melbourne travel singapore blog

• Destinations
• Travel Tips
• Community Trips
• TTIFridays (Community Events)
• SG Travel Insider (Telegram Grp)

8D Melbourne Road Trip Itinerary — The Ultimate Road Trip Around Victoria’s Best Adventures

Indulge in Melbourne’s array of cuisines, mingle with the adorable animals of Phillip Island and hike up the impressive mountains and waterfalls in the Grampians with this Melbourne road trip itinerary.

First published: 19 April 2018

Pick up your rental car and hit the road on this eight-day adventure. Beginning from Melbourne, we head to Yarra Valley for wine tasting, Phillip Island to watch the Little Penguins return to their burrows, Otway and Grampians for some of the most epic waterfall hikes — all while taking in the gorgeous coastal scenery along the Great Ocean Road.

If you’re planning to explore Victoria on a road trip, here’s our eight-day self drive itinerary from Melbourne!

Melbourne Road Trip Overview

Pre-trip Essentials | Check Flights to Melbourne | Road Trip Planning Tips Day 1: Melbourne City Day 2: Yarra Valley Day 3: Phillip Island Day 4-5: Great Otway National Park Day 6: Great Ocean Road Day 7-8: Grampians Click to jump to each section.

Pre-trip Essentials

Car Rental: We rented a compact SUV for our group of four. Prices start from ~S$60/day , including zero-excess Collision Damage Waiver.

*Pro-tip: Use code <THETRAVELINTERN> on Klo ok to get 5% off car rental and activities * with a min. spend of S$50 (discount cap at S$15) at checkout. One-time use only! (* – list of excluded activities )

SIM Card:  Plans from  Optus  (right outside the airport arrival gates) start from AU$12 with a minimum of 5GB and unlimited local calls. Alternatively, get an eSIM (S$18.90 for 500MB/day for 10 days) to avoid the hassle of switching physical cards around. Do check your phone compatibility beforehand!

Travel Insurance: We strongly recommend this in case of unforeseen mishaps! Look for policies that include coverage for Covid-19. Some insurance providers also offer coverage for outdoor activities such as hiking (a highlight of this itinerary).

Airport to Melbourne CBD:  Taxis are expensive. A ride to town will cost between AU$65-80 . If you’re travelling solo or in twos, book the Skybus at ~S$19/pax (one-way) that drops you off at Southern Cross station.

Check Flights to Melbourne

If you can’t see the widget above, click here to check flight prices from Singapore to Melbourne !

Day 1: Explore Melbourne City

Highlights:  Victoria State Library – Hosier Lane – Eureka Skydeck – Queen Victoria Market

Getting around Melbourne: You can purchase a rechargeable myki card for AU$6 (excluding credits) which covers all the trains, buses and trams in Victoria. However, if you’re staying within the CBD area, there’s no need for one to travel on trams within the Free Tram Zone .

Victoria State Library

First stop, check out the iconic Victoria State Library — the oldest free public library in Victoria with a collection of over two million books. The library’s domed ceiling also makes the place a good photo spot.

Entrance fee: Free Opening hours:  10AM – 6PM Address: 328 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Hosier Lane

Start your day exploring the scenic streets of Melbourne. If you’re into street art, one of the most famous is probably Hosier Lane — decked in ever-changing graffiti, created by both international and local artists. Drop by for a quick photo stop or have a meal at the cafes and restaurants in the area.

Eureka Skydeck

For a 360° view of the city, get on the highest public vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere, the Eureka Skydeck .

Photo credit: A Brit & A Southerner

Explore Melbourne city through the telescopes on the observation decks, and check out the world’s only Edge Experience that suspends visitors 300m above the city in a glass cube!

The Eureka Skydeck is also a great place for catching the sunset over the city. Make sure to arrive at least 1 hour before sunset to secure a good spot on the west side overlooking the Yarra River. Cost:   ~S$27/adult via Klook for Skydeck entry only, AU$43/adult for the Edge Experience incl. Skydeck entry Opening hours:  12PM – 10PM (Last entry 9:30PM)

Have dinner at the Queen Victoria Night Market

The Queen Victoria Night Market only comes alive every Wednesday in the summer months (22 Nov 2023 to 13 Mar 2024) so try to plan to be in the city on this day! Lined with food stalls and shops selling trinkets and clothing, this is a great place to hang out while enjoying live entertainment; or you could also play a game of chess on the life-size chess boards on the ground.

Satisfy your Korean Cravings (Joomak)

If you’ll miss the night market, a good alternative favoured by locals is  Joomak  — a Korean-style pub that serves authentic Korean food in Melbourne CBD. The free-flow kimchi here is to die for and the food comes in generous portions. We ordered a kimchi pancake, sundubu jji-gae (tofu stew) and a small portion of bulgogi (BBQ marinated beef), along with a bowl of rice — which had the four of us stuffed.

Located in the basement with no signs on street level, it may be quite hard to locate Joomak. Just walk along Swanston Street until you see unit 407/409:

Turn in, and head down the stairs to the basement where the restaurant is located.

Cost: ~AU$13/pax Opening hours: 5PM – 1AM (Mon – Thu), 5PM – 3AM (Fri – Sat), Closed on Sun Address:  Basement, 407/409 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Accommodation

To save on transport, pick an accommodation within or on the outskirts of the CBD. We found options on Airbnb that cost ~AU$50/pax. There’s also hostels within the same area for ~AU$30/pax.

Day 2: Day Trip to the Yarra Valley

Highlights : Yarra Valley Gourmet Food Tour

For the wine lovers, the Yarra Valley is just 1 hour from Melbourne city and home to over 50 wineries and farms. Apart from wine, you’ll also get to try locally grown fruits and a wide array of freshly made cheese.

We visited  De Bortoli and Yering Station for wine tasting (AU$10 – 25), made a quick stop at Yarra Valley Dairy for cheese tasting, before having lunch at Rochford .

Have a sweet ending at the  Yarra Valley Chocolaterie , where you can taste a wide variety of chocolate and a generous serving of gelato at the gelato shop.

For those who don’t drive, there’s also an all inclusive Yarra Valley tour (~S$162)  which includes doorstep pick up from your accommodation and all the delicious wine and food you’ll get to experience at Yarra.

Have Mexican Food for dinner back in Melbourne CBD (Mamasita)

If you love Mexican food, Mamasita is the place to be! This popular restaurant in the CBD serves delicious tacos and a killer Margarita (~AU$23). It’s a tad pricey but the quality is well worth it. We ordered corn chips with guacamole and salsa (AU$16), some tacos (~AU$17 – 21 for two), quesadillas (AU$18) and we enjoyed every single dish.

*Pro-tip:  Avoid peak hours or make a booking beforehand as it gets very crowded during dinner time.

Cost: ~AU$40/pax Opening hours: 12PM – 10:30PM (Sun – Thu), 12PM – 11:30PM (Fri – Sat) Address:  11 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Day 3: Day Trip to Phillip Island

Highlights:  Brighton Beach – Churchill Island – Koala Conservation Reserve – Seal Watching Cruise – The Nobbies – Penguin Parade

Famous for the adorable penguin parade that happens every night, Phillip Island is a must-visit when you’re in Melbourne! It’s a 2-hour drive south-east of Melbourne with lots to check out along the way!

Brighton Beach

These colourful bathing boxes on Brighton Beach are a well-known icon of Melbourne. Snap pictures with them along the beach while enjoying the sea breeze, and watch many dog owners play with their fur babies.

The beach is a quick stop en route to Phillip Island. You can watch the sunrise at the beach while having breakfast before heading out to Phillip Island.

Parking:  AU$5.70/hour (8AM – 8PM) at Green Point Car Park — Remember to pay for parking at the machine (credit card only) or with the EasyPark app . You WILL get fined if you do not pay for parking.

*Pro-tip: Arrive early as parking fees are only required between 8AM – 8PM.

Full Day Out at Phillip Island

Read also:   The Complete Phillip Island Guide

Check out farming activities at Churchill Island such as cow milking and sheep shearing, which will definitely be a hit with the young ones. Enjoy a quick cuppa at the cafe before heading off to the next stop!

Entrance fee: AU$15 Opening hours:  10AM – 4:30PM

Seal Watching Cruise:  Sign up for this 2-hour high speed boat tour that will bring you up close to one of the largest fur seal colonies in Australia.

Cost:  AU$98 (~S$85 on Klook) Departure time:  Tours run at 2PM daily, with additional slots at 11AM or 4:30PM on select days in summer. Check the schedule before booking!

Located just 10 minutes from Cowes jetty, Tides of Rhyll is a perfect spot to have a meal before or after the Seal Watching Cruise (though you might want to have your meal after the tour in case the boat ride is rocky).

Cost:  From AU$15 for battered fish and a side of chips Opening hours:  12PM – 7PM (Mon), 12PM – 8PM (Fri to Sun), closed on Tue – Thu Address:  11 Beach Rd, Rhyll VIC 3923, Australia

Get up close to koalas in this Eucalyptus tree-filled woodland. The Koala Conservation Reserve plays host to a conservation programme that helps save these important animals. Visitors will get an opportunity to go on a ranger-led tour for insights into these Australian icons.

Entrance fee: AU$15 Opening hours: 10AM – 5:30PM (Last entry at 5PM)

Take a walk down the boardwalk at the Nobbies to see the beautifully rugged coastline and if you’re lucky, you might spot some penguins beneath the boardwalks!

Head into the Antarctic Journey for an interactive lesson on the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. This is a great place for children and they will love it. Stop by the cafe for a quick refreshment before heading out to the penguin parade which is just a 5-minute drive away.

Entrance fee: AU$15 Opening hours:  10AM – 6PM

End your day watching the little Penguins waddle back into their burrows after a long day of fishing. The main viewing area has elevated seating that gives a 180º view of the Beach.

Entrance fee: AU$30 (~S$26 via Klook)

*Pro-tip: Get a 4 Parks Pass for discounted admission to the Penguin Parade, Churchill Island, Koala Conservation Reserve and the Antarctic Journey!

For a full-day itinerary on Phillip Island, check out our complete Phillip Island Guide .

You can opt to stay slightly outside of Melbourne city as it would be cheaper. We stayed in the Chadstone area.

Day 4 & 5: Great Otway National Park

Highlights : Zipline and Treetop walk at Otway Fly – California Redwoods – Hopetoun Falls – Apollo Bay Drive time: ~ 3hrs 30mins

Photo credit: Visit Victoria

Head out in the morning and drive towards Otway National Park. There are two routes — coastal and inland — that you can take. The drive times for both route vary so be sure to check out Google Maps for drive time estimates. I strongly recommend taking the coastal route as the views are pretty insane! 😉

Otway Fly Treetop Adventures

Photo credit: Otway Fly Treetop Adventures

For zipline adventures, head to Otway Fly Treetop Adventures for a 2.5-hour tour zipping through the leafy treetops of Otway. Although the tour opens regardless of rain or shine, it does not operate in severe weather conditions such as lightning, storms and high winds. Allocate at least two days in Otway so you’ll be able to reschedule the tour should such conditions occur!

Alternatively, there’s a 25m-high tree-top walk where you can get a bird’s eye view of the region’s flora and fauna. The walk takes about 1 hour to complete, and just like the zipline tour, does not operate in severe weather conditions.

Cost: From AU$99 for the Zipline Tour incl. TreeTop walk admission ( bookings are essential!) Opening hours:  10AM – 5PM (Last admission at 3:30PM)

California Redwoods

Filled with Sequoia trees, the California Redwoods is a unique stop on this road trip. True to its name, the trunks and branches of the trees have a reddish hue to them. Stop by for a morning stroll into the woods and be sure to snap some pictures of this magical place! Be careful of falling branches, especially when it’s windy.

There’s also picnic tables outside the forest, so it’s a great place to stop for lunch!

Time:  10mins return Difficulty: Easy

Hopetoun Falls

You can see the waterfalls from a viewing platform just 20m from the carpark but if you’re extra adventurous, it’s a 30-minute return route to the base of the waterfall.

Time:  30mins return Difficulty:  Moderate

If time and weather permit, you could also check out  Beauchamp Falls and Triplet Falls .

For this day, you can either stay in Otway National Park for two days or stay in Otway for one night and move on to Port Campbell/Apollo Bay for the second.

Pros of staying near Otway Fly Treetop Adventure is that you’ll have an additional day to check in on the zipline and treetop walk if the weather’s against your favour on the first night. Of course, the con is that you’ll have to drive about an hour to get to the Twelve Apostles the next morning so we’ve provided two other options which are nearer to the Twelve Apostles.

Near Otway Fly Treetop Adventures

1) Otways Tourist Park : Located just 20 minutes from the Otway Fly Treetop Adventures activity centre , the various en-suite cabins at Otways Tourist Park can accommodate 2 to 8 people.

Near the Twelve Apostles

2) Pebble Point: For nature lovers, a night at this glamping spot in Pebble Point is an experience you might want to check out! Each cosy tent sleeps 2 (max 3) and comes with an attached bathroom. The heated bed was so comfortable we had major problems getting up the next morning! There is a common kitchen stocked with common condiments to prepare dinner.

The downside is that the nearest town of civilisation is in Port Campbell which is a 20-minute drive should you need any supplies. Connectivity is also barely existent so get your maps pre-loaded and let your loved ones know you haven’t fallen off the face of the earth!

3) Sow and Piglets Guest House (formerly Port Campbell Hostel):  Lastly, there’s a  hostel located in Port Campbell — a small town just 10 minutes from the Twelve Apostles. Here there are private en-suite rooms for up to 4 pax and mixed-gender dorm rooms with 4, 6 and 8 bed configurations.

Of course the downside for options 2 & 3 is that you’d need to drive 1 hour to Otway Fly Treetop Adventures should you decide to shift your zipline activity booking.

Day 6: Great Ocean Road

Highlights:  Gibson Steps – 12 Apostles – Loch Ard Gorge – The Arch – London Bridge – The Grotto Drive time:  ~3hrs (if staying at Port Campbell/Pebble Point), add 1.5hrs if driving from Apollo Bay

Gibson Steps

Get up close with Gog and Magog — the two huge limestone stacks that rise up from the sea, here at the base of Gibson Steps . They are not considered part of the 12 Apostles but are still a sight to behold. You can view them from the viewing platform or make your way down the 86 steps to the beach for a closer look. Be prepared to get a little wet as the waves are unpredictable!

Head down this flight of stairs to the beach 🙂

There is a designated carpark just a short distance of 30m away from the viewing platform.

Trekking time:  15mins return Difficulty:  Easy Parking:  Free — but lots are limited and gets crowded after 9AM

12 Apostles Lookout Point

Possibly the most iconic attraction of the Great Ocean Road, the 12 Apostles are made up of rock stacks created by the erosion of limestone cliffs from the mainland. You may want to use the toilets here as there will not be another one at the other lookout points!

Trekking time:  15mins return Difficulty:  Easy Parking:  Free

Loch Ard Gorge

Named after the famous 1878 shipwreck on nearby Muttonbird Island, there are numerous limestone structures here to be marvelled at. Explore the numerous trails while learning the rich history of various rock stacks like the Razorback .

Trekking time:  Allow up to 2 – 3hrs if you want to explore all the trails Difficulty:  Easy Parking:  Free

The Arch is best viewed from the platform during rougher tides. Watch the waves crash in and around the area, creating a mini waterfall underneath The Arch!

Trekking time:  20mins return Difficulty: Easy Parking:  Free (Carpark is unsuitable for caravans)

London Bridge (aka London Arch)

As its name suggests, London Bridge used to be a bridge connecting the archway to the mainland but collapsed unexpectedly in 1990, leaving two in need of a helicopter rescue. Visitors used to be able to walk across the eastern span before the collapse but now, you can still witness its beauty from the two viewing platforms.

Trekking time: 20mins return Difficulty:  Easy Parking:  Free

Perhaps the best spot along the Great Ocean Road is  the Grotto . This geological formation is easily accessible down a small flight of stairs. Feel the calmness brought about by the archway of the Grotto, in contrast to the crashing waves at the other end of the tunnel.

Food in Port Campbell

Frying nemo.

An all-in-one store, Frying Nemo is a small section of the Port Campbell Fuel/Fish and Chips shop. The servings are huge and well worth your money! We got two portions of chips (at AU$4 per portion) and it was way too much for the four of us. As they only do takeout, get your favourite fish to go, and have your meal by the Port Campbell Beach like we did!

Photo credit: Nada D

Cost: AU$15 for a Fish & Chips pack Opening hours:  12PM – 9PM

Drive 2 hours up to Halls Gap since you’ll be exploring the sights here the next morning. Stay here for two nights.

There are many accommodation options at Halls Gap but one of the most unique ones we found in this area was the A-Frame  house. It had one bedroom below (en suite with a Jacuzzi!), two single and a double bed up on the loft, a fully stocked kitchen as well as a spacious living area. Wild kangaroos are also known to hang out in the backyard so if you’re lucky, they may come say hi!

At night, don’t forget to check out the view outside. If the skies are clear, you might even catch a shooting star or two!

Day 7 & 8: Grampians

Highlights:  MacKenzie Falls – The Balconies – Reeds Lookout – The Pinnacle via Grand Canyon Drive time:  ~ 1hr 16mins (within Halls Gap), ~3hrs (to Melbourne Airport)

MacKenzie Falls

One of the largest falls in Victoria, MacKenzie Falls flows all year round down a steep cliff. Take an easy 1km walk to Bluff Lookout, or down a steep trail down to the base of the waterfall. The steps can be quite steep but we promise, the view is worth it!

Be careful while going down the steps as some of them are narrow and might be slippery.

Trekking time:  1hr return (to the base of the falls) Difficulty:  Easy – Moderate Parking:  Free parking at the MacKenzie Falls Carpark

*Note: When planning hikes into your itinerary, remember to get travel insurance that covers this activity! Seedly is one such provider that covers hiking without add-on fees. From now till 31 Dec 2023, get 50% off all plans and other perks — more info at the end!

The Balconies (aka Jaws of Death)

Also known as the Jaws of Death because the structure resembles the jaws of a T-rex, The Balconies offer a panoramic view of the lush mountains. Take an easy 2km stroll along the path leading towards the lookout, and be awed by the stunning rock formations at the end.

Trekking time:  1hr return Difficulty: Easy Parking:  Free

Reeds Lookout (alternatively spelled as Reed Lookout) 

From the same car park as The Balconies, follow the path up the sealed road to the summit of Reeds Lookout and enjoy the scenic views of Victoria Valley. Reeds Lookout is a fantastic spot for catching the sunset and it was truly one of the best sunsets I have seen in my life!

Do leave before the sun completely sets as it gets very dark, and can be quite a challenge to drive out.

Trekking time: 10mins return Difficulty:  Easy Parking:  Free

The Pinnacle

There are a few paths one can take to reach the peak of The Pinnacle. We chose to hike up The Pinnacle via The Grand Canyon, starting at the Wonderland Carpark. The Grand Canyon is a trail within a picturesque valley that would have you stopping for pictures almost every minute. Although the trail was pretty rocky, it was still a pretty well-paved walkway.

*Pro-tip:  Wear shoes with better grip. Even though there are man-made pathways, there are still areas that are rocky and not flat.

If you prefer an easier hike, start off at the Sundial car park, especially if you have young children, or ancient knees (like myself).

Bring some food along as there are many opportunities during the hike for a pit stop to recharge!

Follow these yellow arrows to find your way to the peak. These are especially helpful if you want to climb in the dark, to catch the sunrise or after sunset.

Have Dinner at Spirit of Punjab (Indian Food)

Photo credit: VisitLanarkShire

We were pretty lucky this place was open till pretty late since all the other restaurants tend to close around 5 – 6PM. If you’re craving for spicy food, check out this gem of a place at  Spirit of Punjab .

We had the Vindaloo (AU$23.99) which was a chef-recommended dish, Butter Chicken (AUS$23.99) and Sag Aloo (AU$23.50), which is a rich paste of spinach and potatoes. If you love spicy food, we challenge you to have a go at the Volcano Hot level. We ended up with the medium hot which was barely spicy 😉

Cost: AU$17.90/pax  Opening hours: 5PM – 9PM (Mon – Thu), 12PM – 9PM (Fri – Sun)

Drive to Melbourne Airport

If you have an evening flight on this day, make sure to buffer a 2.5-hour drive time back to the city. For those returning the car straight at the airport, you can return it at any time. However, if you’re planning to return the car back in the city, most car rental companies have a strict 6PM cut-off (not even a 5-minute grace). Try to avoid driving back at peak hour between 5 – 7PM as the jam can cause up to an hour of delay.

Road Trip Planning Tips

1) Groceries: Not only is eating out more expensive, many of the shops outside Melbourne close pretty early and you might find yourself stranded without any dinner. Make sure to find out where the major supermarkets are and schedule pit stops to stock up on food you can cook for dinner and breakfast the next morning. Sometimes, we’d even prepare a packable lunch.

*Note: You might want to keep dairy products off your shopping list unless they can be consumed on the same night. These will most definitely spoil when left in the car for an entire day #truestory.

2) Accommodation: If you’re travelling in a group, apartments are not too pricey and usually come with a fully stocked kitchen so that you can cook your own meals.

3) Connectivity:  Connectivity along The Great Ocean Road and in the Grampians can be spotty. Preload your Google Maps at major cities in case you find yourself out of service.

4) Flexibility:  Do not pack your road trip schedule too tightly as plans might change due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances.

5) Pack lightly: Since you’ll be changing accommodations almost every day, try not to pack too much for the road!

Get Affordable Travel Insurance with Seedly

Victoria has a great mix of urban and natural landscapes that we enjoyed thoroughly on this eight-day self-drive. To take your mind off niggling what-ifs like flight delays or falling sick during the trip, remember to purchase travel insurance before you fly!

Seedly recently launched their own travel insurance for individuals and families, with two tiers to choose from — Seedly Travel Safe and Seedly Travel Secure.

To keep things affordable, both options automatically include coverage for Covid-19, unlike some other policies that require top-ups for this benefit. Activities like hiking are also covered — perfect for the Grampians leg of this itinerary 🥾

And if you’re planning for a family road trip with kids in tow, opt for the Family Plan to enjoy cost savings while staying protected. There’s complimentary coverage for up to four children between the ages of 3 months and 18 years (or till 25 years of age if studying full-time in a recognised institution of higher learning)! Additional items like Child Companion Benefit and Child Support Grant are also covered in the event that something unfortunate happens. Check the full policy details for more.

Now for the more light-hearted bit —

From now till 31 Dec 2023, get 50% off all Seedly Travel Insurance plans , and receive a free 3GB travel eSIM from Airalo for each successful policy application! If you’re a Seedly Community member, use the code SeedlyCommunity to get an additional 5% off your plan. Every sign up during this promo period also gives you a chance to win S$600 worth of Klook vouchers (equivalent to a return flight to Bali for two) and a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP (worth S$480)! T&Cs apply. Learn more and get a quote here .

Hope you found this Melbourne road trip itinerary useful! Leave a comment below if you have other recommendations.

This post was brought to you by Seedly .

Follow us on  Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube  for more travel updates!

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Travel Intern (@thetravelintern)

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

New Direct Flight to Broome — Idyllic Australian Beach Getaway Now 4.5 Hours Away

Victoria’s Best Outdoor Experiences — 11 Fun Things to Do in Melbourne and Surrounds

8-Day Gold Coast Road Trip Itinerary — First-Timers’ Camper Van Guide for S$1.6k

11 Boujee Things to do in Australia to Add to Your Next Road Trip Itinerary

Ultimate Tasmania Bucket List — 13 Things to Do for Nature and Wildlife Lovers

15% Off Your Next Dream Road Trip — Exclusive TTI Promo Code at the End (no min. spend)

22 comments.

Nice road trip Around Victoria.

Love the itinerary so much! I’ll be going there this coming november with some friends and family members. It’s really helpful as i get more ideas to manage our trip there. Wish me luck..

Hi JC! Glad you found the itinerary useful! Good luck & have a great time in Melbourne! 🙂

I love Melbourne city because it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I also suggest other people to visit this city I assure you will never disappoint.

Totally agree!

Hi Jia Xuan, on Day 4 & 5: You mentioned: “The coastal route takes 30 minutes longer but the views will be worth it!”

I check on the GoogleMap, it seems like the inland route is longer than the coastal route ??

Hi! The coastal route was longer when we were in Melbourne. It could have changed due to new roads or road works (which we encountered a few of during our trip). 🙂

Very useful information! Do you think Grampians suitable if I bring my 8 month old baby?

There were a few parents carrying their kids on their backs/shoulders so if you’re comfortable carrying your baby, why not! 🙂

Hi! Thank you so much for all the information! Did you guys pre-book any of the accommodations or did you guys walk in? I am planning a road trip in September and I am a little concerned with being tied down by pre-book lodging.

Hi LX, we pre-booked all our accommodations beforehand. For Australia, it’s also advisable to pre-book accomm too! 🙂 Thanks!

Thanks Edelyn!

Thanks for the useful info, we are going to Melbourne soon. Will use yours as our guide.

Hi Jia Xuan I would like to ask, from Melbourne CBD to The Twelves Apostles Visitors Facility. Which route should I go? Will there be any toll charges? Thinking to leave early at 8am from CBD, stay a night there and leave the next day at 8am. Thanks!

Hi JF, From Melbourne, you’ll want to get to the town of Geelong on the M1 and then proceed onto route B100. There are no physical toll booths, just electronic ones, and any charges will be charged to the credit card you used for your car rental.

Thanks Edelyn.

useful advice

When last in Melbourn I did a day trip to the 12 apostles along the great ocean road and it was an unforgettable experience. You really can’t appreciate it until you see it in person.

Hi Jia Xuan,

Great sharing.. mind to share name of all the accommodations you stayed from day 1 to 8? Thinking of following your carbon foot-print 😉

Hey James, the team used Airbnb for most of it unless when stated so the listings have changed wildly since the original post. Might be better to do a search yourself!

hi may i know which month of the year was this trip made in? thanks!

we went in March!

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

11 Things to do in Clark, Philippines — A Quiet Adventure...

20 Things to Eat-See-Do in Sabah’s Capital Besides Climbing Mount Kinabalu

Experience Macao Singapore Roadshow: Get Exclusive Deals, Experience the Macau Grand...

Ultimate 6-Day Adelaide Itinerary — The Best of South Australia’s Underrated...

31 New Deals and Attractions in Singapore this April 2024

• Terms Of Use
• Privacy Policy

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Travel Blog, Itineraries & Guides, Hotel Reviews

The Perfect Melbourne Itinerary (2023) – Things to Do, Travel Guide & Places to Eat

March 30, 2023 by Bino Leave a Comment

Two days in Melbourne might seem like an awfully short time to explore a fantastic Australian city but if you are faced with limited time as I was when I visited for just over 48 hours a couple months ago, it is still possible to cover a bit of ground when it comes to the sights and eats in this world-class city Down Under.

Here is a suggested itinerary that you can do easily for two days to four days in Melbourne even without renting your own car.

Table of Contents

Day 1 – Melbourne CBD

Laid out in a grid, the streets of Melbourne’s CBD are highly easy to navigate. This is an intuitive place to start your exploration of the city where many of the attractions are within walking distance of each other or just a short tram ride apart. I would recommend starting from the west and working your way to the center and the east where most of the interesting places are located. A hidden gem in Melbourne is 333 Collins Street , an unassuming office building from the outside but housing a beautiful lobby and dome. You’d be forgiven to think you’re somewhere in Europe!

melbourne’s block arcade

From here, walk to the Block Arcade and Royal Arcade , a duo of historic shopping centers dating back from the Victorian era. The shops here are mostly high-end but it’s worth a short stroll to check out the fascinating architecture. As you are window-shopping anyway, might as well catch a ride on the free tram and head northwards to the Queen Victoria Market (open daily except Mondays and Wednesdays), the most well-known market in the city. If you are there at around noon, grab lunch in one of the specialty food stalls. There’s always something interesting being sold here – from fresh seafood, pastries and even drinks. Alternatively, if you’d like to explore more of Melbourne’s markets, you can check out Prahran Market or the South Melbourne Market .

If you are feeling peckish while walking around Melbourne’s downtown, you can check out Kariton Sorbetes (177 Russell Street), a Filipino-inspired ice cream shop. Try the ube gelato that is served with purple yam fudge, blackberry jam and caramelized coconut curds. 

state library of victoria

After spending a couple of hours in the sprawling market, make your way down via tram or foot to the State Library of Victoria . Another attraction that you should not miss in Melbourne, the building is known for its highly instagrammable La Trobe Reading Room which has an octagonal shape and a dome which was the largest in the world when it was completed back in 1913.

hosier lane

Head south via the Swanston Street tram to Flinders Street Railway Station , a city landmark. Other notable attractions such as the St. Paul’s Cathedral and Hosier Lane are within reach from here. The latter is especially known for its graffiti and at any given time, you’ll find people spraying paint all over the walls – making for a new scene with every visit. While Hosier Lane is probably the most well-known, Melbourne has several interesting lanes and some other examples include the following:

• Centre Place – very photogenic due to its many neon signs lining either side of the narrow path that mimick busier places like Tokyo or Hong Kong. You’ll find plenty of restaurants, cafes and bars here.
• Hardware Lane – atmospheric area filled with restaurants and cafes, giving off an European vibe.
• AC/DC Lane – tribute to the Australian rock band. You’ll find some bars and night clubs here dedicated to rock and roll.

melbourne federation square by rob young

A short walk from Hosier Lane is Melbourne’s Art Precinct . Located south of the Yarra River and connected through the Princes Bridge, the Art Precinct comprises of attractions such as the futuristic Arts Centre Melbourne , a performing arts venue, as well as the National Gallery of Victoria . This is a free tour that is held at 11AM on most days and runs through some of the more notable artworks by local artists. In the nearby Federation Square , one will find the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia which also has a focus on local artists. 

For dinner, I would recommend heading to Rice, Paper Scissors (19 Liverpool Street, +613 9663 9890). It is a Southeast Asian restaurant but even I (who also comes from Southeast Asia) was blown away by the food. There is a distinct Australian twist to the dishes with influences that range from Thailand to the Philippines but most are worth trying.

Day 2 – Fitzroy and Collingwood

crumpets at stagger lee’s cafe

While Melbourne already has a reputation for being a “hipster city” – this is probably nowhere else more apparent than in Fitzroy and Collingwood .  The area is filled with art galleries, studios, hip cafes as well as independent fashion brands. These two suburbs are best explored by going on a walking tour that takes in Brunswick Street – Johnston Street – Smith Street and then Gertrude Street where most of the interesting establishments are. If you are feeling peckish, check out Naked for Satan (285 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy; +61  3 9416 2238) which also has a nice rooftop bar. If you are there for lunch, all dishes are priced at S$9 – around half of the usual price. If you prefer to have breakfast/brunch food instead, check out Stagger Lee’s Cafe just across the street. Aside from great coffee, they also have excellent crumpets.

carlton gardens by denisbin

If you don’t mind the fifteen to twenty minute walk, you can head to the Carlton Gardens – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – to soak in some greenery and the magnificence of the Royal Exhibition Building which dates back from 1880.

brighton bathing boxes

Many visitors who intend to explore the day trip destinations around Melbourne hire a car but even without one, it is possible to venture to some attractions via public transport. An example is the Brighton Bathing Boxes which has become an ubiquitous part of most tourists’ Melbourne itinerary.  A 40+ minute train ride from Parliament Railway Station which is a short walk from Carlton Gardens, the row of colorful and brightly decorated beach houses are highly instagrammable and considered one of the most iconic attractions around Melbourne.

For dinner, you can’t go wrong with Red Spice QV (37 Artemis Lane, +61 3 8660 6300). The Five-Spiced Pork Belly is a must!

Day 3 – Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s most spectacular stretch of road. Covering 240 kilometers, visitors can expect plenty of twists and turns as well as natural attractions along the way. 

twelve apostles by josselin berger | cc 2.0

To cover the Great Ocean Road, allocate at least a day. You can choose to rent a car or book a day tour . Must-see stops include Port Campbell National Park , Great Otway National Park as well as the Twelve Apostles . You will also get to see some scenic towns along the way such as Geelong and Torquay. 

While most visitors invariably drive up until the Twelve Apostles area, do note that the Great Ocean Road actually stretches longer than that – up to the town of Warrnambool. From that additional stretch from Twelve Apostles to Warrnambool, you will get to see some more rock formations and lookout points such as the Magic Rock and Bay of Islands . These are not as impressive as those found on the main trail so I’d suggest extending until Warrnambool only if you really have lots of spare time.

Day 4 – Yarra Valley

yarra valley vineyards by the 3b’s | cc 2.0

Explore the lush green valleys immediately to the east of Melbourne by going on a gourmet tour of Yarra Valley . Typical trips take you to three wineries and you can sip different types of wines and have some of Yarra’s fresh farm cheese to go along. Lunch is typically provided in these tours with a customary stop at Yarra Valley Chocolaterie at the end. Allot an entire day for the trip. You can book this tour here .

Day Trips If You Have More Time to Spare

To save on costs, you can also consider going with a pre-arranged tour for your day trip destinations. Check out Shopback in order to gain cashback with tour operators such as Klook and Voyagin. Better yet, check out their ShopFest in order to get even better deals during special sale days like single’s day or the 12/12 online fever.

• Philip Island – sighting of penguins
• Ballarat – a glimpse of Australia back in the days of the gold rush
• Grampians National Park

Tip: If you need a local sim card for all your data needs, you can conveniently purchase one here . You can pick-up from the lockers regardless of the time of day you arrive in Melbourne.

Getting to the City From Airport

You can either try a ridesharing app such as UBER (around A$40 to A$50) but the cheapest way to get to town is by taking the SkyBus (A$20.05 for a one-way trip). 

Where to Stay in Melbourne

Budget:  Situated at the fringes of the city center and a few minutes walk from the State Library, Space Hotel is a colorful budget hotel filled with amenities such as a jacuzzi/hot tub in their rooftop and sweeping views of the CBD. You can choose between dorm beds, private rooms with shared bathrooms or private rooms with your own bathroom. 

Midrange: I stated at the relatively new Novotel Melbourne South Wharf which is located in the hip riverside area called South Bank. Rooms are spacious, decently-priced and most important – new. To get to the CBD, you’ll just need to cross the bridge to the other side of the city.

Upscale: If you prefer something more plush, the Pan Pacific Melbourne which is just next to the Novotel is also a great choice. All rooms boast of deep-soaking tub and floor-to-ceiling windows.

You can also check for deals on other Melbourne hotels here .

You May Also Like

Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Alternatively, you can also email me at b i n o (at) iwandered.net. You can follow I Wander on Facebook , Telegram , or Instagram . Also, if you liked this article, please feel free to SHARE or RETWEET

More Posts - Website

Reader Interactions

Older posts, leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Girl Eat World

A girl's adventure in food and travel around the world, melbourne itinerary: what to see, eat and do in 5 days for first-timers.

I’ve been lucky to be able to visit many places in Australia . I gotta say, Melbourne is hands down my top three favorite cities in the world. It’s right up there with Tokyo as the place I hope I end up living in one day.

I felt validated in this opinion when I found out that Melbourne was recently ranked as the most liveable city by The Economist for seven years in a row. An impressive feat, right? And I can see why – after visiting the city three times over the past five years, it’s hard not to fall in love with Melbourne.

Travel tips for visiting Melbourne

Should i exchange some cash for australian dollars (aud), when is the best time to visit melbourne, how long should i spend in melbourne, where to stay in melbourne.

• Day 1 : Melbourne Central
• Day 2 : Melbourne Arts & Culture
• Day 3 : Fitzroy
• Day 4 : St Kilda and Brighton Beach
• Day 5 : Day trip from Melbourne
• Where to eat in Melbourne

Seasonal Activities in Melbourne

1. Flying into Melbourne – There are two airports in Melbourne, Tullamarine and Avalon Airport. You’d probably land at Tullamarine Airport since it’s the primary airport for Melbourne.

2. Getting to the city from the airport by bus – Take the Skybus Airport Transfer from Tullamarine Airport to the city (pre-book using this link for a cheaper rate). This is probably the most cost-effective and fastest way to get to the city from the airport. Taking the Melbourne City Express Route , you will be dropped off at the Southern Cross Station. From there, you can take the free city tram to your accommodation.

3. Taxi and Ride-sharing – If you aren’t too keen on public transport, you can take a taxi or Uber from the airport, which will run about AU$ 55-65 depending on where you are staying. And yes, Uber is widely available in Melbourne! You can definitely use Uber, though I found it to be quite pricy.

4. The Melbourne City Circle Tram is FREE for everyone – So, make use of it! This was one of my main modes of transportation when I was in Melbourne. This tram line, marked with brown color on most maps, circles the city center of Melbourne (aka “The Grid”) and basically takes you anywhere you want to go. It comes every 12 minutes and takes around 48 minutes to complete the circle. More info on the city circle tram .

5. Get a Myki card for Public transportation in Melbourne – If you’re planning to use public transport in Melbourne aside from the free city circle tram, you’ll need to buy a Myki card at any 7/11 shop. Myki card can also be topped up online or on 7/11. If you have an Android phone, you can use your phone as a Myki card wth Mobile Myki! Find out more about Myki card here .

6. Be ready for all kinds of weather – Melbourne weather is notoriously fickle. When I was there in April, I experienced everything from sunny, to rain, to cold wind… all in ONE day!

7. Wear comfortable shoes as you’ll be walking a lot – One of the reasons why I love Melbourne so much is because of its walkability. Trust me, you’ll want to walk and explore on foot while you’re here. On my first day in Melbourne, I clocked in 30,000 steps which is over three times what I normally walk in a day!

8.  Wise Card  worked super well in Australia  – If you’re an international visitor like myself, definitely get yourself  a Wise Debit Card . You’ll save the foreign transaction fee with it. Australia is the perfect country to use this card because everything has been contactless in this country for a while!

No! You should not.

For as long as I’ve been going to Australia, they’ve embraced the digital side of payments. In Australia, you can use your credit card pretty much everywhere. I didn’t use cash for most of my trips here, so much such that I still have no idea what AUD bills look like.

However, if you prefer to transact in cash, then you should exchange your money before the trip, while you are still outside of Australia. Do NOT exchange your money in Australia, especially at the Airport . They don’t give you a good exchange rate and will apply a fee for the transaction – check out this article for horror stories .

Anecdotal experience: My friend tried to exchange AUD for SGD at Sydney Airport and was given a rate of $1.43 when the going rate was $1.04. His A$163 became S$115 when it should have been S$155. I know as a general rule you are not supposed to change money in airports, but to his defense, we’ve changed currencies in other airports and were not ripped off as badly as in Australia.

Remember that Australia is located in the southern hemisphere, so its seasons are different from what you might be used to. Here are the seasons in Australia:

With this in mind, the best time to visit Melbourne is in the fall from March to early May . It won’t be too hot since summer has just finished, and it won’t be too cold yet since winter will only come in July.

You will need at least 3 days to properly explore Melbourne if you are not planning to get out of the city. I recommend allocating 5 days though, so you could do some day trips outside of Melbourne too.

Generally, I try to find accommodations within the central area (aka within “ the grid “) when I’m visiting Melbourne. Central Melbourne is a small area and totally walkable, and most points can be reached by the free city tram line.

Here are some places I’ve personally stayed in Melbourne and would recommend:

• Rydges Melbourne – Rydges is a chain hotel in Australia. I’ve stayed with them in Hobart and Brisbane too! Rydges in Melbourne boasts one of the best locations to stay in Melbourne. It’s close to all of the spots you’d want to visit and close to a city tram stop. That’s how I ended up walking everywhere.
• Melbourne Central YHA – I love budget accommodations and YHA in Australia is perfect for it. They always have the best accommodation at the best location. YHA is budget, but the location is so good – right on Flinders Street which is the main street in Melbourne. And although it’s a budget, it doesn’t mean you have to share a room – I stayed in one of the private rooms on the rooftop. It had a nice view of the Melbourne business district.
• Melbourne Metro YHA – Unlike the Central YHA, this location isn’t as premium, but it is still within central Melbourne and is very affordable. It’s still not a bad location since it’s close to public transportation, but I’d only book this over the Central YHA if you really want to save money.

Melbourne Itinerary Map & Overview

Finally, we are at the itinerary portion! Here is the overview of my Melbourne itinerary:

• Day 5 : Day trips from Melbourne

And to make it easier to visualize, here is a map to go with the itinerary! (If you can’t see the map,  click here )

🗺 Save this map to your phone!  If you are a Google user, click on the image of the map above. The map will then be saved to your “Recent” maps viewed.  Click here for instructions on how to view the map later . It will work from your phone too.

OK, let’s get to the details of my 5-day Itinerary in Melbourne:

Day 1: Get your bearings around Melbourne Central

The Melbourne Central area is not a big place. With the City Circle tram being free for tourists, it makes for an easy first-day itinerary of Melbourne!

First of all, as I have alluded to before, the center of Melbourne is called the Hoddle Grid . And that’s because that’s how central Melbourne looks like – it’s made up of a perfectly rectangular, neat grid of streets.

1. Queen Victoria Market

Start your day at the famous Queen Victoria Market, a large open-air market that is a landmark of Melbourne. You can explore the market and sample the food as you walk around. I ended up buying a few bottles of wine and some cheese from the market.

It’s also the perfect place to grab breakfast and a cup of coffee. By the way, it’s a crime to come to Melbourne and not drink their coffee. This city has the best cafes in the world. For one that is close to the market, you can try Market Lane Coffee.

2. Eureka Skydeck on the 88th floor of Eureka Tower

From Queen Victoria Market, you can take the City Circle tram down to Flinder Street and cross the Yarra River to the Southbank area, where Eureka Tower is located.

Tip! You can buy the Eureka Skydeck 88 Entry Ticket for cheaper using this link .

Eureka Tower is the second tallest skyscraper in Australia and they have an observation deck open for the public on the 88th floor, where you can get a good view of Melbourne and beyond (Trivia: The tallest building in Australia is the Q1 building in Gold Coast, which I also went up to !)

PS: While I loved the Skydeck, I do NOT recommend paying extra for “The Edge” experience unless maybe you’re traveling with kids. We did, and it was more akin to a ride at a local amusement park. I would have much preferred just spending more time in the Skydeck itself.

3. Walk around Southbank

After the Skydeck, you should definitely take some time and walk around the Southbank area. Especially if the weather is great and if you happen to be here during Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. The entire area would just be buzzing with activities and live music.

Along the Yarra River, you’ll find nice restaurants, cafes, and places to chill before continuing to the next destination.

4. Melbourne Parliament House

Also located along the city circle tram route, the Melbourne Parliament House is a cool spot to spend a few hours in. I was lucky they were having their open day when I was in Melbourne – the parliament house is open to the public on weekdays from 8:30 – 5:30 pm ( see hours and visiting information here ).

You can take a look at beautiful architecture that dates back to the gold rush days and visits the chambers where Victoria MPs make the laws and debate the issues that affect the residents.

5. State Library Victoria

State Library Victoria is Australia’s oldest public library, opened in 1856. It is also one of the world’s first free public libraries. Aside from being a library, it also houses the city’s most beautiful heritage architecture, as you can see from the highly photographed La Trobe Reading room.

6. Explore the Alleys of Melbourne

Once you’re done with the library, it’s time to get off the city circle tram route and enter the central area. I don’t think you need to have a specific destination for this, the central area can be easily explored on foot.

You can of course do this by yourself, but if you prefer to be guided, here are some walking tours you can check out.

• Melbourne Walking Tour
• Melbourne Hidden Bars Tour

Day 2: See arts and culture in Melbourne

One of the huge reasons why I love Melbourne so much is for the arts and culture. If you like visiting museums, you’ll love this itinerary!

1. Melbourne Museum

I almost missed out on this museum – I had left this to visit on my very last day in Melbourne, and that’s only because my mate Mitch (who lives in Melbourne) recommended me to visit on my second to last day. But I’m SO glad I didn’t miss it! Melbourne Museum was such a fun place to visit. There are bits of natural history and science as well as cultural Australian history sprinkled in, as well as interactive displays. Unfortunately, I had to rush when I visited this museum, but you should definitely dedicate at least 3 hours here if you love natural history. I found the gemstone exhibit to be particularly memorable – they’re all so sparkly!

The Melbourne Museum is open 9am–5pm daily ( more info )

2. National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)

Often referred to by its abbreviation NGV, this museum was one of the best contemporary art museums I’ve ever been to. As with many museums, their exhibit changes but you can see what’s currently on here .

During the time of my visit, I was lucky to catch the last month of the Triennial exhibit. The exhibit featured the work of over 100 artists from around the world including the likes of Yayoi Kusama (made even more famous by Instagram through her Infinity Room installation at The Broad in Los Angeles ) and Ron Mueck (known for his lifelike yet bizarre sculptures and whom I later found out is a native Melbournian).

Entry to NGV is free, and it’s open daily 10am–5pm

3. See the Street Art and Graffiti lanes in Melbourne

Just like how it’s a crime to not drink coffee while in Melbourne, a visit to this city is not complete without seeing the street art! You don’t even have to try hard as the city is already filled with amazing graffiti and street paintings, but the most famous streets are AC/DC Lane, Hosier Lane, and Desgraves Street . If you like what you see there, I recommend going to Fitzroy to check out the street art there too – but don’t worry, I have an entire day dedicated to Fitzroy in this itinerary already 😉

Tip: For those of you who want to gain more insights into the graffiti and street art culture of Melbourne, I recommend booking the Melbourne street art tour , run by the street artists themselves.

4. Have some Melbourne “Magic” Coffee

We all know that a flat white is an Australian thing, but have you heard of magic? I spotted this at one of the cafes in Melbourne and I just had to order it. Turns out Magic is just another coffee drink, specifically, it is steamed milk poured over a double ristretto, served in a 6-ounce cup, which results in a stronger-tasting coffee.

Personally, I’m not bougie enough to appreciate the difference. All coffee with milk taste similar to me, but I definitely kept ordering magic when I was in Melbourne. I haven’t seen it anywhere else in the world, and besides, it’s more fun to say “Can I have magic?” to your barista 😛

5. Stroll around Fitzroy Gardens

The garden is called Fitzroy Garden, but it’s actually closer to the central area than it is to Fitzroy. It’s actually only a block away from the central area and it’s a great place to have a morning stroll, or if you’re in Melbourne during fall, you can catch some autumn foliage here!

Make sure to stop by Cook’s Cottage , a reconstruction of an original brick cottage originally built in England in 1755 by the family of Captain James Cook. Yes, they brought them from England to Australia brick by brick and rebuilt the house here!

Day 3: Explore Fitzroy

Fitzroy is Melbourne’s super cool alternative side. It’s located not too far away from the central area – in fact, you can walk to the heart of Fitzroy from Melbourne Central in about half an hour. Or you can grab an Uber for AU$ 10-15.

Tip: If you want to know more about Fitzroy, you can book this walking tour .

I recommend starting out with brunch at Stagger Lee’s Cafe or Smith & Daughters (vegan restaurant), before exploring the fun shops along Brunswick Street. They’ve got all kinds of shops from vintage to high-end shops along the street.

Don’t forget to walk around the alleys in Fitzroy too! You never know what you’ll find. We walked along a small alley between Brunswick Street and Young Street near Johnson Street and found a ton of street art there.

For dinner, you can head to Easey’s , a super cool burger joint on a converted train car that’s on a rooftop of a building – don’t ask me how they got that up there. Then after dinner, go back to Brunswick Street for a fun night out! The area is buzzing with activity especially if you’re there during a weekend night. You can check out Naked for Satan for a rooftop bar.

Special thank you mates Mitch & Chay for showing us around! <3

Day 4: Enjoy the beach at St Kilda and Brighton

You cannot visit Melbourne without going to St Kilda and Brighton, a suburban area south of Melbourne central that’s known as an affluent beachside area. They are pretty close to each other and easily accessible from Flinder street station, so take your Myki card and head down there!

I didn’t make it down to Brighton last time, but the most popular thing on Brighton Beach are these colorful bright bathing houses from the early 1900s, used for ladies to change into their swimming suits back in the day. Nowadays, they are not just empty small wooden houses – they have become one of the most expensive real estate in Australia, with one of the boxes sold for $285,000 in 2016 !

If you’re up for it, you can walk from Brighton up to St Kilda. The walk is a scenic route through the coastal line and would take you approximately 2 hours.

I recommend visiting the St Kilda Pier and walking around the boardwalk area, where you can find booths set up by local jewelry designers and artists. If you’re around until sunset, you might be able to spot the St Kilda Penguins at the pier too!

Day 5: Escape from the city – do a short day trip!

While Melbourne is a super cool city, a trip to Australia isn’t complete without a road trip to see beautiful nature outside of city life! In Australia, it’s always a good idea to rent a car and explore on your own. You can rent a car here in Melbourne and drive on the great ocean road.

However, if you cannot drive, then you can join a tour instead. Here are some destinations you can go to escape the city:

Great Ocean Road Day Tour – I went on this tour on my first visit to Melbourne. The Great Ocean Road is a famous driving route, often referred to as one of the world’s most scenic coastal drives. This is the perfect place to visit if you have a few days for a road trip. However, it’s doable as a day trip from Melbourne too! One of the most popular highlights of the drive is called the Twelve Apostles, a collection of limestone pillars that are slowly being reclaimed back by nature. It’s reachable from Melbourne in a few hour’s drive.

Yarra Valley Wine and Cheese Tour – I’ve always seen wine bottles from Yarra Valley, so if you’re a wine and cheese enthusiast, you definitely need to make it out here! There’s nothing like sipping on a glass of wine and cheese locally produced right on the spot.

Grampians National Park – If you are the adventurous type who enjoys being in nature, hiking, and chasing waterfalls, then this is the perfect destination for you. Much like Great Ocean Road, Grampians is great as a multi-day trip destination but it’s doable as a day trip from Melbourne although it will require you to wake up early and come back late.

Mornington Peninsula Hiking Tour – This place is a popular day trip destination for those who want to get out of the city for a hike but something not too far from Melbourne. It’s only about an hour away from Melbourne.

Phillip Island Day Tour – Philip Island is yet another popular day trip option from Melbourne. The island is famous for its wildlife – you can see penguins and koalas!

Skydive in Melbourne – Australia is one of the best places in the world to do skydiving! From Melbourne, you can choose skydiving locations from Yarra Valley, the Great Ocean Road, or near the city center.

Where to Eat and Drink in Melbourne

I guess after visiting a city three times, I have a thing or fifteen to recommend. Here are some places I enjoyed while I was in Melbourne! (Don’t worry, this is all marked in my Melbourne travel maps I shared before)

Brunch and Cafes

• The Hardware Societe – the chorizo baked eggs are their most famous dish!
• Higher Ground – Beautiful place and very popular with loooong wait so you must come early. We tried going, but was turned down by the long line.
• Stagger Lee’s Cafe (in Fitzroy)
• Smith & Daughter (in Fitzroy) – Vegan restaurant

It’s a crime to visit Melbourne and not try their coffee. This city has the best cafes in the world. Don’t forget to try Melbourne Magic Coffee!

• Manchester Press (also great for Brunch)
• The League of Honest Coffee
• Brother Baba Budan
• Market Lane Coffee – in Queen Victoria Market

For Lunch or Dinner

• Cookie – Modern Thai dishes in the middle of downtown Melbourne.
• Chin Chin – Asian-inspired menu. Quite possibly the most popular restaurant in Melbourne. requires a reservation, especially on weekend dinner/brunch time
• Cumulus Inc – delicious Australian food. The menu changes, so I can’t recommend a specific dish but I’ve been here twice and it was a really good experience both times
• Royal Stacks – Great place for burgers!
• Betty’s Burgers – I had Betty’s Burget in Gold Coast and I was glad to see them here in Melbourne too!
• Easey’s (in Fitzroy) – Super cool eatery, where you eat inside a train car… but on a rooftop of a building.
• Menya Ramen – This is not the typical Melbourne recommendation, but this restaurant is super famous among Asian visitors (or maybe it’s just us Indonesians?), not for the ramen but for the great value Gyu Tan Don – aka grilled beef tongue over rice.
• Chuckle Park Bar – get your cocktails and craft beers from a caravan, in a nicely decorated alley!
• Rooftop Bar at Curtin House – a chilled-out, open-air bar on the rooftop in the middle of central Melbourne.
• Cherry Bar – Iconic bar located in Melbourne’s AC/DC lane. They had a live rock band when we visited.
• Brunswick Street in Fitzroy – a street in Fitzroy known for cafes, live music venues, and alternative fashion shops. Check out Naked for Satan if you want drinks and enjoy the nightlife!
• Australia Open in (usually) January – If you’re a tennis fan and in town while the tournament is happening, don’t miss a chance to go down to Melbourne Park.
• Australian Grand Prix (usually) in the first half of the year – For F1 fans, if you are in town for the Grand Prix, the Albert Park circuit is not too far from central Melbourne!
• Melbourne Cup in November – This horse racing event is arguably one of Australia’s biggest annual sporting events. The event is held on the first Tuesday in November each year and is known locally as “the race that stops a nation” as every Australian will stop what they’re doing and crowd around the telly. People will also dress up in race day attire (formal) and attend the race, which (in a true Aussie fashion) often involves day drinking.
• The World’s Longest Lunch in March – this is an annual event usually held as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in March, where diners get to enjoy a meal at the 500m long table. Check out the Melbourne and Wine Festival website for more information!
• Regional World’s Longest Lunch in March – If you can’t score a seat at the Melbourne Longest Lunch, fret not! They hold the longest lunch in regional areas outside of Melbourne too. I attended one in Yarra Valley last year, and it was an amazing experience. Read about my Regional World’s Longest Lunch post here.
• Not visiting during these months? Fret not, check out the Melbourne events calendar here to see what’s on during your visit!

That’s all I have on Melbourne! If you are visiting the city, let me know what you think of it!

29 Comments

• March 31, 2023

Awesome tips! As a local we definitely agree with many of these!!

• February 21, 2023

Excellent article! Melbourne has so many great little nooks for food and adventures.

• March 29, 2024

Are 3 stars hotel good to stay in? Any good locations so I can check prices? 4 stars would be good to. And are they all on the free tram line?

• October 28, 2022

Good read! Amazing! Would love to visit Melbourne someday. And if I ever get to visit, I will definitely comeback to this post! Thanks!

• September 2, 2022

Awesome tips and stunning pictures. Thanks for sharing.

• August 13, 2022

This was so helpful when I was looking for ideas of thing to do with my parents. Thank you!

• June 30, 2022

I will be going to Melbourne from 25 to 30 Dec 2022. I intend to spend 26 Dec and 27 Dec exploring Melbourne City. 29 Dec I intend to go Chadstone The Fashion Capital as it is late night shopping This leave me 28 Dec free. I am torn between going to visit Penguin Island as a day trip or use 28 Dec to explore Melbourne or catch some musical like Phantom (it is showing) since 26 Dec likely most shop are close. I did not conside Yarra or Mornington since I don’t drink. GOR I think 2 days is better and I intend to cover GOR next year when u am back in Melbourne.

What is your suggestion? Thanks for advice.

Hey Yien! It really depends on your preference! I personally would go for Penguin Island just because I love the nature in Australia. December in Melbourne should have good weather too, so I would definitely prefer to be outside.

• February 22, 2022

Thank you very much for all your beautiful pictures and ideas!! We are going to visit Australia next month. You give/ gave us a lot of inspiration!!!

• February 21, 2022

Hi, I’m thinking of going solo to Melbourne. Would you say it’s safe for a solo female traveller?

Hi Eity, absolutely! I’ve been to Melbourne 3 times now, and 2 of those were done solo and I would highly recommend it. Of course as always exercise common sense and always be vigilant.

• December 14, 2021

Great itinerary! Thanks for sharing informative and helpful content.

• December 6, 2021

Nice article, it helped us a lot to explore. I am an entrepreneur by profession and a traveler by heart. Your article made our stay exciting.

• November 17, 2021

Oh wow, this is a great guide! I hope I can visit Australia someday 🙂 Great photos too!

• December 8, 2019

Stunning photos Melissa. I’m currently in Vietnam and the coffee culture here is crazy. I’ve got hooked on coffee in Vietnam completely. Can’t wait to visit Melbourne and try the coffee there.

• November 13, 2019

Parliament house at Melbourne has a beautifully built architecture. Very English. Getting here is quite easy, the central circle tram stops here.

• November 10, 2019

As a Melbourne native I really enjoyed your fascinating insight into my city. I am always surprised by what visitors find worthy to recommend. Thank you for your insight… great stuff.

• November 11, 2019

Thanks Wayne!

• October 6, 2019

Can you recommend me a zoo in Melbourne?

Melbourne Zoo is excellent but I would recommend the Werribee Open Range Zoo west of the city. You would need to drive as public transport to that part of Victoria is only average. The safari out there with the Rhinos etc is fascinating… and the Elephants from Melbourne Zoo have recently been moved there as well. For native Australian animals you need Healesville Sanctuary. Probably a day trip as it’s a solid hours drive from the city centre. Have fun.

• September 20, 2019

What are the halal food outlets in CBD?

Hey Shana, I don’t have dietary restriction so did not pay attention to halal eateries. However, I suggest checking out this page: https://www.havehalalwilltravel.com/14-muslim-friendly-eateries-melbourne they listed some places in CBD.

• September 9, 2019

what tourist sim card with data to use for melbourne & sydney on a 2 week tour?

Hey Elle, I used prepaid from vodafone when I was there, but I heard Boost is good too.

• June 21, 2019

Great, your Blog on Melbourne tour is very nice & informative. The contents provided by you is good. Keep going..!!

• June 18, 2019

Very comprehensive list, Girl Eat World — this Melburnian approves 😉 A few of my favourite places that I always take friends visiting are: – Rooftop Bar in the CBD – Section 8 bar in the CBD – Lentil as Anything in Abbotsford Convent – Dolan Uyghur Food Heaven in CBD – Yarra Valley Dairy for cheese in Yarra Valley – Colourful Yunnan near Melbourne University (yes, Melbourne is a hub for fantastic Asian food) – I live in Brunswick, and some of my favourite places in Brunswick to eat are: A1 Bakery for cheap Lebanese pizza and pastries, A Minor Place for brunch, Small Axe and Padre for coffee, Very Good Falafel for an exceptionally good falafel. Brunswick is a good place to get an affordable AirBnb because it’s only 20 mins by train/tram away from the CBD.

THanks Maz!!! I’ll bookmark these places for my next visit to Melbourne!!

• May 20, 2019

How to use free city circle tram get to st kilda beach?

• May 21, 2019

hey rosli. you can’t get to st kilda using the free city tram. you have to get a myki card and take the paid tram

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Melbourne 7D6N Itinerary - Day 1 & 2

Share This Story

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Pin this Post

You Might Also Like

Wow, amazing and so beautiful! www.pelicanpreschool.nsw.edu.au/

recent posts

Blog archive.

MELBOURNE TRAVEL GUIDE with Budget Itinerary

Our first day in Melbourne was a series of unfortunate events.

We spent our first two hours wandering aimlessly along its almost empty streets. I was supposed to rely on data roaming on my first day, but for some reason, my service provider decided to cut my line despite having paid my bill in full even before my trip. It would have been easy finding a pocket wifi or SIM card but our plane landed in the early morning, at 3am, and none of the shops at the airport or the city were open. I connected to the airport wifi for a minute to load Google maps and search for some info and decided to head out to my hotel.

Without access to the internet, we took the bus and successfully reached the city only to end up boarding the wrong tram, taking us farther from my hotel. LOL. We tried hailing a cab, but there weren’t that many passing by and none of them would stop. With luggage in tow, we decided to just walk to the taxi queue that we spotted earlier, eight blocks away. The cold, cold mid-autumn wind was sweeping Melbourne’s wide streets. When we finally arrived at the hotel, the receptionist greeted us with a warm, warm welcome. I knew it would be too early for check-in, but she smilingly shared that there was already an available room and that we could check in if we so preferred. “It’s your lucky day,” she said. She had no idea.

When I finally hit the bed to rest, I was immediately reminded of the first years of The Poor Traveler. We built this blog to document our misadventures and share tips to our readers so they could learn from our mistakes. This trip is one of our most unforgettable because we made a lot of mistakes along the way. So here’s our Melbourne Travel Guide, and here’s hoping you’ll learn from it.

WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS GUIDE?

UNDERSTANDING MELBOURNE

Melbourne is located along the southern edge of Australia. It is cradled in the sheltered Port Phillip Bay, which opens up to Bass Strait, separating the mainland from the island of Tasmania.

Way before Europeans arrived, Australian Aborigines have inhabited the area for thousands of years. In the 19th century, free settlers from Tasmania (called Van Diemen’s Land at the time) moved to this corner of the Australian continent. Other groups of settlers followed. Back then, the area was part of the British colony of New South Wales. On 30 August 1835, the city was founded, named after the Prime Minister of Britain at the time, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne. The next decades saw a gold rush fueling the fast development and population growth of the city.

Today, Melbourne is the capital of the Australian state of Victoria. Next only to Sydney, it is Australia’s second largest city, home to around 5 million residents, and one of the most visited by travelers, with its main airport welcoming over 35 million passengers in 2016-17.

Here are some useful bits about Melbourne.

• Location : Melbourne is part of Victoria, Australia. It’s on the southern hemisphere, so they enjoy summer in December-February and winter in June-August. Coordinates: 37°48′49″S 144°57′47″E.
• Time Zone : UTC+10. Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Melbourne is ahead of the Philippines, Singapore or Malaysia by 2 hours, and ahead of Japan by 1 hour. Daylight saving time is in effect in summer: AEDT (UTC+11).
• Language : English is spoken by the majority. But Mandarin, Greek, Italian and Vietnamese are spoken by a significant fraction of the population.
• Currency : Australian Dollar (AUD). AUD1 is roughly PHP36, USD0.7, SGD 0.95, EUR0.62, (as of July 2019). If you have Maestro, Cirrus, Visa, MasterCard Debit cards, you can withdraw from ATMs. Or before your flight, go to your local bank and buy AUDs.
• Modes of Payment : Cash and credit cards are both commonly accepted but the city is moving in the cashless direction.

WHERE TO STAY IN MELBOURNE

If you look at the map of Melbourne, you’ll find that it is split into two by the Yarra River. The city is further divided into several districts, but travelers can focus on five areas, which I’ll discuss below.

• Central Business District (CBD) , located north of Yarra River. In many cities around the world, the financial district is separated from its old town. In Melbourne, the CBD is also its historical core, which makes it the most ideal place to stay for tourists. It is well-connected to many other parts of the city and surrounding suburbs.
• Docklands , also north of Yarra River but west of the CBD. Think of it as Melbourne’s marina. There isn’t much activity here on a regular day, but attractions include the Marvel Stadium, the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel, and some shopping centers.
• Southbank , which stands on the southern banks of the river, hence the name (duh). This is the city’s entertainment center with a theater complex and the Crown Casino area.
• Inner North , the area in the immediate north of the CBD. Its map is shaded by a number of gardens and parks, but the most popular tourist spot is the Melbourne Zoo.
• St. Kilda , south of the city center. It has emerged as the city’s backpacking district; thanks to its vibrant nightlife, accessible bay beach, and a multitude of affordable hostels and restaurants. Attractions include Luna Park and the Sunday art market.

BEST AREA TO STAY IN MELBOURNE

Which is the best area? Well, it depends on a lot of things.

If I’m traveling with family or friends, I’ll definitely choose the CBD. Everything else is also easily accessible from here. But if I’m traveling alone, I’ll probably consider St. Kilda. There are also direct buses from the airport to both areas.

If you choose to stay in CBD, pick a hotel or hostel near a train station, so you don’t need to walk long distances or rely on the tram too much if you decide to see attractions outside the city. In particular, consider the areas close to the following:

• Central Station
• Southern Cross Station

Both are in a good location: bursting with cheap lodging, dining, and shopping options. But I believe that Southern Cross Station is more ideal. I stayed near Central because I cluelessly assumed that it is the city’s main station. It turned out that Southern Cross Station is the real heart of the city because most train arteries pass through this area especially if you plan on seeing the suburbs and attractions outside the city like Werribee. In fact, I often find myself making a transfer at Southern Cross when I’m coming from Central.

Several bus lines also start or terminate at Southern Cross. Many organized tours also have their meet-up points somewhere around the area. So yep, it’s Southern Cross for me.

The most common accommodations in Melbourne are hotels. All of them are expensive, especially if you’re used to Southeast Asian rates. But cost of living in general is pretty high. There are budget hotels available in the CBD. Another slightly more affordable option is booking an apartment or a room in a residential building or area. Hostels are also available.

Below are the top-rated properties on Agoda, as scored by customers.

Top Budget Hotels in Melbourne

• ibis Melbourne Central. Check Rates & Availability! ✅
• Brady Hotels Central Melbourne. Check Rates & Availability! ✅
• Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne. Check Rates & Availability! ✅
• The Jazz Corner Hotel. Check Rates & Availability! ✅

Top Melbourne Apartments for Rent

• The Escape in Southern Cross Station. Check Rates & Availability! ✅
• AML Apartment. Check Rates & Availability! ✅
• Nest-Apartments Sea View Apartments. Check Rates & Availability! ✅

Top Melbourne Hostels & Dormitories

For budget travelers and backpackers, staying at a hostel is a great idea. Not only do you save some bucks, you also get to meet other travelers. You can find hostels near Southern Cross Station (Melbourne Central YHA) or other parts of CBD that offer beds for as low as A$30 per night.

Most hostels also have an open kitchen where you can cook your own meals. You get to save a lot on food this way.

• United Backpackers. Check Rates & Availability! ✅
• Melbourne Central YHA. Check Rates & Availability! ✅
• Space Hotel. Check Rates & Availability! ✅
• Europa Melbourne. Check Rates & Availability! ✅
• Nomads Melbourne Backpackers. Check Rates & Availability! ✅

Search for more Melbourne Hotels!

HOW TO GET TO MELBOURNE

As one of Australia’s most popular destinations, Melbourne is connected by air to numerous cities around the world and over 30 other destinations in Australia. It is served by two airports:

• Melbourne Airport (MEL), also known as Tullamarine Airport because it’s located in the suburb of Tullamarine, north of the city center. As the bigger airport, it is used by more airlines including Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.
• Avalon Airport (AVV), located in Avalon in Geelong City, 50 km southwest of Melbourne. It’s used primarily by JetStar and AirAsia.

If you’re coming from Manila, the easiest and most convenient flights are offered by Philippine Airlines. PAL, the country’s four-star flag-carrier, uses a 309-seater Airbus A330-300. They use the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. Travel time is only around 8 hours.

Regular fares can go as low as USD233 one-way, which can still go lower when there’s a promo. All bookings come with FREE 25kg baggage allowance and a hot meal, a snack, and complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

All seats are equipped with personal TV screen featuring an impressive collection of movies and series, and in-seat USB power supply! I binge-watched episodes of Young Sheldon onboard! Haha. It’s also myPAL wi-fi enabled!

MELBOURNE AIRPORT TO CITY CENTER

The easiest way to travel between the airport and the city center is by taking the SkyBus , which runs for 24 hours (varying frequencies throughout the day). The journey lasts 30-45 minutes, depending on traffic.

After emerging from the Immigration and Customs inspection area, head to the exit to your right. Immediately outside, you’ll fine the SkyBus stop. You’ll know you’re at the right place when you see the electronic ticket kiosks and a ticket booth.

You can book a SkyBus ticket via the electronic machines here. Note that these machines don’t accept cash, only credit cards. Fare: AUD 19.75, one-way; AUD 38, roundtrip. All buses are equipped with FREE wifi.

You can also book online. You can score a slight discount if you book with Klook ahead of time.

There is also a cheaper option: taking the public bus. But it takes a lot longer! If you’re interested, you can read about it here: MELBOURNE AIRPORT TO CITY CENTER!

AVALON AIRPORT TO MELBOURNE CITY CENTER

Avalon Airport (AVV) is located in the city of Geelong, roughly an hour away from Melbourne CBD. Just like at Melbourne Airport, you can catch the SkyBus to the city center. However, it is NOT available 24 hours.

• First trip: 9am
• Last trip: 12 midnight

The bus passes through Werribee before reaching Melbourne. It terminates at Southern Cross Station.

• Fare: A$24 one-way, A$46 round-trip.
• Travel time: 1 hour.

You can book at the airport when you arrive but you can also book online in advance for a slight discount.

SOUTHERN CROSS STATION TO YOUR HOTEL

Whether they’re coming from Melbourne Airport or Avalon Airport, all SkyBus units bound for Melbourne CBD terminates at Southern Cross Station . If your hotel is nearby, you can just walk from the station. This is just one of the reasons why the Southern Cross area is the best place to stay in the city. Just use Google Map to navigate.

If your hotel is located in other parts of the CBD, you have plenty of options too. If you’re arriving between 6:30am and 7:30pm, you can avail of the complimentary transfer from Southern Cross Station to a stop near your hotel. This is FREE-OF-CHARGE for those who took the SkyBus. It operates 7 days a week, 06:30 to 19:30. You can find the stop closest to your hotel here .

If your hotel is closer to Central Station, you can also travel by tram (free), train (fare: A$4.40), taxi (fare: around A$10.6), or Uber (around A$8.6) to Central area.

HOW TO GET AROUND MELBOURNE

If traveling within CBD, I prefer walking. Melbourne is a very pretty city, with a distinct European vibe that other Australian cities don’t possess. You’ll also stumble upon delightful surprises like artful graffiti and food kiosks.

By Public Transportation

There are plenty of options to get around including trams, trains and buses. But how do you know which is the best option for your desired destination? If you own a smartphone, you can download the PTV app. PTV stands for Public Transport Victoria, the agency that governs and runs the tram, train, and bus systems in this part of Australia. You can download here: iOS , Android .

On the app’s Journey Planner, enter your origin and destination and it will present a selection of routes that you may take. Pick one based on your schedule and preferences.

FREE Tram Zone

For visitors, one of the best things about Melbourne is its iconic FREE TRAM . You don’t need to get any sort of pass or ticket to avail of this; just hop into the tram. It’s FREE as long as you’re traveling WITHIN the FREE TRAM ZONE.

If your starting or ending point is outside the zone, the A$4.40 2-hour rate will apply.

Outside the free tram zone, you have plenty of options. But wait, before that, let me introduce to you the myki .

How Does the myki Card Work?

Melbourne’s public transportation systems no longer accept cash payments. Instead, they use the so-called myki , an electronic reloadable card. Even if you’re a tourist staying in Melbourne for a few days, you will need to get a myki card if you want to use the train and the bus, and the tram outside the free zone.

The problem is: myki is confusing to newbies.

So how does it work? Using it is easy to understand. Onboard the tram and the bus and at the entrance gate to the train station, you simply “touch on” the card at the start of the journey and “touch off” when you reach your destination. Easy.

It’s the pricing that is a bit complicated. But it gets less confusing once you get the hang of it. Let us break it down:

• The card costs AUD 6. That’s just for the card itself. You will need to top it up after.
• The standard fare is AUD 4.40, which is good for 2 hours — that is 2 hours from the moment you first use or touch on the card. However, if you touch on after 6pm, the 2-hour fare is valid until 3am the next day.
• The daily fare is AUD 8.80. This is the maximum you can spend per day as long as you’re traveling within Melbourne City (Zone 1) and suburbs (Zone 2). Meaning, if you use the card once, you’re gonna get charged A$4.40 for the first 2 hours. If you use it again after 2 hours, you’ll be charged A$8.80, valid for another 2 hours. But if after 2 hours, you decide to use it again, you will no longer be charged because the A$8.80 daily cap is already reached. Same with succeeding uses on that day. It sort of automatically becomes an unlimited pass.
• On weekends, the daily cap is only AUD 6.40. Same reduced rate applies to public holidays.
• A 7-Day myki Pass is available for only AUD 44. This is a good deal if you’re exploring Melbourne for 7 days. Note that these are consecutive days.
• Passengers 5-18 years old can avail of the 50% concession discount. The card price becomes only A$3, weekday fare A$2.20 for 2 hours, daily rate A$4.40, weekend daily cap A$3.2, and 7-day pass cost A$22. Passengers younger than 5yo can travel for FREE.
• You don’t need a myki when traveling by tram within the FREE Tram Zone. If you have a myki, you DO NOT need to touch on your card if within the Free Tram Zone. But if your starting or ending point is outside the zone, the A$4.40 2-hour rate will apply.

Here’s a quick summary of the fares (as of 2019).

There is actually a lower fare that applies when traveling within Zone 2 (suburbs far from the city center), but since most tourists will be coming from Zone 1, let’s not go into detail because it will just make matters more complicated.

IMPORTANT! Don’t forget to touch on and touch off when traveling outside the free zone. Ticket inspectors sometimes patrol the area and make random checks. I’ve seen it before. If you’re caught trying to score free rides, you may be fined around A$250!

MORE INFO: MELBOURNE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

By Uber or Taxi

If you’re in a hurry and money is not an issue, you may take the taxi or Uber.

Uber is generally cheaper than taxi. I once tried taking a cab from Southern Cross to Central Station and I was charged A$ 10.60 for the ride. Another day, I used Uber on the same route and paid only A$ 8.60.

By Sightseeing Bus

Another way to get around Melbourne conveniently is by taking the Sightseeing Bus, which passes by 27 attractions throughout the city (including St. Kilda). As you go around, you can get more information about each stop with the audio commentary guide installed at each seat. If you feel like you want to explore a site further, you can hop off easily and just wait for the next sightseeing bus when you’re done.

There are two routes: Melbourne City Tour and St. Kilda Tour. You can switch to experience both, if you have the time. There are two variants available: 24-hour and 48-hour passes.

THINGS TO DO IN MELBOURNE

Great ocean road.

Melbourne is already my seventh destination in Australia but I have to say that the Great Ocean Road is one of the most breathtaking journeys I have taken. This 243-km road runs along the southern coast of Victoria, Australia. Constructed by soldiers from 1919 to 1932, it is the largest war memorial ever built in the world.

The Great Ocean Road starts from the city of Torquay and ends in Allansford, but tours usually culminate at the 12 Apostles site, a group of limestone isles at the Port Campbell National Park. The park and its spectacular views became the highlight of our entire trip. If you can do only one tour from Melbourne, make it this one!

I don’t think it’s ideal to do this by public transport, so you’re left with two options: by car or by group tour. If you know how to drive and you have a driving license, do it. Otherwise, join a group tour, like we did. (We don’t drive!)

The great thing about joining a group tour is you get to learn more about each stop. Along the way, you’ll drop by some scenic viewpoints and meet koalas and native birds like the Australian cockatoo!

Melbourne City Tour

The map of Melbourne’s city center is dotted with several historic landmarks and interesting spots including the following:

• Federation Square
• Melbourne Museum
• Old Melbourne Gaol

Queen Victoria Market

• Melbourne Zoo
• Fiztroy Gardens

You can go around in many ways. For short distances, you can simply walk or take the free tram. For longer distances, you may take the train or the bus, as detailed in the How to Get Around section above. Just enter the attraction or the nearest station on the PTV app and follow the directions.

You can also take the hop-on hop-off bus tour. The City Sightseeing Bus will take you to 27 spots around the Melbourne city center and St. Kilda. Booking a pass means you have unlimited access to this bus for 24 or 48 hours.

The Queen Victoria Market, aka Vic Market, is one of the most popular spots in Melbourne. At seven hectares occupying two blocks, this 19th century market is the largest market in the city and the largest open-air market in all of the Southern Hemisphere.

It is divided into several sections trading a smorgasbord of products — meat, deli, organics, and dry goods, to name some. There’s also a small food court within the complex. But the most popular section among tourists is the Dairy Produce Hall, where you can enjoy tasty international snacks. Here are some of the treats you shouldn’t miss.

• Borek Shop (Dairy Produce Hall). A borek is a Turkish delicacy which is basically baked filled pastry. The filling can be a number of ingredients, but here at Vic Market’s Borek Shop, they offer three versions: cheese and spinach, potato and vegies, and spicy lamb. Cheese-and-spinach seems to be the most popular, but I have a love-hate relationship with cheese, so we got the lamb borek. We loved it. My mom, especially. She even bought another one and took it back to our hotel. Haha. Price: A$4 each.
• Bratwurst Shop & Co. (Dairy Produce Hall). Bratwurst is a variety of German sausage traditionally made of veal or beef. Not sure what type of meat is used by this shop, but I think it’s beef and pork. They have a wide selection: spicy, mild, cheese, black pepper, weisswurst. The sausages are grilled nicely and then put in a roll. You also get to choose the trimmings including mustard and sauerkraut. Price: A$5 for the sausage only, A$5.80 with all the trimmings.
• American Doughnut Kitchen (Outside, Queen Street). This donut shop whips out jam-filled goodness, best enjoyed hot. After trying it, I even returned another day to have another dose of it. That’s how much I enjoyed these donuts! Set in a 1950s van, you’ll find it parked along Queen Street, right in front of the Organics section. It’s impossible to miss because of the long, long queue leading to it. Don’t worry because the line moves fast. Price: A$5.50 for 5 dougnuts.

Some months, they also open a Night Market at the same site, but this is not open year-round. Usually there’s one in winter.

You can totally do this on your own (as I did), but if you want to learn more about the market — historically and gastronomically — you can join a food tour!

Klook’s food tour includes not only the stroll but tasting some of the best that the market has to offer. You’ll also enjoy a glass of Victorian wine!

How to get to Queen Victoria Market: Ride a Yarra Tram (Route 19, 57, 58 or 59), which stops outside the Market. If you’re staying near Melbourne Central, you can just walk. It’s only a few blocks away. Operating hours: Tuesday, Thursday, 6am-2pm; Friday, 6-am-5pm; Saturday, 6am-3am; Sunday: 9am-4pm. Closed: Mondays, Wednesdays.

Melbourne Star Observation Wheel

Spinning slowly at the Docklands, the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel faces Port Phillip Bay. At 120 meters, its highest point offers wonderful 360-degree views of the harbor and the central business district. It is perfect for families.

Klook sells DISCOUNTED and skip-the-line tickets to this wheel. When you book with Klook, all you need to do is print out or save the voucher on your phone. No need to fall in line for tickets. No need to exchange it for another ticket. Just walk straight though the entrance and find the boarding queues. There are two lines: alcohol and non-alcohol. An in-cabin audio guide will add depth to your experience.

Eureka Skydeck

At 297m, the Eureka Tower is the tallest building in Melbourne and the second tallest building in Australia. Visitors may take the southern hemisphere’s speediest elevator to its observation deck, at 285 meters above ground, for a fantastic 360-degree view of the city.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can avail of the Skydeck+Edge package and stand on the glass floor!

How to get there: Take the train to Flinders Street Station then travel on foot over the bridge to the other side of the river. The walk should take about five minutes. Hours open: 10am – 10pm, daily. Last entry is 9:30pm.

Phillip Island

Phillip Island is situated southeast of Melbourne, over 3 hours away by train/bus or around 2 hours by car. As a tourist destination, it is best known for the nightly Penguin Parade, in which fairy penguins, walk on the shore in groups after a day of fishing. The fairy penguins are the smallest species of penguins in the world. It attracts about 3.5 million visitors every year.

Although it doesn’t look much on the map, Phillip Island is huge. Aside from the Phillip Island Nature Park, where the penguin parade happens, it is also home to the historic Churchill Heritage Farm, the Koala Conservation Centre, and the Seal Rocks, where you can see dozens of fur seals frolicking on the coast.

It’s easy to reach Phillip Island by public transportation. You can catch a V/L bus at Southern Cross Station going to Cowes, which is the main township of Phillip Island. ( Schedule here! ) But there’s a catch. The buses are few and far between. That’s not all.

‼️ IMPORTANT! Public transportation on the island is very limited, so it’s pretty difficult to get around. There is a taxi service, which is expensive. Moreover, the last bus back to Melbourne leaves Cowes at around 6:30pm. It’s a problem if you plan to watch the penguin parade, which is the highlight of any Phillip Island visit. The parade happens at sunset, which is sometime between 5:30pm in summer and 8:45 in winter. Cowes and the Penguin Parade area are 20-30 minutes apart so even in summer, it is unlikely that you’ll catch the last bus out. Some visitors choose to just stay overnight in Cowes.

If you don’t want to stay overnight in Phillip Island, you can rent a car or join a group tour instead. Driving on your own is the most ideal so you have total control of your car. You can even drop by St. Kilda or Brighton Beach along the way. But if you can’t drive or you don’t have a license, you can join a group tour instead. Some tours also make a stop at Brighton Beach.

There are many Phillip Island offers on Klook but I’ve narrowed it down to only two. (See links below.)

The first link will take you to the Klook page where you can book DISCOUNTED attraction tickets only, no transfers, good for those with their own ride. The second link will take you to the DISCOUNTED DAY TOUR page. It’s a guided day tour package inclusive of transfers to and from Melbourne, hotel pick up and drop off, and a guide-driver service. The tour also stops at Brighton Beach where you can see their famous colorful beach boxes.

Werribee Open Range Zoo

We had to choose between Melbourne Zoo and the Werribee Open Range Zoo, and we chose the latter. Although both are managed by Zoos Victoria, the Werribee Open Range Zoo is much, much larger. It’s vast, spanning 225 hectares of land next to Werribee River, giving the animals plenty of space to move around.

The Australian Journey Walk will lead you to the kangaroos, emus, and koalas. But the rest of the site is impossible to be explored on foot. You can take the FREE safari bus tour to see much of the site. Yep, the bus tour is already covered by the entrance fee. Multiple tours happen a day. You just need to show up and queue up at the Safari Station. From the main entrance, turn right — multiple times a day. Along the way, you’ll spot dozens of animals including rhinoceros, hippopotamus, ostrich and zebra.

If you want to take your experience to the next level, you can join an off-road safari tour . This is different from the bus tour, which follows a fixed path. The off-road tour uses a smaller open vehicle that goes off the trail and much closer to the animals. This tour happens only twice a day so if you choose to do this, make sure you make it to the zoo in time for your schedule.

Klook offers both discounted entry tickets and the off-road safari tour. The cost of the off-road tour already covers the entrance fee so you DON’T need to book separate tickets.

How to get to Werribee Zoo: From Melbourne CBD, take the train to Werribee Station (A$ 4.40). Outside the station, you’ll immediately find the bus stop. Catch Bus 439 Werribee South and alight in front of Werribee Zoo. Note that there’s only one bus per hour. First bus leaves Werribee Station at around 6am, last bus around 7pm. See updated schedule here . (Click To Werribee South !) Hours open: 9am-5pm, daily. Entrance fee: Adult, A$38; Child 4-15yo, FREE on weekends/holidays, A$19 on weekdays.

Brighton Beach

Although located 14 km south of the city center, Brighton Beach has become an icon for Melbourne. Thanks to its 82 brightly painted and uniformly shaped bathing boxes! Along with St. Kilda, this is one of the most accessible beaches from the city so you can come here to swim, lounge on the sand, or simply admire the view. There are also cafes around the area.

How to get to Brighton Beach: From Melbourne CBD, hop on the train on the Sandringham Line and get off at Middle Brighton Station. From here, it’s a 15-minute walk to the Brighton Bathing Boxes.

St. Kilda is a suburb located 6km southeast of Melbourne CBD. It has emerged as the city’s backpacking district because it has the right ingredients — exciting nightlife, accessible beach, and a wide array of budget-friendly hostels, restaurants, and cafes. Key tourist sites include Luna Park and the Sunday art market.

You can explore St. Kilda on your own by using the public transportation. You can also use the City Sightseeing Bus (hop-on hop-off service), which also plies a St. Kilda route, stopping at major attractions in the city.

Other Melbourne Attractions

• Old Melbourne Gaol. Standing along Russel Street, this museum used to be a prison, where 135 people, including some of Australia’s most notorious criminals, were executed by hanging. Today, you can also do a ghost tour of the premises. Entrance Fee: A$28. Hours open: 9:30am — 5pm. Last entry: 3:30pm.

SAMPLE MELBOURNE ITINERARY

Here’s a sample 5-day Melbourne itinerary. This assumes the following:

• You’re arriving at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport.
• You’re staying at a hostel in the city center for A$30 per night.
• Your hostel has a shared kitchen where you can prepare your breakfast and dinner. For lunches, you can eat out with a budget of A$15 per meal.
• Prices below are in Australian dollars.

Note that the times here are just estimates, for sample purposes only. Actual times may vary so double check before your trip.

Feel free to change anything in the itinerary in order to match your preferences or flight schedule.

DAY 4 – BRIGHTON BEACH & ST. KILDA 07:00 am – Train to Middle Brighton Station, A$8.80 (whole day) 07:41 am – Walk to Brighton Bathing Boxes 08:00 am – Enjoy the beach, explore nearby sites 10:00 am – Train + tram to St. Kilda 10:36 am – Explore St. Kilda Beach 11:30 am – Lunch, A$15 12:15 am – Continue exploring St. Kilda 02:00 pm – Luna Park, A$22 (2 rides only) 04:00 pm – Tram back to Melbourne 05:00 pm – Explore Melbourne CBD, buy souvenirs 07:00 pm – Back to hotel, dinner

DAY 5 – DEPARTURE 04:00 am – Check out 04:37 am – SkyBus to Melbourne Airport 05:10 am – Arrival at airport 05:20 am – Flight check-in 08:00 am – Flight out

If you follow the itinerary above, prepare to shell out at least AUD 415 (PHP 14800, SGD 393, USD 290, EUR 257) per person excluding accommodations, airfare, travel tax, and shopping expenses.

If you’re able to book $30-accommodations, the itinerary will cost you AUD 535 (PHP 19100, SGD 507, USD 373, EUR 331) per person excluding airfare, accommodations, travel tax, and shopping expenses.

We added a little bit of extra allowance to cover incidental expenses, price adjustments, and other costs we might have missed.

There are many ways to reduce the budget. If you’re a group, you can split some of the costs. If one of you can drive and has a license, you can also save a lot by renting a car instead of joining the Great Ocean Road Tour.

More budget tips in the next section.

OTHER MELBOURNE TIPS FOR THE POOR TRAVELER

• Book a hostel with an open kitchen so you can prepare your meals on your own. On your first day, hit the grocery and shop for ingredients or ready-to-eat food. I usually buy bread and some filling, and it lasts for days. Doing this can drastically reduce your food expenses.
• If booking a hotel, choose one with a ref and microwave. You can buy cooked food items at the grocery too. Sometimes, I would purchase a pack of ready-to-eat chicken wings then I put the leftovers in the ref and just reheat it.
• If you must eat out, do so for lunch. Often, you’ll be out exploring in the day anyway. They have your dinner at the hostel/hotel. Note also that Australian servings are huge. You can just buy one and share.
• For dinner, you can also visit food courts at closing time (around 8pm). They usually pre-pack the last servings of the day and put them on sale. At Melbourne Central, many of the shops sell 2 rice meals or noodles with protein for only A$10. Yep, that’s only $5 each. But it only happens at closing time.
• Melbourne tap water is potable. You don’t need to purchase bottled water. Just bring a reusable water bottle with you and refill whenever you’re back at the hotel. A small bottled water costs A$4 at restaurants. If you must buy bottled water, drop by a grocery store or supermarket and buy a big bottle instead, which costs only $1.5-2.5.
• For souvenirs, you can find cheap ref magnets and keychains at specialty shopping section of the Queen Victoria Market. Ref magnets are at A$4 per pack or A$10 per 3 packs. Each pack contains 4-12 pieces.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MELBOURNE

Is melbourne safe.

Melbourne is a low-risk destination. Australia in general is one of the safest in the world.

Like most big cities around the globe, pickpocketing and transport accidents can happen, so you must never be careless. But if you’re worried about violent crimes, while it’s there, it doesn’t happen all the time. Just practice common sense, keep your valuables with you, and don’t invite trouble.

Do we need a visa to visit Melbourne?

Australia requires all visiting foreigners to have a visa, e-visa, electronic travel authority (ETA), or similar document. The only exception are the citizens of New Zealand, which can avail of a Special Category Visa (SCV) which can be obtained upon arrival.

Thankfully, nationals of several countries (including the Philippines) can apply for a visa online. It’s easy to apply. Here’s our step-by-step guide: AUSTRALIAN VISA REQUIREMENTS!

Are Immigration and Customs in Melbourne strict?

Yes. Immigration and Customs officers in Australia in general are very strict. Make sure you’re not bringing in any prohibited items or undeclared regulated items. They often do thorough baggage inspection. Aside from using sniff dogs, they may also require you to open your bags and show the content to them.

Cigarettes and food served to you on your flight are PROHIBITED.

Most food items must also be declared.

To check whether or not the item you’re bringing with you is allowed, visit this page: Australian Border Force .

When is the best time to visit Melbourne?

First of all, Australia is in the Southern hemisphere, so Australians enjoy summer in December-February and winter in June-August.

The amount of rainfall is pretty consistent year round, but the period between June and November gets drenched the most. Summer is the driest, but downpours are not uncommon even in these months.

Hence, the best time depends on the activities you want to enjoy. If you like the beach or you’re feeling festive, summer is a good time to visit. It’s also when the Australian Open happens. However, it is also the peak season so expect most attractions to be crowded and cost of almost everything to be higher than usual.

If you’re on a budget winter is okay because airfare and accommodation rates fall.

I personally prefer traveling to Australia in the shoulder periods: autumn (March-May) and spring (October-November). The temperatures are pleasant — not too hot, not too cold — and prices are great.

What type of power plug / socket is used in Melbourne?

Is Melbourne expensive? What are the usual costs of common items?

The cost of living in Australia in general is pretty high. Melbourne is not an exception. Here are the usual costs (in Australian dollars):

• Meal without drink from budget restaurant: $10-15
• Meal without drink from mid-range restaurant: $15-20
• Meal with drink from fast food chain: $10-20
• Fried rice from restaurants: $6-10
• Bottled water (350mL) from restaurant: $4
• Bottled water (1.5L) from grocery: $2
• Tram/Train/Bus fare: $4.40
• Coffee: $4-5
• Beer from restaurant: $10
• Beer from grocery: $5-6
• Bread (500g): $3-5

What is the tipping custom in Melbourne?

You don’t need to tip. Tipping isn’t obligatory in Melbourne or anywhere in Australia.

But if you can if you enjoyed the service! 5% is safe. For exceptional service, 10% should suffice. You can also just round off the bill.

What is the escalator etiquette in Melbourne?

Stand on the left, walk on the right.

Where is the best place to exchange money in Melbourne?

I spotted a lot of money changers around the Central area, and the rates aren’t that bad when I checked.

However, I still prefer just making withdrawals from an ATM. If you have Maestro, Cirrus, Visa, MasterCard Debit cards, you can withdraw from ATMs. Or before your flight, go to your local bank and buy AUDs.

What is better: Sydney or Melbourne?

Never been to Sydney (yet) so I can’t compare. But I know one thing: I love Melbourne. It is perhaps my favorite Australian city so far!

2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣9️⃣ • 7️⃣ • 3️⃣

More Tips on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Is this post helpful to you?

Related Posts:

• DARWIN ON A BUDGET: Free Itinerary & Travel Guide
• ALICE SPRINGS & ULURU ON A BUDGET: Budget Travel Guide
• 5 Fantastic Things to Do in Melbourne
• BRISBANE TRAVEL GUIDE: Itinerary, Budget, Things to Do
• MELBOURNE AIRPORT TO CITY CENTER: The Cheapest & Easiest Way
• GETTING AROUND MELBOURNE: How to Use Myki Card + Tram, Train, Bus
• BACKPACKING EUROPE: How to Plan Your Dream Euro Tour on a Budget
• HO CHI MINH CITY Travel Guide: Budget, Itinerary, Things to Do

• Recent Posts

• FLIGHT RESERVATION for VISA • How to Get Dummy Ticket for Schengen, Canada, China and Other Visa Applications - 22 March 2024
• 2024 Cebu Pacific Promos & PISO SALE with List of Covered Destinations - 4 March 2024
• Top 13 FREE Attractions to Enjoy in MACAU - 19 February 2024

Thanks for this Yosh! Been waiting for this.

No prob! Took me a long time to finish it, haha. Hope you find it useful! :)

Hi Sir Yosh! How did you get connected while in Melbourne? Did you buy local sim card or rented a pocket wifi? Thanks po in advance.

Great article. Thanks for sharing.

Have a great day.

Hey ! thanks for such a great post.and many interesting point are cover in this blog. and this post is helpful for me . again thanks for a posting a interesting artical…

Love that you have stuff on Australia. I have a list of things to do with kids for free in melbourne, but I’m excited to try the grown ups list! :)

Featured On

We heard you!

Your comment is now queued for moderation! We’ll try to get back to you soonest. While waiting, follow us on these channels.

Subscribe on Youtube! Follow us on Instagram!

The Ranting Panda

Of blacks and whites and everything else | singapore | food reviews, lifestyle & travel, snippets: travelling to melbourne, australia and back to singapore via vaccinated travel lane (vtl) | step by step guide on the essential requirements.

Posted on March 7, 2022 by theRantingPanda in Snippets

If you have been following our socials, you would have seen various of our posts on our recent trip to Melbourne, Australia. This is our first trip out of Singapore since Covid, with our last overseas travel being in late Feb’20 to Bangkok, Thailand. With Singapore announcing various Vaccinated Travel Lanes (“VTL”) to various countries/cities in the past months, more local residents have taken to the sky again and we are glad to have joined them!

Surprised that I was actually slightly emotional while boarding the flight to Melbourne, a usually dreaded experience which I have come to take for granted for years. Though with the various VTLs being announced now, with the latest being to Indonesia’s Bali, Malaysia’s Penang, Vietnam and Greece, am already planning my next trips this year!

Having said, with lasting impact of Covid may mean that we will need more than just a passport and air ticket to visit another country now. Many readers have messaged us on our socials asking what are the items to take note for our trip to Melbourne, so we are sharing here a checklist to aid in your next trip out in this post-pandemic world!

Visa Requirements

We realised most of us are caught up with the new Covid-related requirements, and noticed some of our fellow travellers missing out on checking on visa requirements while at the airport. Unfortunately, VTL or not, the age-old visa requirements are still valid. For example, Australia requires Singaporeans to obtain an Electronic Travel Authority (“ETA”) for entry into the country. So do make sure you have this applied before heading out to the airport. More on ETA here ( Electronic Travel Authority (homeaffairs.gov.au) .

This is not all, some countries have state / provincial requirements as well. For the case of Australia, the state of Victoria requires all incoming travellers to obtain a Border Travel Permit (“BTP”). Head over to the Victoria State Government’s website for the latest. More on BTP here ( COVID-19 border entry | COVID-19 | Service Victoria ).

Covid -19 Pre-Departure Test (Pre-Trip)

This differs significantly between countries, with some having scrapped pre-flight testing, and others requiring a mix of ART or PCR tests. For Melbourne, you are required to have on hand a negative test results before you will be permitted to board the plane. You can do a PCR test up to 72 hours prior to your flight, or ART test up to 24 hours prior to your flight. Do note, ART test is known as Rapid Antigen Test (“RAT”) in Australia. More on Covid test requirements here ( Information for overseas travellers | Coronavirus Victoria ).

For other countries, it is best to read the latest travel advisories of your destination prior to your flights. Do refresh it frequently as with the dynamic Covid situation we live in.

For more on where to book your PCR or ART test in Singapore, please find more here ( Pre-departure test locations | Singapore Airlines ).

Covid -19 On-Arrival Test (At Overseas)

Again, this is a requirement in some countries. Do follow the requirements closely, although am sure you will be well guided upon arrival at the airport in any case. For Melbourne, you are required to perform a self-administered ART/RAT within 24 hours of arrival. You are only permitted to head out once you have a negative result on hand. Yes, it is very much a self-invigilated process, no reporting to the local authorities required. More on Covid test requirements here ( Information for overseas travellers | Coronavirus Victoria ).

To note, there is no requirement to perform any test during the duration of your trip for Australia even though some countries may still require this. Do check the latest travel advisories of your destination for this.

Covid-19 Pre-Departure Test ( Flight back to Singapore)

For your flight back to Singapore, ICA has done a great site for you to know the required procedures. In gist, if you are on a VTL flight, a pre-departure PCR test has to be taken within 48 hours before your flight, or a professionally administered ART has to be taken within 24 hours before departure for Singapore. Please find more here ( Travelling to Singapore (ica.gov.sg) ).

From Melbourne, you can take the ART test at the Melbourne Airport itself with Histopath , which is what I booked and it is very convenient and fuss-free. Book an appointment prior to your flight, and you are advised to head over at least 4 hours prior to your flight to cater for the time take for the test as well as the wait for the results which takes between 45-60 minutes. Once you have your test results, which you will receive via email and SMS, you can proceed to the airline check-in counter per usual. Please find more here ( Melbourne Airport – Melbourne Airport Store Locator | Melbourne Airport ).

Covid -19 On-Arrival Test (Back in Singapore)

Upon arrival into Singapore, complete a declaration form at the airport, to which you will be notified to book and complete a supervised self-administered ART at any of the Quick Test Centre (“CTC”) or Combined Test Centre (“CTC”) within 24 hours of arrival in Singapore. Please find more here ( Vaccinated Travel Lane (Air) Overview (ica.gov.sg) ).

Vaccination Certificates

This is a must have while travelling abroad. Strongly advised you to have this in both hard and soft copies. Head over to the link below to pull your Vaccination Certificates out – here ( Notαrise – Digital authentication and endorsement for travellers (notarise.gov.sg) ).

Mobile Apps

Similar to Singapore, other countries have introduced similar Trace Together mobile phone applications since the onset of Covid. For Melbourne, you will need to download the Service Victoria app for checking into restaurants, etc. Do note that as we are not locals, the vaccination status are not shown on the mobile app, therefore you will be required to show your Vaccination Certificates by restaurants. Keep the soft copy on your phone for ease of reference. Please find more here ( COVID-19 Check-in help | Service Victoria ).

Travel Insurance

Not all travel insurance caters for Covid-19 related coverage. A positive Covid test results, or even a Health Risk Notice will alter your travel plans immediately, so do make sure you purchase a travel insurance for your upcoming trips. Please find more on Milelion and Moneysmart .

Overall Sentiments

The overall vibe in Melbourne is relatively relaxed and I observed that while most people adhere to the mask wearing requirements indoors, it is a split mix when it comes to outdoors as mask wearing is not compulsory outdoors. Exercise common sense during your trip, such as keeping a social distance from people where possible. If you are more paranoid about Covid, then it is a good practice to don your mask whenever you are not eating, even when you are seated at the restaurant. Needless to say, hand sanitisers and good general hygiene are not to be neglected too.

Feel free to let us know if there should be any other queries in the comments tab below. Safe Travels!

Ranted By The Rantee

Good things must share:

• Share on Tumblr

• Australia Food Review
• Australia VTL
• AustraliaVTL
• Food Escapades
• Vaccinated Travel Lane
• Vaccination Certificate

About theRantingPanda ( 2216 Articles )

4 trackbacks / pingbacks.

• Snippets: Travelling to Melbourne, Australia And Back To Singapore Via Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) - Daily News Melbourne
• Snippets: Travelling to Melbourne, Australia And Back To Singapore Via Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) - Travel News Melbourne
• Snippets: The Best Cafes And Bakeries To Check Out In Melbourne, Australia – A Coffee And Brunch Guide [Updated 2022] – The Ranting Panda
• The Best Cafes And Bakeries To Check Out In Melbourne, Australia – A Coffee And Brunch Guide [Updated 2022] – The Ranting Panda - Travel News Melbourne

Rant here! Cancel reply

Copyright © 2024 Blog at WordPress.com.

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

Personal    |    Business

YouTrip’s Guide To Melbourne: Dining, Attractions and More

Start planning your next adventure to Australia now with our guide to Melbourne for the budget, moderate, and luxury traveller!

What was the last trip you took before the pandemic hit? For me, it was Melbourne in March of 2019 — right before COVID hit our shores. And while you’d think, based on the number of Facebook check-ins , that every Singaporean, and their mom, has already been to Melbourne at least once in their life, strangely enough, this was my first proper trip here. However, I didn’t plan to explore the city that much. Sure, I’ll grab some coffee and try a croissant, but the intention was clear — I was here for Download Festival to see sludge metal legends, Baroness. But, alas . Life happened. Thanks to COVID, the festival got cancelled just as I boarded the plane. So, after I got over my initial outrage and shock, I spent the next seven hours of the flight mulling over what the heck I was going to do. And thanks to the help of some friends, I still ended up having a blast. If you’ve been to Melbourne countless times, this guide to Melbourne may not be for you. However, if you’re interested in guzzling mind-blowing craft beer, tasting wine and gin, road tripping on the tired but gorgeous Great Ocean Road, then hang tight for a comprehensive cost walkthrough for the budget, moderate, or luxury traveller. 

Guide To Melbourne: Travel Expenditure Checklist

Guide to melbourne: accommodations .

Psst! Get an extra 7% off your bookings when you make full use of YouTrip Perks and check out with your YouTrip card. We’ve made sure to only include options that provide free cancellations!

Great Southern Hotel Melbourne

Photo credits: Agoda

Distance from City Center: 1.4km to Queen Victoria Market

Price: S$89 per night

No. of Reviews: 13.7k

Score: 7.9/10

Book now.  

Oaks Melbourne on Collins Hotel

Distance from City Center: 1.1km to Queen Victoria Market

Price: S$99 per night

No. of Reviews: 3.6k

(B) Moderate

Qt melbourne.

Distance from City Center: 1.2km from Queen Victoria Market

Price: S$223 per night

No. of Reviews: 2.5k

Score: 9.3/10

Brady Hotels Central Melbourne

Distance from City Center: 540m to Queen Victoria Market Price: S$159 per night

No. of Reviews: 3.2k

Score: 8.7/10

The Langham Melbourne Hotel

Distance from City Center: 1.6km to Queen Victoria Market

Price: S$387 per night

No. of Reviews: 5.1k

Score: 9.2/10

Crown Towers Melbourne

Distance from City Center: 1.8km from Queen Victoria Market

Price: S$419 per night

No. of Reviews: 3.7k

Score: 9.1/10

Guide To Melbourne : Dining

As all savvy travellers do, we sought the help of our travel bible Tripadvisor to sieve out the best food recommendations and reviews to locate the ultimate belly-fillers for every budget. 

St Ali Coffee Roasters

Where: Yarra Place, Melbourne

What: Traveller’s choice for 2021, amazing service with cool merch

Price range: from S$10

No. of Reviews: 616

Score: 4/5 Find out more.

Faraday’s Cage

Where: Gore St, Fitzroy, Melbourne

What: Great filter coffee, solid nosh

No. of Reviews: 52

Score: 4.5/5 Find out more.

BROWN BAGELS

Where: Collins St, Melbourne

What: Underrated breakfast bagel spot in the heart of Melbourne

Price range: from S$5

No. of Reviews: 25

Where: Little Bourke St, Melbourne

What: Travellers’ Choice 2021, modern Vietnamese-inspired street food and cocktails

Price range: from S$43

No. of Reviews: 1,364

What: Traveller’s Choice 2021, cosy hole-in-the-wall Italian place (remember to book in advance!)

Price range: from S$35

No. of Reviews: 789

Movida Bar de Tapas

Where: Hosier Lane, Melbourne

What: Traveller’s Choice 2021, explosive flavours and excellent service

Price range: from S$30

No. of Reviews: 2,705

Afternoon Tea at The Hotel Windsor

Where: Spring Street, Melbourne

What: Travellers’ Choice 2021, your classic afternoon high tea done right

Price range: from S$50

No. of Reviews: 1,493

Where: Flinders Lane, Melbourne

What: Amazing menu, even better wine

Price range: from S$81

No. of Reviews: 1,134

Steer Dining Room

Where: Claremont St, Melbourne

What: Underrated but excellent steak

No. of Reviews: 73

(D) Craft Beer Bars

Where: Smith Street, Collingwood, Melbourne

What: An IPA galore

Price range: from S$14

Find out more.

Hippo Bottle & Bar

What: Amazing juicy sours here

Price range: from S$12 Find out more.

Carwyn Cellars

Where: High Street, Thornbury, Melbourne

What: A playground for stout enthusiasts 

Price range: from S$20 Find out more.

Mr West Bar & Bottle Shop

Where: Nicholson Street, Footscray, Melbourne

What: For vibes and ambience, with craft beer

Price range: from S$13

Guide To Melbourne: Day Trips

All cafe-d out? Rent a car and take a trip out of the city to explore amazing new landscapes!

Yileena Park, Yarra Valley

Photo credits: Tripadvisor

Tons of tourists and locals flock to the wineries at Yarra Valley every year — but out of all the options, which should you choose? Wineries can often feel quite intimidating, especially if you’re new to tastings. However, I adored Yileena Park because of how intimate and homely the space feels — they’ve even got two really friendly donkeys in their front yard. Not to mention, their French oak-smoked goods are bomb . Pro-tip: Don’t sleep on their Oak Smoked Chilli Sauce that’s amazing when paired with meats or cheese.

Admission: Wine tastings are A$10 (~S$10.10) per person for approx. 45 minutes

Find out more here . 

Cape Otway Lightstation

The oldest of the lighthouses in all of mainland Australia, Cape Otway was built in 1848 on the edge of where the Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean Sea collide — this was a response to the hundreds of shipwrecks that were happening at that time. You’ll get to climb up the tower, plus explore the surrounding grounds to learn about the history of this beacon of hope.

To Note: Pre-book your spot online before your visit — no walk-up tickets available due to restrictions

Admission: A$19.50 (~S$19.80) per adult 

Twelve Apostles

In my opinion, the Twelve Apostles is one of those rare tourist spots that lives up to its hype. Sure, it’s iconic and popular — but when you’re there watching the sunset behind those seven limestone stacks, you’ll instantly know why. You’ll find these geologic formations on the Great Ocean Road. I would suggest planning your drive with the sunset in mind and giving the entire space about three hours for you to explore the various lookouts (check out the Gibson Steps that take you down to the beach, and Loch Ard Gorge to come face to face with a rock stack). Just bear in mind that it gets dark, real quick .

Admission: Free 

Guide To Melbourne : SIM cards

Guide to melbourne: transport, (a) metro trains.

Photo credits: Transit maps

The public transport here is pretty convenient and easy to navigate. Essentially, there are 16 Metro train lines that bring you out of the city center and into the suburbs. However, the main stations are Flinders Street and Southern Cross. You’ll be using a myki card to get around — it can be used on trains, trams and buses throughout Melbourne. You can find these cards at 7-Eleven stores or train stations. Simply load the cards up with cash and you’re good to go! Most of the time though, you’ll find yourself walking (which is the most pleasant way to get around IMO). 

Prices: from A$6 (~S$6.10), 

Find a comprehensive guide here .

(B) Car Rentals

For first-timers, do note that each quotation from the car rental company includes an admin fee, GST, any premium location surcharges plus the vehicle registration recovery fee. You’ll need to present a valid driving license (held for at least a year) and an International Driving Permit. 

Embark On Your OZ Adventures With YouTrip!

Now that you’re well-versed with the best places to check out with our guide To Melbourne, make sure you’ve got your YouTrip card ready to take advantage of our Wholesale Exchange Rates for all purchases when embarking down under.

If you don’t have a YouTrip card yet, use < BLOG5 > during your sign-up to enjoy a free S$5 in your account! 

For more great tips and guides like this, join our Telegram(@YouTripSG) and subscribe to our free weekly newsletter here or down below!

Stay safe, and happy travels!

Related Articles:

Guide to South Korea: Dining, Attractions and more

Best National Parks in Australia For Great Outdoor Adventures

Best Things to Do in Sydney During Winter

*All currency conversion rates are accurate to the nearest 10 cents on 29 Oct 2021 SGT 5:30 PM. Bank card prices are calculated based on 3.25% foreign currency transaction fee.

It’s 2024, How Have You Upped Your Travel Game?

How are YOU upping your travel game?

A Guide To The Best Travel eSIMs 2024

Discover which eSIM suits your travel needs best ✈️

YouTrip Hacks: 10 Tips To Save Money In Thailand

Get the best bang for your buck!

Download Youtrip

© 2023 You Technologies Group Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Up to 10% tax free + 5% additional discount

• Valid till 01 Oct 2024
• Flash this at the payment counter & pay with YouTrip during checkout in store
• Enjoy additional 5% discount with min 10,000 yen (JPY) spent excluding tax
• We want to help you get your discount! 1. Ensure that you follow through with your purchase once you click on “Redeem Deal” on YouTrip Perks. 2. If you jump out of the check-out process (even if to check on a message or just happen to close your browser), click through YouTrip Perks again to re-purchase to get your discount.
• Valid until 01 October 2024.
• [Japanese temporary returnees] who purchased tax-free goods are eligible for the coupon.
• Foreign diplomat(s) are not eligible for tax exemption.
• Eligible Stores: Don Quijote, APITA, and PIAGO Stores in Japan (Excluding some stores)
• Tap the coupon banner below to go to the barcode screen.
• Present the coupon screen to the cashier staff at the time of payment.
• Last, tap the “Use Coupon” button.
• This coupon is valid only once for tax-free transactions of 10,000 yen (excluding tax) or more.
• Please note that the following items are not included & eligible for the discount: Alcohol, cigarettes, POSA cards, game consoles, products costing more than 100,000 yen (excluding tax), and products with price restrictions, etc.
• Please be sure to present the coupon at the time of payment.
• Please note that the discount cannot be applied if the coupon is presented after payment has been completed.
• Please note that the coupon is unaccessible from mobile screenshots.
• This coupon cannot be used with other discounts, services, or majica cards.
• Any outstanding balance after deducting the face value of the coupon must be paid in full using YouTrip Card.
• The offer is subject to terms and conditions of Don Quijote. In case of dispute, the decision of Don Quijote and YouTrip shall be final.

Up to 9% cashback at Charles & Keith!

9% cashback (New Charles & Keith users)

• Valid till 31 December 2023
• Pay with YouTrip during checkout
• Receive cashback within 45 days after checkout

3% cashback (Existing Charles & Keith users)

• Valid from 31 December 2023
• We want to help you get your cashback! 1. Ensure that you follow through with your purchase once you click on “Redeem Deal” on YouTrip Perks. 2. If you jump out of the check-out process (even if to check on a message or just happen to close your browser), click through YouTrip Perks again to re-purchase to get your cashback.
• Only purchases made through the Charles & Keith affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Charles & Keith whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Purchase must be made within the same window.
• Cookies must be enabled on your browser for cashback to be tracked.
• Cashback will not be awarded for cancelled or refunded orders.
• Cashback will be awarded after 45 days from the date of purchase.
• Cashback rate will be subjected to the merchant’s discretion and the eligibility of selected products.
• Cashback rate for Charles & Keith varies for each item and the exact cashback rates would only be known when the item is successfully tracked.
• Purchases made via the Charles & Keith mobile app will not be eligible for cashback.

8% off at SGPomades!

$8 off min S$50 spend

• Valid till 31 December 2021
• Pay with YouTrip and apply code 'YOUTRIP8' during checkout
• Enjoy 8% off min S$50 spend upon checkout
• Promo code only applicable when using your YouTrip Mastercard upon checkout.
• 1 redemption per customer only
• Promo codes are not exchangeable for cash.
• Valid only for original price items.
• Not stackable with existing promotions.
• Exclusions Apply.

3% cashback at Dyson!

3% cashback

• Only purchases made through the Dyson affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Dyson whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Dyson accessories will not be eligible for cashback.

4% cashback at UNIQLO!

4% cashback

• Only purchases made through the UNIQLO affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to UNIQLO whenever you are making a new transaction.

Up to 6% cashback at Trip.com!

Up to 6% cashback

• Receive cashback 45 days after checkout
• Only purchases made through the Trip.com affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Trip.com whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Cashback rate will be subjected to the merchant’s discretion and the eligibility of selected activities.
• Cashback rate for Trip.com varies for each item and the exact cashback rates would only be known when the item is successfully tracked.
• Please refer to the table below for full cashback rates.

25% off at HOUZE!

25% off min $60 spend

• Pay with YouTrip and apply code 'YOUTRIP25' during checkout
• Enjoy 25% off min $60 spend upon checkout
• Only 1 promo code may be used at a time.

25% off at Table Matters!

Up to $260 cashback and KrisShop e-Vouchers at Singapore Airlines!

$20 cashback with min $500 spend

• Valid till 26 November 2021
• Pay using YouTrip at checkout
• Register through YouTrip's campaign registration form
• Enjoy up to 4x cashback rewards per booking
• Receive cashback by 31 December 2021
• Limited to the first 1,000 redemptions
• Only bookings made via the SIA website, Mobile App or selected list of SIA appointed travel agents within the campaign period and redemption limit will be eligible for cashback.
• For full T&Cs, please visit https://www.you.co/sg/youtrip-singapore-airlines-cashback-tnc/

$30 KrisShop e-Voucher with min $500 spend

• Enjoy up to 6x KrisShop e-Vouchers per booking
• Limited to the first 4,000 redemptions
• Only bookings made via the SIA website, Mobile App or selected list of SIA appointed travel agents within the campaign period and redemption limit will be eligible for KrisShop e-Voucher rewards
• Offer is strictly applicable to flights to and from the following destinations only: Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, PAris, Rome, San Francisco, Seattle or Vancouver
• For full T&Cs, please visit https://www.you.co/sg/youtrip-singapore-airlines-krisshop-tnc/

Up to 10% off at Expedia!

Up to 10% off

• Valid till 30 Jun 2023
• Pay with YouTrip and apply code 'MASTER10' during checkout
• Enjoy 10% off (Capped at S$70) upon checkout
• Booking period Now till 30 Jun 2023
• Stay period: Now till 31 September 2023
• Participating “Expedia Rate” hotels refer to hotels labelled “Expedia Rate” and are not on the exclusion list available at the booking page.
• Up to 10% discount coupon on hotel bookings at thousands of participating properties globally. 10% savings with promo code MASTER10 – Singapore: Discount value capped at SGD70 per transaction
• No minimum stay requirement.
• Coupon only applies to first room in the booking.

Up to 6% cashback at JD Sports!

6% cashback (Regular-priced items)

2% cashback (Sale Items)

• Only purchases made through the JD Sports affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to JD Sports whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Cashback rate for JD Sports varies for each item and the exact cashback rates would only be known when the item is successfully tracked.

Up to 5% cashback at ASOS

Up to 5% cashback (New ASOS users)

3% cashback (Existing ASOS users purchases via Web)

2% cashback (Existing ASOS users purchases via App)

• Only purchases made through the ASOS affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to ASOS whenever you are making a new transaction.

10% off at SweatSpot!

10% off all packages

• Valid till 12 April 2022
• Pay with YouTrip and apply code 'YOUTRIP' upon checkout
• Enjoy 10% off upon checkout

10% cashback at Taobao!

10% cashback with min S$50 spend

• Valid till 31 January 2022
• Register and spend a minimum of $50 and pay with YouTrip during checkout
• Register for promotion here
• For first 750 users only
• 10% cashback with minimum spend of $50.
• Limited to the first 750 users on a first come, first served basis. 
• Payment must be charged to a YouTrip Mastercard. 
• The required minimum spend must be in a single transaction before any other promo codes, vouchers or coupons. Minimum spend excludes all taxes and fees, including but not limited to shipping and handling, unless otherwise stated.
• All purchases made in conjunction with the Offer are subject to prevailing taxes and service charges where applicable. 
• YouTrip makes no warranty or representation as to the quality, merchantability or fitness for purpose of any goods or services purchased from the merchant. Any dispute about the same must be resolved directly with the merchant. 
• YouTrip shall not be responsible for any loss, injury, claim, damage or expense arising from the redemption of the Offer or the use of the goods and services purchased from a merchant.
• YouTrip is not an agent of Taobao or any merchant, or vice versa.
• All information is correct at time of print. YouTrip will not be responsible for any changes which occur after print.
• YouTrip reserves the right to vary the terms and conditions of the Offer or withdraw or discontinue the Offer by providing written notice to the other party at least 7 days in advance and indemnify the direct economic loss of the other party caused by YouTrip’s behavior under the clause.

Up to 10% cashback at Shopee!

Up to 10% cashback (New Shopee users)

3% cashback (Existing Shopee users)

• All cashback will be capped at S$5.00
• Only purchases made through the Shopee affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Shopee whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Cashback rate for Shopee varies for each item and the exact cashback rates would only be known when the item is successfully tracked.
• Please refer to the table below for product cashback rates

Up to 7% cashback at Sephora!

7% cashback (New Sephora users)

2.5% cashback (Existing Sephora users)

• Only purchases made through the Sephora affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Sephora whenever you are making a new transaction.

$20 cashback at Circles.Life!

$20 cashback (For new Circles.Life customers)

• Only purchases made through the Circles.Life affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Circles.Life whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Not applicable for purchases made via the Circles.Life mobile application

Up to 12% cashback at AirAsia Food

12% cashback (New AirAsia Food Customers)

• Valid till 31 December 2022

6% cashback (Existing AirAsia Food Customers)

• Only purchases made through the AirAsia Food affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to AirAsia Food whenever you are making a new transaction.

10% cashback (New Lazada users)

• Valid till 31 December 2024

3% cashback (Existing Lazada users)

• Pay with YouTrip on Lazada (LazMall excluded) during checkout
• Only purchases made through the Lazada affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Lazada whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Cashback rate for Lazada varies for each item and the exact cashback rates would only be known when the item is successfully tracked.
• Products not eligible for cashback: Sports shoes and clothing, Electronics Accessories, Groceries.
• Cashback capped at $10

10% cashback at Puma!

10% cashback

• Valid till 30 Dec 2023
• Only purchases made through the Puma affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Puma whenever you are making a new transaction.

15% off at iShopChangi

15% off with no min. spend (For traveller purchases only)

• Pay with YouTrip and apply code 'YOUTRIP15' during checkout
• Enjoy 15% off with no min. spend
• Valid for traveller purchases only.
• Payment must be made with YOUTRIP Mastercard.
• Only one Promo Code may be used at a time.
• Promotion is valid until 31 December 2023.
• Promotion is not exchangeable for cash, prizes, products or other vouchers.
• Promotion is not valid in conjunction with privilege holder discounts.
• Chanel and Dior are excluded from this promotion.
• The Shilla Duty Free reserves the right to amend or withdraw any terms & conditions without any prior notice.

S$15 off at The Shilla!

S$15 off min S$150 spend in store

• Flash this at the counter and pay with YouTrip during checkout in store
• Enjoy S$15 off min S$150 nett spend
• Valid until 31 December 2022.
• Limited to one redemption per customer.
• Any outstanding balance after deducting the face value of the voucher must be paid in full using YouTrip Card
• The promotion must be fully utilised and any unutilised amount will be forfeited.
• Not exchangeable for cash, prizes, products or other vouchers.
• Not valid in conjunction with privilege holder discounts.

5% cashback at Chemist Warehouse!

5% cashback

• Only purchases made through the Chemist Warehouse affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Chemist Warehouse whenever you are making a new transaction.

Up to 10% off at Qatar Airways!

Up to 10% off 

• Click through to Qatar via YouTrip Perks, apply code 'YTQR23' & Pay with YouTrip during checkout
• Enjoy up to 10% off upon checkout
• Sales period: 8 May 2023 – 31 December 2023
• Travel period: 8 May 2023 – 31 March 2024
• Booking must be made using promo code YTQR23 to avail of the discount
• Full payment must be made with a YouTrip Card
• Save 10% on Business Class Comfort fares
• Save 10% on Economy Class Convenience fares
• Save 7% on Economy Class and Business Class Classic fares
• Valid only on Qatar Airways flights from Singapore
• Valid to the following destinations: Abu Dhabi, Almaty, Amsterdam, Ankara, Athens, Atlanta, Baku, Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Cape Town, Casablanca, Chennai, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dallas, Dar Es Salaam, Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Durban, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Harare, Helsinki, Houston, Islamabad, Johannesburg, Kilimanjaro, Larnaca, London, Los Angeles, Lusaka, Luxor, Madrid, Malabo, Manchester, Medina, Miami, Milan, Mombasa, Montreal, Moscow, Mumbai, Munich, Nairobi, New York City, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Pisa, Prague, Rome, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Seychelles, Sharjah, Sofia, St Petersburg, Stockholm, Tbilisi, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Washington, Windhoek, Yerevan, Zagreb, Zanzibar, Zurich
• All-in fares include all taxes, fees, and surcharges which are subject to currency fluctuation
• Blackout dates and surcharges may apply. Please refer to the fare rules for details at the time of booking.
• Blackout Periods: 18 Nov – 20 Dec 2022 (Doha and Middle Eastern Countries), 1 Jan – 10 Jan 2023 (All destinations)
• Peak period surcharges may apply
• Fares are subject to change without prior notice
• Discount applies to return base fare only of selected fare classes
• Discount does not apply to taxes and all other surcharges
• Seats are limited and are subject to availability of the relevant booking class
• Minimum and maximum stay as well as advance purchase rules apply dependent on the booking class
• Please refer to the fare rules at the time of booking for changes, cancellations and no-show conditions
• Any change or cancellation less than 3 hours prior to the stated time of departure will be considered as no-show
• For travel involving multiple booking classes, the most restrictive fare rules apply to the entire itinerary
• Standard child/infant discount apply
• Please note that market-specific promotional fares may be available for selected dates and destinations, and may not be eligible for the discounts under this offer. All available options, together with the applicable terms & conditions for each fare will be displayed at time of booking for you to make your selection
• Qatar Airway’s terms and conditions will also apply to your booking, please review these at the time of booking
• Other terms and conditions apply. Please review at the time of booking

2.1% cashback at Watsons!

2.1% cashback

• Only purchases made through the Watsons affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Watsons whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Cashback rate for Watsons varies for each item and the exact cashback rates would only be known when the item is successfully tracked.

3% cashback at 24S!

• Only purchases made through the 24S affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to 24S whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Celine, Louis Vuitton and Dior products are not eligible for cashback.

8% cashback at On The List!

8% cashback

• Only purchases made through the On The List affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to On The List whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Purchases made via the On The List mobile site or app are not eligible for cashback.

5% cashback at AirAsia Grocer!

• Only purchases made through the AirAsia affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to AirAsia whenever you are making a new transaction.

Up to $12 off at FairPrice Online!

$10 off min $135 spend

• Valid till 22 December 2021
• Pay with YouTrip and apply code 'MCXMAS21' during checkout
• Enjoy $10 off min $135 spend
• First 2,500 redemptions only

$12 off min $150 spend

• Enjoy $12 off min $150 spend
• Redemption of promo code is applicable only for purchases made on FairPrice online at www.fairprice.com.sg and FairPrice Mobile App upon login, and for home delivery only.  
• Only one promo code can be used for each transaction. FairPrice reserves the right to reject any order that has violated this.
• Promo code is to be used for one-time redemption only.
• Promo code cannot be used for the purchase of certain restricted products, for example, certain infant milk formulas. Please visit FairPrice online for more details.
• Qualifying spend refers to a nett spend of at least S$135.00 (excluding delivery fee, service fee, and any other surcharge) in a single transaction at NTUC FairPrice online during the promotional period.
• Using a promo code in conjunction with other free gift promotions, may alter the minimum amount for delivery.
• Additional charges, service fees and minimum nett purchase amount for free home delivery may be required and may differ for promotional periods and will be in accordance to that stated on FairPrice online.
• It is advisable to have at least S$5 nett purchase amount in cart after application of promo code in order to be able to checkout.
• Promo codes are not exchangeable or refundable for cash or other goods and services.
• FairPrice reserves the rights to vary/amend the privileges or terms and conditions of this promotion without prior notice. 
• Other terms and conditions on FairPrice online (https://help.fairprice.com.sg/hc/en us/categories/360001184571-FairPrice-Online) apply.
• Mastercard does not assume any responsibility for the products and services offered under this promotion. The products are sold and services are provided solely by the relevant vendors, under such terms and conditions as determined by such vendors, and Mastercard accepts no liability whatsoever in connection with such products and services. The products and services have not been certified by Mastercard and under no circumstances shall the inclusion of any product or service in this promotion be construed as an endorsement or recommendation of such product or service by Mastercard

2% cashback at Razer!

2% cashback

• Only purchases made through the Razer affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Razer whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Cashback rate for Razer varies for each item and the exact cashback rates would only be known when the item is successfully tracked.

20% off at Zoey!

20% off supplements

• Pay with YouTrip and apply code 'ZOEYYT' during checkout
• Enjoy 20% off supplements upon checkout

20% off at noah!

• Pay with YouTrip and apply code 'NOAHYT' during checkout

$19 cashback at Starhub!

$19 cashback (For new broadband signups)

• Only purchases made through the Starhub affiliate link provided by YouTrip will be eligible for cashback.
• Return to YouTrip Perks and clickthrough to Starhub whenever you are making a new transaction.
• Only new broadband sign-ups are eligible for cashback

$10 off at Beauty Emporium!

$10 off (No min spend)

• Valid till 30 November 2021
• Pay with YouTrip and apply code 'YOUBF10' during checkout
• Enjoy $10 off upon checkout
• Limited to one time use per transaction.
• Discount will be given to total bill spend. Discounted products and services are eligible for this redemption.
• Discount cannot be used in Strip Merchandise and Clean Beauty Brands.
• Shipping fees apply if the minimum spend for free shipping is not met.
• Cannot be used in-conjunction with any other voucher, codes or redemption of Beauty Rewards points.
• Promotion ends on 30 Nov 2021 2359 hrs.

Tell us more about your business

*By clicking ‘Submit’, you hereby agree and acknowledge that your information will be stored and managed in accordance to YouTrip’s Privacy Policy .

MELBOURNE ITINERARY (2024): THE ULTIMATE 5 DAY GUIDE & BEST THINGS TO DO!

LOOKING TO PLAN THE ULTIMATE MELBOURNE ITINERARY?

Check out our blog post below for an epic 5 days in Melbourne itinerary (2024)! It includes the full 5 days in Melbourne itinerary, the best things to do in Melbourne, more of the best tours in Melbourne to chose from, where to stay in Melbourne and much more!

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Jetting to Melbourne

Together with 9 bloggers, the winners and finalists of Singapore Blog Awards 2011 , I went on a 3-day trip to Melbourne , the capital city of Victoria, Australia.

Last December, Jacky and I were on the inaugural flight from Singapore to Melbourne on StarClass – Jetstar’s international business class. For this trip, I had the opportunity to experience the Economy class seat with extra legroom. It was an overnight flight for more than 6-hr from Singapore to Melbourne so having a spacious seat is important for a good night rest. FYI, Melbourne is 2-hr ahead of Singapore.

Jetstar’s Economy Class.

My flight itinerary included two meals – dinner and breakfast, a pack of toiletries with eye mask and ear plugs. These are useful especially when the row with extra leg room that I was seated is near the restrooms, which suggests that there might be people waiting to use the restrooms and the lights from inside could be quite a distract.

Jetstar also provides the option to rent the inflight entertainment system that comes in portable size.

Simple yet delectable inflight meal on board. And I missed the breakfast ‘cos I wore the eye mask and dozed off without knowing that breakfast was served…

For more information on Jetstar promotion deals, check out http://www.jetstar.com/sg/en/home

At Melbourne International Airport.

Follow us as we went on a bike tour around the beautiful city, took a helicopter ride to view the 12 apostles along the Great Ocean Road , wobbled at the edge on Eureka Skydeck 88 , the highest building in the southern hemisphere and explored the nooks and corners for graffiti art .

Reader Interactions

May 12, 2014 at 1:53 pm

does the economy class standard seats legroom bigger than the usual jetstar plane? thanks.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Welcome visitor! Thanks so much for stopping by. Stay connected and follow us on social media. Happy travels!

Best wishes,

It’s another Singapore Travel blog – Escapes from the Little Red Dot

About the author

My name is Yeo Zi Yi . I come from a tiny city named Singapore, known to some as the Little Red Dot. I have been living here since birth thus I often get the urge to escape from this dot from time to time. Getting away from the stress and the sea of people to see the world brings me great pleasure.

When I graduated in 2005, I took a 20ish days trip with a Contiki tour to Central Europe and bringing out wander-lust in me. Since then, I have been travelling at a minimum of 2 times a year if I can afford it. I travel usually with my wife, whom shares the same interest and we aspire to travel the world. We have been to many places but as we reminisce now, memories of some visits have started to become foggy. And so I started this blog to jot down interesting events that have happened. Hopefully this would be able to bring us back to the time when we were there, when we revisit these pages.

Why write another Singapore Travel Blog?

I wrote this blog as detailed as possible in order to remember the little interesting info and experiences that I picked up during my travel. Each page represented a day of the trip (if it was worth a page) and it might be a little confusing. If lost, always start back at Home and then to the Past Escapes pages.

I have included the itineraries that we have done for the trip and were trips from Singapore. Hopefully this would become not only a blog for me to ramble on but also a blog with itineraries for like minded travellers to refer to when planning for their travel.

Just like life itself, the itineraries started to change from being a couple only travel (BC – Before Child) to being more family friendly/oriented (AD – As Dad) post 2014. The trip also evolved and became more inclusive of our son’s interest as he grows up. Therefore, those without kids might find post 2014 lacking, shallow and even boring.

Last but not least…

Read if you enjoy, and comments are always welcomed! Have fun exploring! Follow me on Instagram @madyeomad for pictures. Reach out to me, while planning for that trip, by dropping a comment or email and I will try to help as much as I can remember!

©Escapes from the Little Red Dot – A Singapore Travel Blog

6 thoughts on “ Home ”

Hello! We’d like to sponsor your post! Do you have a contact email we can reach at? tks!

You can reach me at [email protected] Not sure what you meant by sponsor though

Greetings from Singapore from a fellow traveller! 🙂 Stumbled to your website while researching on our upcoming Switzerland trip (Been there 10 years ago…revisit thus need planning again.. 🙂

We have added your blog to our list of Singapore Best Travel Blogs! http://discoverbooktravel.blogspot.com/p/singapore-best-travel-blogs.html

Have fun travelling!

Tommy Discover . Book . Travel

Thanks for dropping by and also placing my ramblings under your list of blogs! Hope you find something useful during this visit and enjoy your travels!

Just dropping by to inform that we have moved to a new domain @ https://discoverbooktravel.com .

Your listing @ Our Singapore Best Travel Blogs has also been moved to https://discoverbooktravel.com/singapore-best-travel-blogs/

Thank you for your continued support! 🙂

Beautiful webpage! Thanks for the notice.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• My Kids' Growth
• Nursing Room Review

Our Travels

• PR | Feature

• South Africa
• Afghanistan
• North Korea
• Adventure + Outdoors
• Amusement Parks
• Backpacking Trips
• Boating + Cruises
• Budget Travel
• Bus + Train Travel
• Coasts + Islands
• Country Trips
• Fall Vacations
• Family Vacations
• Green Travel
• Heritage + History
• Honeymoons + Romance
• Inspiration + Guide
• Landmarks + Attractions
• LGBT Travel
• Markets + Bazaars
• National Parks + Reserves
• Nature + Wildlife
• Parks + Gardens
• Pets + Animals
• Photography
• Airlines + Airports
• Budgeting + Currency
• Business Travel
• Celebrity Travel
• Customs + Immigration
• Deals + Rewards
• Family Travel
• Hotels + Resorts
• Luggage + Packing Tips
• Offbeat News
• Photography Tips
• Responsible Travel
• Solo Travel
• Tech + Gear
• Travel Etiquette
• Travel Warnings
• Bars + Clubs
• Celebrity Chefs
• Restaurants + Cafés
• Wine + Vineyards
• Beach Hotels
• Boutique Hotels
• Hotel Openings
• Hotel Reviews
• Luxury Hotels
• Mountain + Ski Resorts
• Spa Resorts
• Vacation Rentals
• Asia Cruises
• European Cruises
• Festivals + Events
• Museums + Galleries
• Style + Design
• Travel’s Best
• Hotel with Agoda.com
• Hotel with Booking.com

Where to go in Kunming? — 15+ top Kunming attractions &…

Must eat in Georgetown — 10+ famous, must-eat & best street…

Must eat in Melaka — 10+ famous Malacca street food &…

What to do in Alishan? — 5 top attractions & best…

Hong Kong food culture — Hong Kong cuisine tells the historical…

All about tips in Nepal — How much to tip in…

Cambodia travel tips — 15+ what to know & things to…

When is the best time to visit Kyoto? — The best,…

When is the best time to visit Malaysia? — The best,…

Hong Kong Soya sauce Chicken Rice and Noodles — The first…

Top hotels in Siem Reap — 8+ best places to stay…

Top hotels in shanghai — 15+ best hotels in Shanghai

Top hotels in Malacca — 10+ good & best hotels in…

Top places to stay in Bali — Top 10 best areas…

10 must-know things for your best first time European river cruise

Top 3 best luxury cruises in Halong Bay, Vietnam

Cherry blossom festival Korea 2024 — Top 5 cherry blossom festivals…

Ghibli museum blog — The fullest Ghibli museum guide for first-timers

Kyoto festival — Top 10 best events & most famous festivals…

National Palace Museum Taipei blog — What to see in National…

Japanese waterfall — Top 10 most beautiful waterfalls in Japan in…

19+ most beautiful towns in Europe every tourist need to visit…

Georgia travel photos — 20+ captivating photos show Georgia is heaven…

Explore Damnoen Floating Market — The oldest floating market of Thailand

Visiting Fenghuang Ancient Town — One of the most charming ancient…

Mekong Delta travel blog — Beyond rivers of Southwestern Vietnam

14 reasons why you should travel when you are young

Shigaraki Tanuki – An animal symbol of good luck in Japan

Living in the charms of cave houses in Andalucia, Southern Spain

20+ jaw-dropping tiny homes around the world

• Trip Inspiration

Melbourne travel blog — The fullest Melbourne city guide for a budget trip to Melbourne for the first-timers

Melbourne is Australia’s largest cultural center, the second largest city after Sydney, voted as one of the most livable cities in the world. Although the area is quite modest, Melbourne owns so many famous attractions, vibrant life, top music, top museums, unique festivals … So, Melbourne is always attracts a lot of travelers from all over the world to visit. If you are planning to travel to this beautiful city let’s check it out our Melbourne blog (Melbourne travel blog) with the fullest Melbourne city guide and Melbourne travel guide blog for a budget trip to Melbourne, Australia for the first time from how to get to Melbourne to best places to visit and what and top things to do in Melbourne you have to experience with Living Nomad below.

• 1 day in Melbourne — How to spend 24 hours in Melbourne & Explore the best of Melbourne in a day perfectly?
• Melbourne itinerary 7 days — How to spend 7 days in Melbourne for a budget trip?
• Melbourne 3 day itinerary — How to spend 3 days in Melbourne & What to do in Melbourne for 3 days?
• Where should I go in Sydney? — 23 most famous, must go & best places to visit in Sydney
• Sydney must eat — Top 9 must eat food in Sydney you definitely have to try

Melbourne travel blog: When is the best time to visit Melbourne?

In Australia the weather is different in different regions, but this continent is influenced by the mild climate, so you can visit Melbourne in any season of the year, with each different season this beautiful city has different beauty. Especially, this city is called the city of four seasons in a day because you can feel the weather of four spring, summer, autumn and winter on the same day with subtle seasonal changes.

However, according to our Melbourne travel experience the best time to travel to Melbourne is from the beginning of the fall to the end of March to the early of May, the weather is cool, not as hot as summer, nor too cold as in winter. If you come here to travel is in the summer, peaking in January and February, you will experience 4 seasons of weather in the same day, morning and evening of cold weather, until noon, the weather gets warmer and becomes hot and sunny, in the afternoon, the weather becomes cold again, this weather will be difficult for you to choose clothes to go to travel and sightseeing in the day, with the weak health people, will be hard to get used to the weather and easily get sick and obstructing the trip.

In Melbourne, the climate is always changing, however, the hottest time is in summer (from December to February) and cool in the fall (from March to May). Coldest in winter (from June to August) and warm again in spring (from September to November).

Melbourne travel blog: Getting to Melbourne from Vietnam

From Vietnam, you can fly from the two largest airports: Tan Son Nhat Airport (Saigon) and Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi) with some major airlines such as: Vietnam Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Emirates, China Southern, Qatar Airways, China Eastern, Japan Airlines, Etihad Airways, Turkish Airlines…

From Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi) to Melbourne: Some airlines operate this route: Vietnam Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Silkair, Cathay Pacific Airways … The airfares for this route ranging from US$359 to US$458.

From Tan Son Nhat Airport (Saigon) to Melbourne: Some airlines operating this route are: Cathay Pacific Airways, Qantas Airways, Vietnam Airlines Airlines, Singapore Airlines … The airfares for this route ranging from US$329 to US$448.

Melbourne travel blog: Getting around Melbourne

To saving costs as well as safety, you should use public transport to travel or getting around in Melbourne. The public transport system in Melbourne has three main types of transport: train, tram and bus. To getting to the central area or near the center, you can use the train. Trams are used to travel between remote areas or to the city center. Buses are not popular and usually only use in certain areas.

In which, train is the most convenient means of transportation because it is capable of transporting a large number of passengers and can move to remote places even hundreds of kilometers from the city.

Besides train, there are trams in Melbourne. These trams can travel around the city for free for visitors. These trams operates from 10am to 6pm daily. Every 10 minutes has each trip and travel around the city for about 40 minutes.

Bus also has many routes offer night services for passengers need to hang out on weekends.

By time, there are the following types of tickets: 2 hours, all day, weekly, monthly, 6-month (half-yearly) or year-round (yearly ).

By travel time, there are tickets for short distances of about 2 stops, regional tickets – in or around the city, regional tickets 2 for suburbs and region 3 tickets are remote areas.

Melbourne travel blog: Where to stay in Melbourne?

Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, only after Sydney, so the tourism service here is very developed. For your convenience, please refer to the price, quality of service as well as the actual image of the hotels, especially you will be entitled to 10-30% discount on booking costs at Agoda.com or Booking.com .

Some cheap hotels, basic amenities and convenient transportation in Melbourne

Nate’s Place Backpackers Melbourne (Former The Spencer Backpackers) – Address: 475 Spencer Street, West Melbourne, 3003 Melbourne, Australia / Phone: +61 3 9329 7755 – Room rates from $18. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Oslo Hotel – Address: 38 Grey Street, St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia, 3182 / Phone: +61 407 115 610 – Room rates from $13. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com )

St Kilda East Lodge – Address: 2 Tantram Ave, Melbourne VIC 3183, Australia / Phone: +61 433 526 555 – Room rates from $12. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Some mid-range hotels with full amenities, beautiful rooms and nice views in Melbourne

The Swanston Hotel Grand Mercure : A luxury, high-class hotel in Melbourne is located in the Melbourne’s CBD area, convenient for travel and it is one of the perfect choices for travelers when traveling in Melbourne. With room rate from $122, this hotel bring comfort and relaxed feelings to visitors after hours of explore Melbourne. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Location: 195 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Phone: +61 3 9663 4711

Treasury on Collins Apartment Hotel: Own the good location, located in central of Melbourne, making it an ideal spot to explore the city in every corner. The hotel is fully equipped, luxurious modern furniture, perfect service, good food and beautiful view, with the room rate from $120. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Location: Ground Floor/394 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Phone: +61 3 8535 8535

Amora Hotel Riverwalk Melbourne is located in a convenient location, ensuring that guests are satisfied whether they are in Melbourne for business or travel with rates ranging from $ 100 to $ 145 with full facilities, furniture Luxurious, professional service. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Location: 649 Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC 3121, Australia Phone: +61 3 9246 1200

Jasper Hotel is a mid-range hotel, good room in Melbourne, the hotel has full basic amenities, but the food is not yet varied. Room rates range from $70 – $130 for you to choose from. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Location: 489 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Phone: +61 3 8327 2777

Great Southern Hotel Melbourne is a beautiful hotel, located about 0.4 km from the city center. This is a cheap hotel in Melbourne that costs only $50 – $75/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Location: 44 Spencer St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Phone: +61 3 9629 6991

Mercure Welcome Melbourne – Address: 265 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia / Phone: +61 3 9639 0555 – Room rates from $92. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Airport Tourist Village Melbourne – Address: 37 Ardlie St, Attwood VIC 3049, Australia / Phone: +61 3 9333 1619 – Room rates from $90. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

City Tempo Melbourne CBD – Address: 353 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia / Phone: +61 3 8256 7555 – Room rates from $88. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Some high-end and luxury hotels in Melbourne

InterContinental Melbourne – Address: 495 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia / Phone: +61 3 8627 1400 – Room rates from $170. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

The Langham Melbourne Hotel – Address: 1 Southgate Ave, Melbourne VIC 3006, Australia / Phone: +61 3 8696 8888 – Room rates from $233. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

Quest Cheltenham – Address: 37-39 Station Rd, Cheltenham VIC 3192, Australia / Phone: +61 3 8523 5800 – Room rates from $202. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com ).

You can find more, check rates, availability & booking for Melbourne hotels on Agoda.com or Booking.com .

Melbourne travel blog: Best places to visit and top things to do in Melbourne

The federation square.

First, visiting Melbourne, let’s go to the Federation Square: Here, you will be admired the beauty along with the unique architecture of this city. In particular, when the city lights up, watching the Federation Square, you will see the fanciful sparkle of Melbourne city at night.

The Federation Square has become an indispensable part of Melbourne and an ideal tourist destination for travelers. Visitors come here can visit The Atrium building with fancy architecture, The Edge where you can enjoy the panoramic view of Melbourne and Artplay entertainment area.

Address: Swanston St & Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia.

National Gallery of Victoria

Located at 180 St Kilda Street, the National Gallery of Victoria is Australia’s oldest public art museum, also a fascinating attraction that you can’t miss. It exhibits one of the country’s most important art collections of the land of Kangaroo, with a lot of valuable artifacts.

Do not forget to visit the group of more than 20 galleries of Ian Potter Center, which displays Australian art history with a variety of categories such as photography, painting, printed materials, …

National Gallery of Victoria Address: 180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3006, Australia Phone: +61 (0)3 8620 2222 Hours: 9am–5pm, daily Url: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Royal Botanic Gardens is 35 hectares wide, considered as the most beautiful botanical garden in Australia. Not only that, this place is also in the list of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world. Definitely an interesting natural discovery spot for your trip. The garden is open daily from 7:30 am to 6 pm from April to October, open until 7:30 pm from November to March every year.

Located not far from the city center, the Royal Botanic Gardens is one of the top Australian tourist destinations of the “green park area” expanding to the south of the Yarra River. It is considered one of the best botanical gardens in the world, attracting 1.5 million visitors each year. The Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens is no less in the landscape and ecosystem than other botanical gardens.

Royal Botanic Gardens Address: Birdwood Ave, South Yarra VIC 3141, Australia Phone: +61 3 9252 2429 Hours: Open 7.30am to sunset every day of the year Url: https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/

The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is also considered one of the famous landmarks with natural beauty where the longest coastline road in the world. Here, you can begin your journey from the city of Geelong, go to Apollo Bay and Port Campbell to see the white sheep grazing on the vast green steppe.

Continued reading …

Related articles

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Where to go in kunming — 15+ top kunming attractions & best places to visit in kunming, must eat in melaka — 10+ famous malacca street food & must try food in melaka, what to do in alishan — 5 top attractions & best things to do in alishan, taiwan, hong kong food culture — hong kong cuisine tells the historical story of the whole land.

Melaka food blog — Experience Melaka delicacies, arrived at by Trishaw

Alishan travel blog — The fullest Alishan travel guide for first-timers

Gingtiangang Grassland Yangmingshan — The ultimate guide on how to go & top things to do

Tokyo best parks — 10+ best & most beautiful parks in tokyo

Yamanashi blog — The Yamanashi travel guide & top things to do in Yamanashi

Editor picks.

Where to go in Kunming? — 15+ top Kunming attractions &...

Must eat in Georgetown — 10+ famous, must-eat & best street...

Must eat in Melaka — 10+ famous Malacca street food &...

Popular posts.

What to buy in USA? — 17+ must buy in USA...

Must buy souvenir in Taiwan — Top 17+ most famous, cheap...

Must buy in Korea — Top 23 cheap, famous & best...

Popular category.

• Inspiration + Guide 1453
• Trip Inspiration 469
• Thailand 209
• Food + Drink 207
• Coasts + Islands 193
• South Korea 168
• Vietnam 166
• Travel Photos 144
• Work for Us
• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy

• General Queries
• Share An Experience
• Recommend A Partner
• Advertisers/Partners
• Scroll From The Top!
• Free Events
• Outdoor Events
• Indoor Events
• Weekly Updated Roundup
• Start From The Most Updated!
• Playgrounds
• Attractions
• Read From The Most Recent
• Best Kids Activities
• Best F&B
• Start From The Top
• Restaurants
• Hotel: Hotelplanner
• Experiences: Klook
• Food: foodpanda
• Credit Card: American Express
• Credit Card: HSBC
• FB Page: Articles, Photos & FB LIVE
• IG: Photos, Videos, IGTV
• Youtube Videos
• FB Group: Promos, Latest Happenings
• Telegram: Daily Updates
• Sign-up Newsletter
• Contribute & Win $20
• Request Sponsored Experience
• Parent's Google Search
• Start Shopping Here!
• Monthly Promotions
• Featured Listings
• Play Venues
• Classes/Workshops
• Home-based Activities
• Free Listings (Samples / Trials)
• Pre-schoolers
• School-Going
• Get 100% Cashback
• Be A BYKIDO Affiliate
• KIDOS: Reward Points
• Share & Win $20
• Types of Listings/Redemptions
• Get Your Services Listed
• Join Our Facebook Group
• Earn As An Affiliate
• Playgrounds and More
• Guides and Reviews
• Create Account
• Contributors
• Partners & Advertisers
• Website Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Temporary Jobs From Jooble

BYKidO Moments: Mummy XY Goes to Melbourne with Her Little Ones!

May 17, 2018

Sharing of articles from fellow Mummies (and Daddies), to help you Bring Your Kid Out, and create your BYKidO Moments! 

A write-up of a playground visit, a video of a trip overseas or even something educational to help you Bring Your Kid Out! BYKidO Moments are moments for your Parenting Journey!

This week's BYKidO Moment is contributed by  Mummy XY  who emailed us about her visit to  Melbourne, Australia !

We just got back from our holiday in Melbourne. It’s a free and easy trip which we planned to cater for my 2 boys—Julian, 16 months old and Kyler, 4 years 4 months old.

This was the kiddos’ first time on flight for more than 5 hours—we decided to try out red-eye flight on SQ to see how they would fare. We flew out on Sunday night at 23:55 and reached Melbourne at 09:20 (Australia time is 2 hours ahead of Singapore time).

Both kiddos slept throughout the flight, with Julian waking up twice for milk. ‘Buckle your seat belt’ sign was turned on once which I carried Julian out of the bassinet. Red-eye flight was a little uncomfortable for me and my husband, so we didn’t get quality sleep.  

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AND QUIT WORRYING ABOUT THE NEXT PLACE TO BRING YOUR LITTLE ONES TO!

Day one: arrival.

Once we arrived at Melbourne Airport, we picked up our car from Europcar ( opposite Melbourne Airport ) which we had booked in advance together with 1 booster seat and 1 child seat and made our way to Dockland where our Airbnb accommodation (more information on Airbnb below) is located.

Along the way, we had our lunch at Signature Pho Viet before Grocery shopping at Woolsworths.

First cart out from Woolsworths:

• Eggs: we will make hardboiled eggs for the roadtrip just in case the kiddos are hungry
• Mineral water
• Banana: best fuel for the roadtrip
• Small pack of rice & potato to make porridge for Julian
• Other snacks

We then went ahead and checked-in to our Airbnb accommodation with the instruction given.

After bathing and changing into a fresh set of clothes, we drove to meet our cousin who happened to be in town. We had dinner at his hotel and made our way back to our accommodation at 8 pm to rest for the day. All of us were tired from the red-eye flight and I guess the kids didn’t get quality sleep as well.

BYKidO Moments: Mummy Ho & her Little One Take a Trip Outside of Tokyo – Visiting Fujisan & More!

Day two: road trip to philip island.

The drive to Churchill Island from our Airbnb was about 1 hr 51 mins. My husband took short breaks in between.

We had lunch at Churchill Island Café near to Churchill Island Heritage Farm. The kids played with this after lunch:

The tickets for the farm: AUD$32.

Daily farming activities for your planning:

The kids had a great time in the small farm, it was not crowded when we were there. Huge grass field for them to run around while enjoying the cool breeze and blue skies. We played Frisbee and drone before it started to drizzle.

Next, we checked-in to Ramada Resort in Philip Island and then proceeded to Coles to buy pasta and other ingredients for dinner that night.

Penguin Island : This photo was taken before sky darkened. We are not allowed to take photos of the penguins.

My recommendations are:

• Small little penguins start to walk up to the beach at about 7 pm, it’s a little hard watch the penguins in darkness, just to manage your expectation on that.
• The wait can be long and boring (and cold) for the kids. Bring a jacket and lots of snacks for your children so that they can eat while watching.
• Bring raincoats for your kids just in case it rains. Umbrella may not be ideal as you will block other’s view.
• After first few batches of penguins come up the shore, it is the best time to start walking back as you will get a closer look at the penguins making their way back to their nest.

We went back to Ramada Resort, cooked simple pasta for dinner and had an early night.

This resort provides baby crib, has a kitchen and what I like is that the car can be parked right outside of the resort (which means no need to walk in the dark).

DAY THREE: The Nobbies >  Moonlit Santuary  >  Pure Peninsular Honey >  Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm >  Cape Schanck >  Melbourne City

The itinerary for day three was quite packed, so we woke up at 7.30 am to prep and pack up.

1. The Nobbies

The first stop right after we checked-out of Ramada Resort was The Nobbies (17 mins drive). We spent about 20 mins there to enjoy the view, take a few deep breaths and hoping we can spot whales (no, we couldn’t find one, better luck next time!).

2. Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park

We drove from The Nobbies to Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park . The kiddos were sleeping in the car and by the time we arrived, they were all ready for a heavy brunch.

In this park, you will get to see geese (very therapeutic to watch them swim, Kyler likes to chase after them), Emu, owl, kangaroo, Koala (sleeping, as usual), wallabies – view map . I like that the set-up of this park is very close to nature.

3. Pure Peninsular Honey

Pure Peninsular Honey is about 14 mins drive away from Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park—we made a quick stop here to buy some honey for ourselves and our friends.

There is a small set up here for kids to watch the busy bees working which can be quite educational.

4. Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm

One of the highlights for Kyler in this trip was definitely strawberry picking ( 23 mins drive from Pure Peninsula Honey ). Do note that there is seasonality for strawberry picking, so do check their website before including this into your itinerary.

How this works: purchase transparent boxes—2 big and 2 small boxes at AUD 25—and start picking.

The strawberries are not only fresh but also very sweet. We spent the next few days of the trip finishing up these 4 packs.

5. Cape Schanck

A short 15 mins drive from the strawberry farm  will take you to a breath-taking view—Cape Schanck. Over here, we attempted the boardwalk with Julian in the baby carrier and Kyler walking by himself with lots of supervision. This is my personal favourite—nothing beats the beauty of nature. Do note that the boardwalk takes about 20 mins to and fro, so you might need to buffer more time here to avoid rushing or disappointment.

Next, we tried out an experience that’s new to the family—we took a ferry (together with the car we were driving) from Sorrento Pier to Queenscliff.

We managed to reach Sorrento Pier at 4.30 pm after a 25 mins drive from Cape Schanck , in time for the ferry departing at 5 pm. Check the timetable here when you are planning for the trip.

I boarded the ferry without much expectation, but was pleasantly surprised by the child-friendliness on-board—playground, snacks, charging station for your mobile phones, and spacious seating arrangement. You may be able to spot dolphins but if there isn’t, no worries, the sea and mesmerising sunset will make up for it.

After disembarking at Queenscliff Harbour, we drove for about 2 hours to Chinatown to satisfy our cravings for Chinese food.

We were famished and extremely tired from the long drive by the time we reached Jin Dumpling Chinatown (172/179 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia)—we ordered 2 main dishes, 2 side dishes and a plain porridge for Julian. Do note that in Australia, food servings are large. Quite a number of times, I was unable to finish the meals on my own, so do be mindful of over-ordering.   

After a full day on the road, it was nice to be back to our comfy Airbnb accommodation. I did some unpacking and had dirty clothes washed and dried. We slept in a little longer the next morning.

DAY FOUR: Queen Victoria Market >  Playground >  Kmart >  Myer

In the morning, we visited Queen Victoria Market. The display of food is so neat, they must have spent a lot of effort working on it. Unfortunately we did not plan to make a trip back to our accommodation right after, otherwise, we could have purchased some fresh seafood for supper. 

This place was a tad too boring for Kyler, so much so that he spotted a MacDonald’s outside of the market. Hence, we had MacDonald’s for breakfast (p.s. their pancake set does not come with a ‘Happy Meal’ toy).

We packed some food from Queen Victoria food court for lunch, thinking we will picnic after apple picking at Naturipe Fruits . Sadly, we were 2 weeks early for apple picking, and, no picnic is allowed. There is also no apple picking farms nearby.

What a waste of the  1 hr drive!  However, we decided to make the best out of it.

We googled and found out that there is a park nearby, and we decided to give it a try. Turns out, the park has a huge playground made up of wood. Kyler was so excited, he gobbled up his favourite chicken rice and went ahead to play. It is a great place for kids to explore and exhaust their energy. I found a swing that’s made for handicap kids in wheelchair which is super thoughtful—I wonder if Singapore has one?

We went to Kmart at Melton —it operates 24 hours. After a quick shopping at Kmart, we drove back to Melbourne City where we had our dinner at a Japanese café before we checked out Myer.

Then we headed back to our Airbnb accommodation to rest for the day.

DAY FIVE: Werribee Open Range Zoo >  Victoria Gardens

Werribee Park was not in our original itinerary, we were supposed to go to Yarra River on this day. With some research and recommendation from our cousin, we decided to head here with much excitement.

This zoo is probably the best zoo I have been to so far. It cost AUD 36 for 2 adults and kids enjoy free entry. We spent 5 and a half hours in this zoo and it kept Kyler fully engaged. Highly recommend including this in your itinerary.

The first thing we did was hop on the safari bus. You will get to watch up close bison, camel, giraffe, rhinoceros, hippo, zebra, and so much more.

After the safari ride, we went for brunch at a café within the premise. The café is spacious and clean with the option to have your meal outdoor, which we did as the weather was perfect.

After breakfast, we went to explore the other part of the zoo. This zoo is stroller friendly, which is great! Within the premise, there is baby changing room, play areas at various parts of the zoo.

We found a big tree and had a picnic underneath, here’s the view (its gorillas’ habitat):

We later went for our second safari ride—this time round the rangers were out to feed the giraffe. Lucky us!

We left the zoo with the tired kiddos, who slept in the car on our way to Victoria Gardens , a shopping mall that has Kmart and IKEA. It is a child friendly mall that comes with Parents and Children toilet. We took our dinner at the mall, went to Coles for a 3 rd grocery shopping trip and drove back to our accommodation.

DAY SIX: Collingwood Farmer’s Market >  Shopping @ DFS Essendon >  Melbourne Central/ Emporium Melbourne

On day six, we woke up to a totally different weather. Rainy, windy and cold—the car showed the weather to be 13 degree Celsius. My husband suggested we check out Collingwood Children’s Farm Farmer’s Market —the café there serves kids meal too!

After breakfast, we walked around the market to take a quick look. We didn’t spend much time in the market and the children’s farm as the weather was really too cold for the kids (what a pity!) and it was drizzling. With such weather, the only places we could head over to were shopping malls.

DFO Essendon —the carpark is open air, which is not ideal for rainy days. The best buys from here are the bag and pouch from Crumpler. A simple sling bag cost AUD 19, while a black half of A4 size pouch cost AUD 5. The reason we didn’t go to DFO South Wharf was because we understand that the parking there can be quite expensive . We spent about 1 to 2 hours at DFO Essendon before we drove back to CBD area for another round of shopping.

We drove back to CBD area and parked at St Francis carpark —with a weekend flat rate of AUD 14, it might not be the cheapest parking around the area, but it provides shelter to big shopping malls like Melbourne Central, Emporium Melbourne and a bridge that links to Myer—definitely recommending to park at St Francis!

There is a big food court in Emporium Melbourne that sells a wide variety of food. If you crave Asian food, like me, you can check out this Malaysian tze char stall (Chinta Ria Soul) within the food court.

We went back to our accommodation post dinner because all shops closes early in town.

DAY SEVEN: Brighton Beach Boxes >  Shopping @ Westfield Southland >  Koko Black >  Woolshed

It was yet another rainy day. Not an ideal weather to visit Brighton Beach Boxes but we decided to go ahead. We had breakfast at The Baths Upstairs —the scramble eggs were very salty.

It was freezing here with the rain and strong wind. Between myself and my husband, we took turns going down to take a quick look before heading back to the car.

If you only have time for one shopping mall, Westfield Southland is the one you should visit. It has Target, Kmart, Myer, Big W, Coles, all in one place. Parking is free for the first 3 hours. It is about 11 mins drive from Brighton Beach Boxes .

We drove back to our accommodation and parked our car there so that we can ride the tram. We had a direct tram to the city area from our accommodation.

We chilled at Koko Black with hot chocolate and cake, perfect for the rainy day! Then took a stroll around the area before deciding to head back to Colin Street via the tram.

We had our dinner at Woolshed , a place with a kids menu that comes with ice cream and goodie bag. Woolshed was located near our accommodation. We walked back, enjoying the last bits of the cooling weather in Melbourne.

DAY EIGHT: Home Sweet Home

We checked out of our Airbnb accommodation and drove to the airport. Our flight was at 12.40 pm Australia time, reaching Singapore at 6.30 pm. Both my husband and I agreed that an 8-hour day flight is much more manageable than the red eye flight with the kiddos.

Airbnb Review

This was our first Airbnb experience and it was a great one. We were first attracted by the view, the facilities (cooking + washing machine + dryer) and free parking.

Here is my review:

The Airbnb owner was very fast at responding to my questions via Airbnb app and sms. This apartment has a great view. It is comfortable, spacious, child friendly, we love the free strong WiFi connectivity, free carpark and a tram right next to the development that will bring you to CBD area. Very homely.

• Kettle may be a little dirty. For those with kids, perhaps you might want to bring your own kettle.
• The washing machine comes with dryer function which takes a long time to dry and it didn’t came out fully dried. So take note of this and perhaps avoid washing your clothes before check out.
• The pillows are a tad too soft for my liking 😝

Check in instruction was sent on the day on our flight, so do ensure you have the information offline.

You can check out the Airbnb accommodation we booked here .

• Remember to apply Visa for you and your family
• Weather: it is best to bring along an umbrella and rain coats – I was there from 9 Apr to 16 Apr and it rained 2 days out of 8.
• We used Google Map and Here WeGo map interchangeably (we brought our own mobile phone holder). Here Map—you can download the map and enjoy it offline, just in case you run out of data. During planning, I marked out the various places we want to go in the map:

BYKidO  is a platform aimed at helping you discover the latest events, activities and classes to bring your kids out to! Get ideas of places to go and things to do - and start creating your Family Memories!

Never miss another event when you   sign up   for our FREE Newsletter, or   contribute   your family memories to help other families create theirs!

Want to find out more? Click   here   to find out more about us and   here   for details on the BYKidO Pass.

>> Share An Experience Here

Related articles.

BYKidO Moments: Mummy XY’s Mini Trip to Desaru with Her Mini Munchkins!

BYKidO Moments: Mummy Ruby’s Resort World Genting Media Trip with Kids

BYKidO Moments: A Trip to Korea!

6 Short Family-Friendly Getaways from Singapore

7 Family-friendly Not-So-Common Attractions in Asia to Visit This Year-End

7 Things for Mummies & Daddies To Do in Asia Sans the Kids This Year-End Holiday

This article is prepared by.

Malini Pannirselvam Dedicated writer by day, avid reader by night, language fanatic all the time, and aunt to nieces and nephews every day

About Us | Contact Us | Go Back

• Tags: Australia BYKidO Moments Itinerary Kids Friendly Melbourne Travel Travelling with Kids