11 of the Best Views in Melbourne and Where To Find Them

Melbourne’s revered war memorial, the Shrine of Remembrance, is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks. But thanks to the terrace on its upper level and its prime hilltop spot within the Kings Domain park, it’s also one of the best scenic lookouts in Victoria.

Climb up to its balcony, free of charge, for panoramic views across the surrounding park and toward the Central Business District (CBD), with its ever-growing collection of distinctive skyscrapers. Really, the only downside to this convenient lookout is that it’s not barrier-free for visitors with reduced mobility.

Although it’s no longer the tallest building in Melbourne at a height of 975 feet (297 meters), Eureka Tower still holds one title—it's the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere, thanks to its Eureka Skydeck experience.

Sitting on the skyscraper’s 88th floor, this wheelchair accessible observation deck offers sweeping views across Melbourne, letting you admire the center of the city or look off toward Albert Park and the shore along Port Phillip Bay. Bars and restaurants allow you to relax and enjoy the tower’s views, while the transparent floor of its Edge experience challenges daring souls to peer down at the long drop beneath their feet.

Port Phillip Bay is a defining feature of Melbourne, and its waterfront offers some of the most striking views of the city's skyline. Few bayside spots can compete with the vista from the St. Kilda Pier, just up from Luna Park in the popular beachside suburb of St. Kilda.

Stroll out onto this historical pier for prime views across the water, but also to capture the pier’s beautiful heritage pavilion, which looks like it was pulled straight from a Wes Anderson film. Of course, this quaint kiosk is more than just a photo subject; you can also pick up drinks and snacks here to enjoy with the view.

To really see all of Melbourne, there's no better vantage point than way up in the sky aboard a hot-air balloon. Taking off before the crack of dawn, Melbourne hot-air balloon flights drift across the city center, providing lucky passengers with a front row seat to Melbourne in its entirety.

While you’ll see the towering city center in great detail from up here, this aerial approach is also one of the best ways to get proper Royal Botanic Gardens views and to appreciate standout landmarks around Melbourne precinct, such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

You don't necessarily have to go up high to enjoy views of Melbourne’s inner city. All it really takes is a stroll along the Southbank Promenade and you can find some great views along the Yarra River, looking past several eclectic bridges to Flinders Street Station.

For the best spots along this side of the riverfront, head to Queens Bridge for its angle on the skyline, or enjoy the lowly comfort of Ponyfish Island, a small bar built into the Evan Walker Bridge, which just so happens to be one of the best Yarra River sunset spots.

Just south of St. Kilda Beach, this small hilltop rise is a great place to go and see the coast and skyline in one frame. Point Ormond is an especially popular sunset spot, thanks to how the sunset often creates a vibrant backdrop for the modern skyline.

Here, enjoy the relaxed social atmosphere in the late afternoon as people take a seat on its grassy slope and let one of the top Melbourne skyline viewpoints show you how locals often end their day—when the weather allows it. Really, the only downside to this Melbourne sunset spot is a lack of good public transportation to reach it.

For a more distant viewpoint, travel out to the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne. Rather than offering a crisp view of the city center, outlooks here—such as Burkes Lookout—let you see how the Melbourne suburbs endlessly sprawl and how the metropolitan area twinkles at night.

City views aren't the only scenery here though, as the Dandenongs also offer wonderful forest to explore, most commonly experienced aboard the Puffing Billy Railway as the steam train navigates narrow tracks and old trestle bridges. Sunset is generally the best time to visit, although getting out here from the city center takes some effort.

Regularly ranked as one of the best rooftop bars in Melbourne, HER Melbourne proves an easy inner-city option if you're looking for drinks with a view. Located on Lonsdale Street by the Melbourne Central Shopping Mall, this bar occupies multiple floors of an old colonial building with its bar, restaurant, and lounge.

However, it’s the cozy rooftop terrace—complete with patio heaters for winter—that lets you look out at Melbourne while chatting over cocktails. And if you find that HER is a little overcrowded, you have two more rooftop bars just around the corner—Rooftop Bar and Goldilocks Rooftop Bar.

Viewpoints in the city and along the bay can get quite busy, but for a peaceful place to admire Melbourne’s outline, head to Studley Park in Kew. This pocket of bushland sits among the twists and bends of the Yarra River in Melbourne’s east, and it's from a hillside bench off Studley Park Road and Yarra Boulevard that this park provides visitors with a tranquil spot to watch the sunset. Space is very limited here, so come early to get a good position at this small break in the trees.

Most of Melbourne’s major viewpoints are scattered around the city’s east, thanks to a landscape with more hills and beaches. But that doesn’t mean the western suburbs are completely lacking. For a different perspective, visit historical Williamstown to see what the urban landscapes in Melbourne look like from the other side.

From Gem Pier and the Williamstown Foreshore Trail, the view stretches past the armada of boats in the local marina to a crisp outline of Melbourne’s skyline, but with interesting new details included, such as the towering cranes of Port Melbourne.

Another great place to go along Melbourne’s bayside for memorable scenery is Brighton Beach. While this beach is a little farther out from the CBD, visiting lets you see the colorful, iconic Brighton Bathing Boxes.

Given that each of the old-fashioned huts is decorated in unique colors and designs, it's one of the most popular Melbourne photography locations among visitors and is easily reached by train from the CBD. Venture to the southern end of the beach, or the Esplanade behind it, and you can even fit the bathing boxes and the cityscape in the one frame.