Melbourne is the bar capital of Australia and the national centre of live music. Here, as nowhere else in this country, you can feel the European flavour. Melbourne is popular with students and young travellers who want to enjoy the cosmopolitan, relaxed and sometimes reckless atmosphere.
Sightseeing: city highlights
Although there are fewer historical sights in this city than, for example, in Sydney, Melbourne is world famous as the capital of youth tourism and nightlife in Australia, some choose to sit in a room and explore Australia pokies online, while others go to see the local relics.
With hundreds of cultural events, art exhibitions and live music concerts taking place regularly, locals and visitors alike have no time to be bored. You could spend a week’s holiday or a year of your life in Melbourne alone.
The 12 Apostles
One of the country’s most iconic landmarks, the 12 Apostles is a series of limestone cliffs located near the so-called Great Ocean Road, which stretches along the entire Australian coastline – the most famous motorway route and one of the most beautiful National Heritage-listed routes in the world. You’ll likely want to set aside a few days for this trip, as the ‘Apostles’ are 275 kilometres from the city and are best seen while driving along the coast. However, if you’re short on time, you can book a full-day express tour along the Great Ocean Road, which will cost you around $135.
Fitzroy Gardens
Fitzroy is one of Melbourne’s oldest and most beautiful gardens. Created in 1848 on the site of a swamp, this 26-hectare or 64-acre Victorian-style island of greenery is similar to the English gardens left behind by the first settlers in what is now the city. It’s a lovely place to walk and meet, with plenty of tree-fenced jogging paths and places to sit and relax with a book. If you come here on a Saturday, you can join a free guided walking tour, which starts at 10 am sharp outside the Information Centre pavilion building at the entrance to the garden.
Royal Botanic Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens covers an area of over 34 hectares or 86 acres. It features thousands of species of flowers, shrubs and trees from all over the country and the world. In total, there are more than 50,000 plants in the garden’s collection. Admission to the garden is free. Wandering around is one of Melbourne’s favourite things to do. The Royal Botanic Gardens has a café called The Terrace, where you can have a cup of amazing coffee right after a pleasant stroll. Free group tours are also available here.
St Kilda Beach
There’s no better place to watch the sunset in Melbourne than suburban St Kilda Beach. It’s a beautiful and clean recreational area, but the water temperature isn’t quite right for swimming.
St Kilda is also home to penguins. A small colony of these funny animals has settled right by the pier. But remember, according to local laws, Melbourne penguins cannot be fed or touched.
Queen Victoria Market
Queen Victoria Market combines shopping rows and covered pavilions with food and shops with cute trinkets and souvenirs. During the week, visitors to the market head mainly to its food section, while on Saturdays and Sundays, locals come here for the weekend craft fair. Opened in 1878, Queen Victoria Market is a landmark that attracts more than 10 million visitors yearly. By the way, its liquor pavilion offers free tasting samples of local Swords Wines wine.
How to save money
Travelling around Melbourne and visiting the local cafes can be hard on your wallet as tickets, food, and drinks are expensive. However, there are plenty of ways to save money in this city without cutting out the fun! Here are a few tips to help you plan your spending in Melbourne:
- The cheapest alcoholic drink in Australia is Goon wine. You can buy it in a supermarket or order it from a fast food joint;
- The best way to halve your spending in Melbourne is to cook at home, but before you do, find a flat or room with a kitchen and a fridge;
- If you plan to go on a tour or to a theme park within the city, you can book an entrance ticket or a seat on a tour bus through the hotel or hostel you’re staying in to get a discount of up to 25 per cent off the cost of the service.
Another interesting way to save and even earn money for living in Melbourne is to clean up your room or the lobby of your hotel. Many hostels in this city offer travellers the opportunity to work for accommodation. That is, in exchange for a few hours of cleaning a day, you get a free night’s accommodation.
Each hostel has its own conditions of stay for guests, but most of them allow the tourist to work and not pay for their stay, but only when booking a room for a period of seven days or more.
Buy tickets to the city’s museums and theatres through the Half Tix website, where regular sales and special offers are published.
Stay in the homes of locals rather than in city hotels. This way, you can save money and also meet hospitable, fun and charismatic Australians who will be more than happy to tell you lots of interesting things about their city.
