the Puffing Billy Railway is one of Australia’s most scenic train trips. The spectacular views of the Yarra Valley are just part of the experience; the historic steam engines and open-air carriages, which allow for dangling legs, along with the parks and dining options at Lakeside, make it a fun and memorable activity for the whole family.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
With its sandy beaches, windswept bluffs, and Pinnacles Lookout granite colonnade, Cape Woolamai is a must-see town on Australia’s Phillip Island. Jutting out from the island's southeastern corner, the rugged headland is a hotspot for surfing, bird-watching, and hiking its miles of coastal trails.
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.
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.
