We started our 2 week Australia Road Trip in Melbourne, spending three days there before setting off along the Great Ocean Road. Here is my pick of the top ten things we did on our visit to Melbourne.
How to get to Melbourne
We flew to Melbourne from Fiji. There are also direct flight between Melbourne and New Zealand, the USA and many Asian countries. Entering Australia is a special challenge for the short sighted. The first instruction, on entering the E-gate, is to remove your glasses. The second is written on a screen 20 metres away. I couldn’t even see there was an instruction, let alone read what it said. Despite my unbeaten run of failing to use an E-gate without assistance, we made it through the airport.
We caught the SkyBus into the city centre. It’s a convenient way to get into town with buses running approximately every 10-15 minutes between 4 am and 1 am. The service terminates at Southern Cross Station. Tickets cost $24.60 for a single or $41.20 for a return, available from a ticket booth just in front of the pick up point.
Getting Around Melbourne
Melbourne has an extensive public transport network of buses, trams and trains. Although it’s also a lovely city to just wander around on foot and we mostly did just that, with the occasional tram ride.
Where to stay in Melbourne
We stayed at The Jazz Corner Hotel, a centrally located funky boutique hotel with a jazz theme throughout. Our accommodation was a one bed apartment on the 25th floor. It was clean and comfortable with all mod cons including a kitchenette (I was disproportionately excited when I discover the washing machine). But the best bit is the balcony with spectacular views across Melbourne and the River Yarra.
Melbourne: Top 10 Things to do
| 1 | Shop/dine at Queen Victoria Market |
| 2 | Stroll along the Harbourside |
| 3 | Wander round the Royal Botanic Garden |
| 4 | Reflect at the Shrine of Remembrance |
| 5 | Admire the Street Art in Hosier Lane |
| 6 | Visit the State Library |
| 7 | Visit Parliament House and Gardens |
| 8 | Take a peek inside the Royal Exhibition Building |
| 9 | Go onboard the Polly Woodside |
| 10 | Visit Ramsay Street |
No 1 – Shop/dine at Queen Victoria Market
We started our visit to Melbourne at Queen Victoria Market (apparently the largest market in the Southern Hemisphere). It’s huge and you can buy practically anything here, but we made a beeline for the very comprehensive food court and had fish and chips for brunch.
During our time in Melbourne, we made several return visits to Queen Victoria Market both to eat at some of the many restaurants that line the food court and to purchase souvenirs.
No 2 – Stroll along the Harbourside
The Harbourside is a pleasant area to take a stroll with parks, sculptures and terrific views of the city.
My favourite part was Sandridge Bridge. This steel bridge contains ten structures, each depicting different groups of settlers; from convicts and the Gold Rush to assisted migration and refugees.
No 3- Wander round the Royal Botanic Garden
The Royal Botanic Garden consists of a series of themed gardens which circle a hill and some lakes. There is 5 km trail around the edge of the gardens. The Gardens themselves are free to enter and are beautiful. We wandered around for a while admiring the different gardens.
No 4 – Reflect at the Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance is a huge shrine originally built to honour the dead of WW1.
A forecourt with an eternal flame was built later to commemorate those who died in WW2.
The area underneath the shrine houses the Galleries of Remembrance, a moving and informative museum detailing the role of Australians in conflicts around the world. Entrance is free, although donations are welcome.
No 5 -Admire the Street Art at Hosier Lane
The narrow alleyway Hosier Lane is famous for its abundance of street art.
No 6 – Visit the State Library
We spent some time visiting the enormous State Library, which is surrounded by book themed sculptures.
Inside, the six storey octagonal dome structure reminds me more of a cathedral of books than a library.
No 7 – Visit Parliament House and Gardens
We visited the exterior of the opulent Victorian Parliament House. It is possible to take a tour of the Parliament, but we made do with a couple of photos on the grand steps.
The building is set in the pretty Parliament Gardens with a fountain installation which looks very inviting on a hot day.
Adjacent to Parliament House is The Great Petition, a sculpture commissioned in 2008 to commemorate a century of (non-indigenous) women’s suffrage in Victoria.
No 8 – Take a Peak inside the Royal Exhibition Building
Carlton Gardens is home to Melbourne Museum and the Royal Exhibition Building. This grand Victorian building was originally built for an exhibition in 1880.
When we visited, there was a craft fair taking place, so we were able to go inside and admire the beautifully frescoed interior.
No 9 – Go onboard the Polly Woodside
The Polly Woodside is a 19th century tall ship. The ships is similar to those my great great grandad would have sailed to Australia on.
You can board the ship to see what conditions were like and there is also an interesting little museum. Entry costs $16.
No 10 – Visit Ramsay Street
On my final day in Melbourne I got to indulge one of my passions. Having watched Neighbours for 30 years, a visit to Melbourne would not be complete without a Ramsay Street tour. The package included a meet and greet with a star of the show. I was intrigued to see who they had coaxed out of bed on a bank holiday morning.
We started at the studio. Because there was no filming taking place, we were allowed onto the set, which was a bonus, and I got to take loads of cheesy photos.
Then on to Ramsay Street, which isn’t actually called Ramsey Street. But the guide had a makeshift street sign for more cheesy photo ops. The star we met, Ben Nicholas, played the character Stingray. He seemed really nice and was happy to chat and pose for photos. All in all, a great morning.
Note: Since our trip to Australia, Neighbours has been cancelled, and then reprieved again – hooray! So I have left this in my blog because it was one of the highlights of the trip and hopefully set tours will resume again soon. In the meantime, it is still possible to visit the famous street on you own. Pin Oak Court is in the suburb of Vermont South which is 18 miles from central Melbourne. Details on how to get there can be found here.
I hope you found the above information useful. For more top picks from other destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full Top 10 Things To Do list here.
- Date of trip: March 2018
- Updated: January 2025
Jane's Midlife Journey 
Leave a comment