Off to Melbourne soon ,recommendations for days out/ visits please.

[Wontbelongnow]

Hi everyone. Am visiting Melbourne in two weeks and son will be working during the days. We have planned trip to Sydney one weekend and great ocean rd trip another weekend.
Can anyone recommend ‘must go to ‘places in and around Melbourne whilst son working.
I have been researching but any experiences that are not to miss would be great.
Happy to get train/ trams ,boat trips etc and even include overnight trip.
Thank you…am so excited to see my big guy .

We did a walking tour which was interesting

If you were a fan of Neighbours, visit the street where the exterior shots were filmed.

Also stayed at Philips Island and watched the Penguin Parade. Which was an amazing experience.

Yes I definitely will do that,thank you.X

What area did the tour cover in Melbourne. Thank you.

Lygon Street used to be nice, not been since 2010 though. The zoo is amazing. Royal parade and Parkville is a nice area to walk around. Ormond college is nice to view but I don't know if it's still open to the public. The university campus has nice public sculptures. The arts centre by the river was our favourite place as kids but I think that's now got the huge casino.

We went there recently to visit our soon - absolutely loved it! We did (from memory) the botanic gardens, the art gallery, the film museum, wandered round some of the arty suburbs (Richmond is definitely worth a visit), the immigration museum, walked along the Yarra river, had a mooch round the shops and cafes, went to South Melbourne Market (you must go there), went to the beautiful old shopping arcades), the state library (absolutely stunning), did a couple of wine tours in the Yarra Valley, visited a wildlife sanctuary, and flew to Cairns for a week. We loved every minute of it - you'll have the best time!

Ballarat is nice - gold mining town.. about 1 and a half hours out of the city.
Also Bendigo
The Dandenongs - nice walks
The Yarra Valley - Nice wineries
Ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento or vice versa. Drive back around the bay.
Werribee Open range zoo, has a brand new huge elephant enclosure
Crown Casino is a place to visit, nice restaurants, walk along Southbank along the Yarra
Queen Victoria Market is great
The Windsor for High Tea
Eureka Tower

St Kilda is lovely. If I remember correctly there are a few little penguins there too.

I’m so envious, I love Melbourne!!

Definitely go to the Penguin Parade at Phillip Island. I’d recommend doing the Guided Tour there as one of the rangers is your guide and you learn so much more. The whole experience is incredible (I’ve been a couple of times as it appears that I’m now addicted to little penguins).

If you’re a wildlife lover (assume so if you’re going to see the penguins), I’d recommend a trip to Healesville Sanctuary. Incredible place. And it’s 1 hour from Melbourne in the Yarra Valley so combines perfectly with doing some wine tasting in the Yarra. I’d recommend Yering Station for wine tasting and lunch.

I did a walking coffee tour (half a day) in Melbourne which I really enjoyed. We went to some great places that I would never discovered on my own (and that I’ve gone back to on subsequent visits) and it was a good way of getting my bearings as well as meeting a few people and getting more tips (I was on a tour with an Aussie couple who were just back the GOR where I was going the following day). Incredible coffee of course.

I really like St Kilda. It’s easy to hop on a tram there and back for lunch/dinner/the day. I liked it so much that I chose to stay there for a few days in an AirBNB on a later visit. If you like gemstone jewellery, there’s a fabulous shop/gallery called Made in Earth that is worth a visit.

I used to live in HK and had a close friend from HK who moved back to Melbourne so I used to visit quite a lot. Quite frankly, I’ve never forgiven her for then moving to Sydney as I much prefer Melbourne. 😩

If you fancy an overnight (or two) away, you can get flights to Tasmania from Melbourne. It’s only a short hop (just over 1 hour). You could fly over to Devonport (tiny airport), hire a car and drive to Cradle Mountain (90 mins from Devonport) and stay there for a day or two. I stayed in these log cabins and had pademelons bouncing up and down on my balcony and roof every night 😍:
https://www.cradlehighlander.com.au
And it’s walking distance from the cabins to fascinating Devils at Cradle which is a Tasmanian devil sanctuary. I went one evening to a devils with wine tour where we tasted wine and cheese and then were shown round the sanctuary whilst drinking wine and getting to mean baby devils. Absolute bliss!
https://devilsatcradle.com/

Prahan is lovely for a wander around. There are food markets with lots of yummy things (more ingredients than takeaway) and Chapel St is lovely for a browse in the shops.

A day trip out to the Yarra (look up minivan/coach tours) is a lovely way to spend the day. Don’t worry about being solo.

Puffing Billy is a great train trip and very scenic.

Tasmania, if you get the chance

Victoria market - we did a sabbatical at uni of Melbourne and I loved seeing all the different fish and lots of other great stalls. There was - twenty years ago - a great shoe stall at which I bought faux suede boots.

Winery/vineyard visits - some have restaurants.

Trips just out of city to see kangaroos

Classical music, coffee and good food. Aussie Rules, Cricket etc.

Aah thank you so much. My son is actually in Tasmania this week..probably mentally preparing for his Mums arrival 😂
Am so excited ( despite the rubbish weather forecast) Am literally counting the sleeps now! He lives in Abbottsford so hopefully I can jump on a tram and explore the places you have suggested.
My son is an ecologist( he is a bush ranger in Oz) so am sure we will go to Healesville . If not I will take myself there . Thank you for your advice.X
Edited to say that I lived in Sydney many moons ago and was so disappointed that my son chose Melbourne(I never visited Melbourne) …your comment has really increased my enthusiasm about seeing Melbourne. Cannot wait for the big Mum hug when I see my son. Thank you ❤️

Thank you for your replies. My son is a great Rugby/ Cricket fan ,he lives close to the Cricket ground . I think Victoria market is close to him as well. X

Thank you. I looked at the Puffing Billy trip so shall book that now. My son lives in Abbottsford close to the Yarra River so shall definitely do that.
Thank you so much 😊

Bookmark.

Am going in less than two weeks so shall report back or give updates whilst there 😊

Have a fabulous time @Wontbelongnow

I’m so jealous. 😍

If/when you’re in the CBD, pop into Captains of Industry for a coffee (and they also do a delicious cheese toastie!)

My tip for Melbourne is at the airport. As you get off the plane you will start to see a few machines scattered around, where you can register your passport and photo (not sure if you need to give fingerprints too). Shortly before actual passport control there is a whole plaza of these machines, but those ones get very busy because most people don't use them until they are forced to. So go to the first free machine that you see on your walk from the plane, and register there. Then you can sail through the passport desk (from memory it was an e-gate).

Thank you. That’s a brilliant tip ! X

The walking tour was around the centre of Melbourne and we found out a lot of the history of Melbourne.

Don’t forget The Laneways, and the amazing food in tge hidden cafes and restaurants.

I think that poster meant the Yarra Valley which is a wine region you'd take a tour to, rather than the river than runs through the city.

If you are in Abbotsford and like Vietnamese food or just want to take in the very multicultural vibe, go for a walk down Victoria St. Abbotsford Convent is lovely for a coffee and stroll and has weekend markets
https://abbotsfordconvent.com.au/

I'm a local so happy to help with any questions.

I wouldn't be telling Aussies your son is a bush ranger, that doesn't mean what you think it means!

Thank you . Shall google bush ranger 🤦‍♀️He lives very close to the convent.
I think I am staying on Victoria Street. Is it easy to travel to St Kildare erc ?